This subject is designed to introduce students to the issue of Psychological vulnerability and its impact upon Police investigations, with a particular focus upon the investigation of serious crime. The subject will introduce students to what is meant by psychological vulnerability and will explore various factors that are relevant to an individual's Psychological vulnerability, these include learning difficulties, trauma, mental illness, personality disorders, the responses of victims and witnesses to violent crime. These vulnerability factors will be described and how they might impact upon a police investigation, highlighting particularly the risks to the integrity of the investigation and strategies for minimizing risk.
No offerings have been identified for this subject in 2020.
HD/FL
One session
Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security
Subject Area 1: What is Psychological Vulnerability? - Introduction to learning dificulties, symptoms, and deficits relevant to policing - Introduction to Mental disorders, symptoms, and deficits relevant to policing with a focus upon Schizophrenia, depression and anxiety disorders - Introduction to personality disorders, symptoms, and deficits relevant to policing - Mentally disordered female offenders - Unusual types of offending, focussing upon Munchausn disorder by proxy - Cultural issues and their relationship with vulnerability Subject Area 2: Victims and Witnesses of Serious Crime, Trauma and Policing - Recognising symptoms of trauma and traumatic stress - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - Crisis, suicide and coping - Working with Victims of serious crime focussing upon victims of sexual violence - Working with witnesses of serious crime focussing upon witnesses of terrorist violence Subject Area 3: The Impact of Psychological Vulnerability upon Policing - Victimology and crime investigations - Impact of witnesses and suspects with learning difficulties upon Police investigations - Cultural issues, vulnerability and the impact upon Police investigations - Impact of suspects and witnesses with Mental illness upon Police investigations - Impact of personality disordered witnesses and suspects upon Police investigations - Mentally disordered female offenders and police investigations
The information contained in the CSU Handbook was accurate at the date of publication: October 2020. The University reserves the right to vary the information at any time without notice.