CRIMINOLOGY
Raine et al- Brain abnormalities in murderers
Aim: To see if violent offenders who commit murder and plead Not Guilty for Reasons of
Insanity (NGRI) have localized brain dysfunction.
Research Method/Design
A quasi-experiment. Matched pairs design (age, sex, and psychiatric condition).
Participants
41 ‘murderers’ (39 male, 2 female), mean age of 34.3 years, NGRI (e.g. history of head
injury). Not receiving any psychoactive medication for 2 weeks before the scan.
41 controls (39 male, 2 female), mean age of 31.7 years.
Procedure
Ps were injected with an FDG ‘tracer’ and asked to complete a complete a Continuous
Performance Task. After 32 minutes of uptake of the tracer, each P was scanned. 2
techniques were used to identify brain regions:
1) Cortical Peel technique (lateral brain areas)
2) Box technique (medial brain areas).
Results
• The experimental group had lower levels of glucose metabolism in the lateral and
medial pre-frontal cortical regions of the brain.
• In the subcortical regions the experimental group also had lower glucose metabolism
in the corpus callosum and reduced activity in the amygdala (implicated in aggression
and emotion regulation).
Conclusions
• Evidence for ‘multi-site deficits’ in murderers pleading NGRI.
• These areas are characterized by reduced glucose metabolism.
• Support for pre-existing biological factors for predisposition to violence.
, • Violent behavior is localized in the brain and may ‘translate’ into criminal behaviour
through various pathways including social and cognitive.
Hall and Player- Effect of emotional context on fingerprint
analysis and decision making.
Aims
• To see if trained fingerprint experts are affected by the emotional context of a case.
• To see if the written report supplied with fingerprint would affect an expert’s
interpretation.
Method/Design
• Field experiment with an independent measures design, random allocation:
• Low emotional context – allegation of forgery (victimless crime)
• High emotional context – allegation of murder.
Participants
• Self-selecting sample of 70 fingerprint experts all working for Met Police Fingerprint
Bureau
• The mean length of experience as a Fingerprint Expert was 11 years.
• Majority were active practitioners, with the minority no longer active (e.g. in a
managerial role).
Procedure
• Fingerprint (right forefinger) from a volunteer inked onto paper and scanned onto a
£50 note.
• Background of note obscured the ridge detail - fingerprint=poor quality
• Participants provided with an envelope with one of the test marks, a 10-print
fingerprint form, and a sheet of paper telling them that the print was of the right
forefinger.
• Ps asked to consider if the print was a match / not a match / insufficient detail to
decide.
Raine et al- Brain abnormalities in murderers
Aim: To see if violent offenders who commit murder and plead Not Guilty for Reasons of
Insanity (NGRI) have localized brain dysfunction.
Research Method/Design
A quasi-experiment. Matched pairs design (age, sex, and psychiatric condition).
Participants
41 ‘murderers’ (39 male, 2 female), mean age of 34.3 years, NGRI (e.g. history of head
injury). Not receiving any psychoactive medication for 2 weeks before the scan.
41 controls (39 male, 2 female), mean age of 31.7 years.
Procedure
Ps were injected with an FDG ‘tracer’ and asked to complete a complete a Continuous
Performance Task. After 32 minutes of uptake of the tracer, each P was scanned. 2
techniques were used to identify brain regions:
1) Cortical Peel technique (lateral brain areas)
2) Box technique (medial brain areas).
Results
• The experimental group had lower levels of glucose metabolism in the lateral and
medial pre-frontal cortical regions of the brain.
• In the subcortical regions the experimental group also had lower glucose metabolism
in the corpus callosum and reduced activity in the amygdala (implicated in aggression
and emotion regulation).
Conclusions
• Evidence for ‘multi-site deficits’ in murderers pleading NGRI.
• These areas are characterized by reduced glucose metabolism.
• Support for pre-existing biological factors for predisposition to violence.
, • Violent behavior is localized in the brain and may ‘translate’ into criminal behaviour
through various pathways including social and cognitive.
Hall and Player- Effect of emotional context on fingerprint
analysis and decision making.
Aims
• To see if trained fingerprint experts are affected by the emotional context of a case.
• To see if the written report supplied with fingerprint would affect an expert’s
interpretation.
Method/Design
• Field experiment with an independent measures design, random allocation:
• Low emotional context – allegation of forgery (victimless crime)
• High emotional context – allegation of murder.
Participants
• Self-selecting sample of 70 fingerprint experts all working for Met Police Fingerprint
Bureau
• The mean length of experience as a Fingerprint Expert was 11 years.
• Majority were active practitioners, with the minority no longer active (e.g. in a
managerial role).
Procedure
• Fingerprint (right forefinger) from a volunteer inked onto paper and scanned onto a
£50 note.
• Background of note obscured the ridge detail - fingerprint=poor quality
• Participants provided with an envelope with one of the test marks, a 10-print
fingerprint form, and a sheet of paper telling them that the print was of the right
forefinger.
• Ps asked to consider if the print was a match / not a match / insufficient detail to
decide.
