Psychology and Law
For this assignment, you are asked to write a research paper that explores an issue related to psychology and law. You may choose from one of the following three topics belowCanada prides itself on being a diverse and multicultural society. There is considerable evidence, however, that the Canadian criminal justice system is rife with systemic racism and an overrepresentation of racialized minorities. The first manifestations of systemic racism within the criminal justice system begins with individuals from racialized communities being more likely to have criminal charges laid against them. The end result of bias in the criminal justice process is the overrepresentation of Black and Indigenous peoples who are found guilty of criminal charges and then incarcerated in Canadian prisons. There are many people involved in the criminal justice process who hold power by virtue of their authority within the criminal justice process. Foremost among these people are the police.What psychological factors (e.g., nonconscious and conscious biases) may be associated with the over-policing of racialized communities? Think about the ways in which social cognitive biases may lead to actions that are taken or not taken (i.e., inaction). Provide evidence form the psychological literature that would back up your arguments.Canadian courts have traditionally been concerned about potential pre-trial publicity of their cases and the possibility that jury members have been exposed to case information prior to trial. These concerns were present in decades past, when media coverage might have been presented in a newspaper article or television news program. Today, more than half of Canadians get their news from social media in addition to traditional outlets, often viewing stories multiple times per day. Because this information is consumed on social media, news stories are often shared by friends and family members, who provide their own opinions and perspectives on the stories. When todays jury members arrive in court, they may be coming with substantially more pre-trial exposure than has occurred in the past. How might social media change the nature of pre-trial publicity? What consequences might this have on the jury decision making process and why?In our lectures and text, a considerable amount of time was spent exploring how a false confession, even one that is recanted (i.e., taken back), can impact the trial decision- makers (i.e., jurors). For your paper, discuss how a false confession can influence the investigation and evidence gathering process of the case before it even gets to trial. That is, how might a false confession impact the handling of the case at this early stage?The paper should provide detail about the topic you have chosen and should include empirical research (3 empirical research articles) that backs up the points you make–discuss each article in enough detail and apply it directly to the case at hand. Choose appropriate articles (i.e., empirical academic journal articles that report on data collected, as opposed to review papers)Begin with an introductory paragraph and thesis statement, then explore your literature in detail, and finish with a concluding paragraph.STYLEThe paper should be between 5-6 pages and be written in compliance with APA formatting. If you are unsure of how to write in APA format, you can find a style guide here: neral_format.html.Text should be double spaced, using Times New Roman 12-point font, with 1 margins. Be sure to include a Title Page (not included in your page limit), but do not include an abstract.If you want to flesh out any details of your topic, you may look to news coverage or articles, but these will not count toward your academic sources. Do not cite the lecture slides or textbook as your source material.The paper should be formal in tone. Avoid using the first person or casual voice and write in full sentences and paragraphs. You will be marked on overall coherence, organization and style.MARK BREAKDOWN10% – APA style, grammar, spelling, typos15% – Overall quality, writing style, coherence, organization, flow20% – Introduction Introduction to topic, thesis statement, explanation of social context/importance30% – Summary of research articles 15% – Application of articles to the topic; answered the research question10% – Conclusion
