Overview

The final project for this course is the creation of an evaluation report of treatment programs for violent and non-violent offenders and victims.

Forensic psychologists are often called upon to provide expert testimony in the court system in determining the mental states of witnesses, victims, or the accused. They also suggest appropriate treatment for victims and offenders. This role requires appropriately addressing the psychological issues surrounding victimology and correctional psychology.

While victimology emphasizes the identification and empirically based treatment of trauma-related victims, such as survivors of child, domestic, or sexual abuse, correctional psychology focuses on identifying and treating violent (e.g., those with assault or other violent crime charges) and non-violent offenders (e.g., those with substance abuse charges), including offenders that may also have been victims of trauma.

In addition to accurately assessing and meeting the needs of victims and offenders, the forensic psychologist's suggestions must also take into consideration legal requirements, including Supreme Court and lower court decisions, and ethical constraints specific to the court system.

In the final project for this course, you will be asked to evaluate treatment programs that address the needs of victims and offenders within the legal system for their efficacy, legal admissibility, and feasibility, as well as their compliance with ethical guidelines and federal laws. Finally, you will include an aftercare plan for each target population.

The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three, Five, and Seven. The final submission will occur in Module Nine.

In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

• Evaluate evidence-based treatment programs for offenders and trauma-related victims for their efficacy, admissibility, and feasibility

• Evaluate treatment strategies for offenders and trauma-related victims for their compliance with the ethical guidelines of a professional psychology organization

• Assess the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases and federal laws in promoting the psychological well-being of offenders and trauma-related victims within the legal system

• Create appropriate aftercare plans for offenders and trauma-related victims based on critical examination of services provided by state, local, federal, and professional agencies

Prompt

The final project for this course is the evaluation of treatment programs addressing three different populations: non-violent offenders (e.g., drug-related charges), violent offenders (e.g., assault), and trauma victims (, victims of abuse, assault, rape, etc.) for the purpose of informing family or criminal court decisions (e.g., family reunification, jail diversion) for each of the target populations.

In this project, you will summarize forensic psychology treatment literature from the last five years for each of the populations. Based on your literature review, you will evaluate treatment programs for their efficacy, legal admissibility, and feasibility, as well as their compliance with ethical guidelines and federal laws. Finally, you will include an aftercare plan for each target population.

Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Literature Review: Summarize forensic psychological treatment literature from the last five years for each of the target populations. What are the most common psychological concerns among each population? Are these concerns specific to populations within the legal system, or do they share common concerns with other populations?

Which treatments have been particularly effective in meeting the needs of each of the target populations? Are there treatments that have been effective in the general population that might benefit the target populations, but are not admissible or feasible given the constraints of the legal system?

a) Non-violent offenders

b) Violent offenders

c) Trauma victims

II. Legal and Ethical Considerations

a) Compare and contrast ethical concerns related to the treatment of each of the target populations. For example, what ethical concerns do psychologists face in treating each of the target populations within the constraints of the legal system? Are there special considerations in addressing victims versus those who are incarcerated, or violent versus non-violent offenders?

Are there certain ethical principles that apply to all three populations? Be sure to substantiate your claims with specific examples and guidelines from a professional psychology organization.

b) Discuss how the specific ethical guidelines of a professional psychology organization may have informed the treatment strategies for each of the three populations. Be sure to substantiate your claims with specific examples.

c) Compare and contrast federal laws related to the treatment of each of the target populations. How do these laws inform or constrain care options? Be sure to substantiate your claims with specific examples.

d) Assess the impact of U.S. Supreme Court cases on the development and implementation of treatment programs for each of the target populations. How do these cases inform or constrain care options? Be sure to substantiate your claims with specific examples.

1. Non-violent offenders

2. Violent offenders

3. Trauma victims

III. Aftercare Plan: Now that you have had a chance to evaluate various treatment plans for their efficacy and feasibility, recommend appropriate aftercare plans for each of the target populations. In other words, discuss where the subject will be going and what the subject will be doing upon discharge, release, or completion of care. Be sure to justify your recommendations with specific research.

a) Non-violent offenders
b) Violent offenders
c) Trauma victims

Milestone One: Draft of Literature Review

Milestones

In Module Three, you will submit a draft of the literature review (Section I), including all critical elements as listed above. The literature review will be four to five pages. In the literature review, you will summarize forensic psychological treatment literature in the last five years for each of the target populations (non-violent offenders, violent offenders, and trauma victims). An article that addresses all target populations would be ideal, but it may be difficult to find.

Focus on the major treatment areas for the target populations and how the treatments address the needs. There is a lot to cover in these topics, so finding articles that cover one or two populations or areas will allow for a more comprehensive approach. This draft should be as detailed as possible in order to allow the instructor to provide significant feedback. Please make sure to use peer-reviewed and academic sources for the literature review. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric.

Milestone Two: Draft of Legal and Ethical Considerations

In Module Five, you will submit a three- to four-page draft of the legal and ethical considerations (Section II), including all critical elements as listed above. . In this section, you will compare and contrast ethical concerns related to the treatment of each of the target populations. You will utilize information that you have researched and read for Milestone One. Focus on the critical elements provided above and concisely integrate these elements into your draft.

This will incorporate the Supreme Court and federal laws that you have examined and discussed in the course thus far. This draft should be as detailed as possible in order to allow the instructor to provide significant feedback that you can use to improve your final submission. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.

Milestone Three: Draft of Aftercare Plan

In Module Seven, you will submit a three- to four-page draft of the aftercare plan (Section III), including all critical elements as listed above. In this section, you will use what you have learned throughout the course and recommend an appropriate aftercare plan for each of the target populations. You may conduct and include research on services in your area that you can recommend for your client. The development of an aftercare plan can often make or break an offender's success upon release from prison or a program.

Setting up your client with the best possible aftercare program is vital. Knowing the resources, having the connections, and knowing the procedures for getting an individual involved in programs is important. As with the previous two milestones, research is a vital component of your everyday job. You must know where to look for the most recent research on a topic, and you must be aware of the laws and/or resources pertaining to your clients in order to prepare the most effective aftercare plan possible.

Attachment:- milestone.rar