#forensic-psychology

#forensic-psychology

Sex offender registries have been adopted across many countries as responses to sexual violence, public fear, and the demand for accountability. Although often framed as legal or administrative tools, registries function more accurately as psychological systems of behavioral regulation. They shape identity, stress, emotional regulation, and social integration, all of which unfold within specific cultural contexts. A scientific evaluation, therefore, requires examining registries through forensic psychology rather than policy rhetoric alone.

Results show they were motivated by four distinct narcissistic traits - 'grandiose rivalry', 'grandiose admiration', 'vulnerable isolation' and 'vulnerable enmity'. Grandiose rivalry is defined as the devaluation of others and striving for supremacy, while grandiose admiration is typified by self-promotion and an extreme need for admiration. Vulnerable enmity comprises paranoia, aggression and a belief one is being treated unfairly, while vulnerable isolation is withdrawing from social situations to protect a fragile self-esteem.

When she was found dead in her Austin, Texas, bedroom in May 2019, detectives noticed odd marks on her head and neck that didn't fit the position she was found in. The medical examiner thought strangulation was a possibility, but ruled the death undetermined. A sexual assault kit yielded a DNA match to convicted killer Raul Meza Jr. in 2020; nothing was done.

Kitty and Jose Menendez were watching TV and eating ice cream in their Beverly Hills mansion on August 20, 1989, when their sons, Erik and Lyle, came in and shot them. Lyle blamed organized crime, deflecting the investigation, but a guilt-ridden Erik confessed to a therapist. The young men were arrested. They went through two sensational trials before both were finally convicted.

My daughter, interested in forensic psychology, found a program at Arizona State University. After completing her associate degree, she wanted to visit the school as part of her preparations for transfer.

In my undergraduate course, Dangerous Minds, I'd use the case of Stephen Stanko to demonstrate problems with neuroscience experts in court: Brain scans aren't definitive.