Complete this checklist to gain access to the submission link for HW Option #1.
Purpose: A key concern in the psychological study of the legal field is the unintended negative consequences of legal procedures, human error, and biases. The goal of this assignment is for students to apply their knowledge of psychological concepts to a real exoneration case – cases where someone was mistakenly convicted of a crime and later found innocent.
Getting Started:
First, find the exoneration case. Browse cases here and look for cases that involve Mistaken Witness Identification or False Confession: https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/detaillist.aspx
Review the case and note the contributing factors and other important information.
Review course material for information related to the contributing factors.
Consider how this could have been prevented – what suggestions would you make?
Task and Resources:
Example paper: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nvqXZAVlW0QXk_gOOWHE467zIE83wk15/view?usp=sharing
Put together a short paper (2-4 pages, not including References) describing what you’ve learned about the case:
Case Summary (no more than 1 page)
Who was involved?
What happened in the crime?
What happened during the investigation?
What happened during the trial?
What happened after the trial?
Contributing Factors & Course Material
What were the major contributing factors? This includes, but is not limited to, the factors tagged on the website.
Describe course material related to each factor. For example, if a false confession was a factor, describe what kind of false confession it was and why the circumstances resulted in a false confession. Cite the appropriate textbook chapter, like so (Chapter 3).
Suggestions for Prevention
Based on the knowledge you have about the contributing factors and forensic/legal psychology, describe practical changes that would have reduced the likelihood of a false conviction.
APA Style References
A separate page listing a link to the exoneration case and any other links you used, such as news articles)
Do you need help with APA format? Click the APA Format Help link in the sidebar!
Accuracy and Writing Quality
The information you present should be accurate to the case and course material. Papers should be reviewed for spelling and grammar, use paraphrasing, and citations for material referenced from sources. You may use no more than 20-25 words in an APA style direct quote.
Need some help with spelling/grammar? Consider making an appointment with the Writing Center (link in sidebar) or using Grammarly to catch grammatical errors.
checklist**
Clearly describes, in student’s own words: Who was involved? What happened in the crime? What happened during the investigation? What happened during the trial? What happened after the trial? May have vague or incomplete information about no more than 1 of the above.
True
False
1 points
QUESTION 2
This section describes at least one contributing factor explaining the false conviction. Course material related to each factor is discussed with chapter citations.
True
False
1 points
QUESTION 3
Clearly describes practical changes that could be made to prevent a false conviction from happening in a similar case in the future. Suggestions include clear references to course material.
True
False
1 points
QUESTION 4
Reference page is in APA format with few errors. Includes a reference to the exoneration case site, the textbook, as well as any additional news articles, videos, etc. that were used.
True
False
1 points
QUESTION 5
Information about the case and course material is described accurately with no more than minor errors in understanding or interpretation.
True
False
1 points
QUESTION 6
Few errors in grammar or spelling. Citations are included where appropriate. Text is not plagiarized.
True
False
Instructor: Dr. Zimmerman
PSYC 360 Forensic
Colorado State University Pueblo