Psychological research and public policy/law

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review the article, “Washington’s Sexually Violent Predator Law:Legislative History and Comparisons With Other States.” Think about how historical and forensic psychological research contributes to the establishment of law and policy.
• Review the article, “Stalking: Lessons From Recent Research.” Pay particular attention to how research is used to influence community action and thereby affect public policy.
• Review the article, “Sexually Violent Predator Evaluations: Empirical Evidence, Strategies for Professionals, and Research Directions.” Consider how the findings described in this article might be helpful in influencing or setting public policy.
• Using the Walden Library, identify and review a psychological research study that you believe has influenced a change in public policy or law.
• Reflect upon the population studied, the key data and results, and other important takeaways of the research study.
• Think about how this research study might influence public policy and/or law in forensics or in forensic settings.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Day 4 a brief summary of the research study you selected. Be sure to include the population studied, key data and results, and other important takeaways of the article. Then, explain how a forensic psychology professional might use the results of the study to influence public policy and/or law in forensics or in forensic settings

Learning Resources

Readings

• Speech: Travis, J. (1999, April). Stalking: Lessons from recent research. Address presented at the National Center for Women and Policing Conference, Orlando, FL. Retrieved from http://www.nij.gov/nij/about/speeches/past-directors/stalk.htm
• Article: Miller, H. A, Amenta, A. E., & Conroy, M. A. (2005). Sexually violent predator evaluations: Empirical evidence, strategies for professionals, and research directions. Law and Human Behavior, 29(1), 29-54. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Article: Lieb, R. (1996). Washington’s sexually violent predator law: Legislative history and comparisons with other states. Retrieved from http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/WAsexlaw.pdf
• Article: The National Center for Victims of Crimes. (2007). Model stalking code revisited: Response to the new realities of stalking. Retrieved fromhttp://www.victimsofcrime.org/docs/src/model-stalking-code.pdf?sfvrsn=0
• Article: National Center for Victims of Crime. (n.d.). Stalking laws. Retrieved October 2, 2009, from http://www.victimsofcrime.org/our-programs/stalking-resource-center/stalking-laws
• Article: Wakefield, H., & Underwager, R. (1998). Assessing violent recidivism in sexual offenders. Issues in Child Abuse Accusations, 10. Retrieved from http://www.ipt-forensics.com/journal/volume10/j10_6.htm