Forensic Psychology, Theory and Practice
Duration
- One semester/teaching period
Contact hours
- 38.5 hours
On-campus unit delivery combines face-to-face and digital learning.
2026 teaching periods
| Hawthorn Higher Ed. Semester 2 |
||
|---|---|---|
Dates: Results: Last self enrolment: Census: Last withdraw without fail: |
Prerequisites
Corequisites
Aims and objectives
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
1. Analyse, appraise and explain the origins of criminal behaviour and methods for assessing risk of crime.
2. Design and implement interventions appropriate for individuals’ criminogenic needs, tailored to individual risk factors.
3. Develop competence in assessments within the criminal forensic psychology domain and understand the psychologists role in assisting courts in criminal matters.
Courses with unit
Unit information in detail
- Teaching methods, assessment, general skills outcomes and content.
Teaching methods
This Unit will involve up to 150 hours of work including:
| Type (On-campus) | Hours per week | Number of Weeks | Total |
| On campus Class |
3.5 |
11 |
38.5 |
| On campus Workshop |
0.06 |
1 |
15 |
| Unspecified Activities Various | 6.4 |
15 |
96.5 |
| TOTAL | 148.5 hours |
Assessment
| Types | Individual or Group task | Weighting | Assesses attainment of these ULOs |
| Class presentation | Individual | 20% | 1, 3 |
| Essay | Individual | 80% | 1, 2, 3 |
| Reflective Essay | Individual | 3 |
General skills outcomes
• Communication Skills.
• Ability to tackle unfamiliar problems.
• Ability to work independently.
Content
- Theories of crime and criminal behaviour (including developmental perspectives)
- Sexual offender assessment, treatment and management
- Violent offender assessment, treatment and management
- Report writing in the forensic context
- Sentencing
- Assessment and treatment of mentally disordered offenders
- Malingering and deception
- Working with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds
- Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Verbal communication
- Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
- Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Information literacy
- Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Technical literacy
Please note this unit involves compulsory attendance at a workshop on Australian law and providing expert evidence. This mandatory workshop will run in person in Melbourne during the semester. The exact timing of the workshop will be communicated by the unit convenor at the beginning of semester.
Study resources
- Reading materials.