Editorial note. Introduction to the monographic topic "Legal Psychology"

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The scaling of crime concentration in cities.

Crime is a major threat to society's well-being but lacks a statistical characterization that could lead to uncovering some of its underlying mechanisms. Evidence of nonlinear scaling of urban indicators in cities, such as wages and serious crime, has motivated the understanding of cities as complex systems-a perspective that offers insights into resources limits and sustainability, but that usually neglects details of the indicators themselves. Notably, since the nineteenth century, criminal activities have been known to occur unevenly within a city; crime concentrates in such way that most of the offenses take place in few regions of the city. Though confirmed by different studies, this concentration lacks broad analyses on its characteristics, which hinders not only the comprehension of crime dynamics but also the proposal of sounding counter-measures. Here, we developed a framework to characterize crime concentration which divides cities into regions with the same population size. We used disaggregated criminal data from 25 locations in the U.S. and the U.K., spanning from 2 to 15 years of longitudinal data. Our results confirmed that crime concentrates regardless of city and revealed that the level of concentration does not scale with city size. We found that the distribution of crime in a city can be approximated by a power-law distribution with exponent α that depends on the type of crime. In particular, our results showed that thefts tend to concentrate more than robberies, and robberies more than burglaries. Though criminal activities present regularities of concentration, we found that criminal ranks have the tendency to change continuously over time-features that support the perspective of crime as a complex system and demand analyses and evolving urban policies covering the city as a whole.

Characterization of Legal Psychology through psychology journals included in Criminology & Penology and Law categories of Web of Science / Caracterización de la Psicología Jurídica a través de las revistas de psicología incluidas en las categorías Criminology & Penology y Law de la Web of Science

The objective of this work is to learn about the most relevant aspects that characterize contemporary Legal Psychology throughout the study of journals included in the WoS between the years 2009 and 2014 related with the area of Psychology. The number of selected publications is 16, mainly from the USA and Great Britain. The results show an increase in the number of works and authors, a greater collaboration and a growth in medium productors. It exists a major presence of men in editorial boards and as authors, outstanding the figures of T. Ward in 2009 and A. Vrij in 2014. According to the analysis of key words the most relevant themes during these years have been Crime, Conduct, Woman and Metaanalysis, being sexual violence towards children and women and gender violence the criminal typology most studied

El objetivo del presente trabajo es conocer los aspectos más relevantes que caracterizan a la Psicología Jurídica contemporánea a través del estudio de las revistas de la WoS en los años 2009 y 2014 relacionadas con esta área de la Psicología. El número de publicaciones seleccionadas es de 16, principalmente de USA e Inglaterra. Los resultados apuntan a un aumento en el número de trabajos y de autores, una mayor colaboración y un crecimiento de los medianos productores. Existe una mayor presencia de hombres en los comités editoriales y como autores, destacando las figuras de T. Ward en 2009 y de A. Vrij en 2014. Según el análisis de las palabras clave los temas más relevantes en estos años son Crimen, Conducta, Mujer y Metaanálisis, siendo la tipología delictiva más estudiada la violencia sexual hacia niños y mujeres y la violencia de género

Psychometric prediction of penitentiary recidivism / Predicción psicométrica de la reincidencia penitenciaria

BACKGROUND: Attempts to predict prison recidivism based on the personality have not been very successful. This study aims to provide data on recidivism prediction based on the scores on a personality questionnaire. For this purpose, a predictive model combining the actuarial procedure with a posteriori probability was developed, consisting of the probabilistic calculation of the effective verification of the event once it has already occurred. METHOD: Cuestionario de Personalidad Situacional (CPS; Fernández, Seisdedos, & Mielgo, 1998) was applied to 978 male inmates classified as recidivists or non-recidivists. RESULTS: High predictive power was achieved, with the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.85 (p <.001; Se = 0.012; 95% CI [0.826, 0.873]. The answers to the CPS items made it possible to properly discriminate 77.3% of the participants. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate the important role of the personality as a key factor in understanding delinquency and predicting recidivism

ANTECEDENTES: los intentos para predecir la reincidencia penitenciaria basándose en la personalidad no han tenido mucho éxito. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo ofrecer datos sobre la predicción de la reincidencia a partir de las puntuaciones en un cuestionario de personalidad. MÉTODO: se aplicó el Cuestionario de Personalidad Situacional (CPS; Fernández, Seisdedos y Mielgo, 1998) a 978 reclusos varones clasificados como reincidentes o no reincidentes y se elaboró un modelo predictivo combinando el procedimiento actuarial con el concepto de probabilidad a posteriori, consistente en realizar cálculo probabilístico a partir de la constatación efectiva del suceso una vez ya se ha producido. RESULTADOS: se logró un elevado poder predictivo, siendo el área bajo la curva (AUC) de 0.85 (p < 0.001; Se = 0.012; 95% IC [0.826, 0.873]. Las respuestas a los ítems del CPS permitieron discriminar adecuadamente al 77,3% de los participantes. CONCLUSIONES: estos datos indican el papel importante de la personalidad como factor clave para entender la delincuencia y predecir la reincidencia

Nuevas aproximaciones en detección de mentiras II. Estrategias activas de entrevista e información contextual / New approaches in deception detection ii. Active interviewing strategies and contextual information

La evidencia meta-analítica muestra que los indicadores conductuales de la mentira son escasos, poco diagnósticos y cambiantes. Esto ha propiciado un cambio de orientación en la investigación sobre detección de mentiras: ya no se trata de escudriñar atenta pero pasivamente al emisor de la comunicación en busca de indicadores conductuales reveladores de mentira; por el contrario, es necesario (a) adoptar un rol activo, empleando modalidades de entrevista diseñadas específicamente para detectar mentiras, o (b) atender a indicios contextuales (en lugar de conductuales) del engaño. En el artículo anterior (Masip y Herrero, 2015a) revisamos los antecedentes de este cambio de orientación, así como el trasfondo teórico de las nuevas aproximaciones. Aquí describimos estrategias concretas de entrevista para detectar mentiras, así como la (aún escasa) investigación sobre indicios contextuales del engaño. Con ello, esperamos ofrecer al lector una panorámica detallada de los desarrollos recientes en esta parcela concreta de la Psicología Jurídica

Meta-analytical evidence shows that behavioural indicators of deception are scant, poorly diagnostic and inconsistent. This has yielded a shift in deception detection research. Rather than passively scrutinising the communication sender to find tell-tale behavioural indicators of deception, the deception judge needs to (a) adopt an active role by using interviewing techniques specifically designed to detect deception, or (b) focus on contextual (rather than behavioural) deception cues. In the previous paper (Masip & Herrero, 2015a), we reviewed the antecedents of this change in focus, as well as the theoretical grounding of the new approaches. Here we describe specific interviewing strategies for detecting deception, as well as the (still scant) research on contextual deception indicia. In doing this, we hope to offer the reader a detailed perspective on the recent developments in this specific area of psychology and law

Análisis del expediente judicial: Evaluación de la validez de la prueba testifical / Analysis of the judicial file: assessing the validity of testimony

En el marco del enfoque holístico para la evaluación de la prueba testifical (HELPT), el presente trabajo describe un protocolo para el análisis de toda aquella información susceptible de ser extraída de un expediente judicial, a la luz de los conocimientos del procesamiento heurístico de la información, y del análisis de los factores de influencia de las declaraciones desde la Psicología del Testimonio. El objetivo es brindar una sistematización de los tópicos que pudieran explorarse en un expediente, ya sea como parte de un peritaje directo o como un metaperitaje, extrayendo el máximo de información no sesgada a fin de establecer las hipótesis relevantes del caso y valorar los posibles factores de influencia

Under the holistic approach to the assessment of testimony (HELPT), this paper describes a protocol for the analysis of all the information that can be extracted from a judicial file, regarding the knowledge of heuristic principles and psychology of testimony. The aim is to provide a systematization for expert reports about the topics that could be explored in a file, extracting the maximum unbiased information to establish the relevant hypotheses of the case and evaluate possible factors of influence

Neurocriminology: implications for the punishment, prediction and prevention of criminal behaviour.

Criminal behaviour and violence are increasingly viewed as worldwide public health problems. A growing body of knowledge shows that criminal behaviour has a neurobiological basis, and this has intensified judicial interest in the potential application of neuroscience to criminal law. It also gives rise to important questions. What are the implications of such application for predicting future criminal behaviour and protecting society? Can it be used to prevent violence? And what are the implications for the way offenders are punished?

La construcción del sujeto peligroso en España (1880-1936). El papel de la psiquiatría y la criminología / The construction of the dangerous subject in Spain (1880-1936). The role of psychiatry and criminology

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar cómo la psiquiatría y la criminología contribuyeron a patologizar al criminal y a criminalizar la locura, ahondando en la estigmatización y marginación del enfermo mental y los individuos con comportamientos desviados. Partiendo de las reflexiones de Michel Foucault sobre la noción de individuo peligroso y anormal, pretendo enmarcar la construcción del sujeto peligroso en España durante el periodo 1880-1936 tomando en cuenta tres cuestiones: 1) el impacto del degeneracionismo en los peritajes psiquiátricos y la recepción de la antropología criminal en España durante las décadas de 1880 y 1890; 2) la pugna entre psiquiatras y juristas en torno a los conceptos de responsabilidad, libre albedrío y peligrosidad potencial, que condujo a un sector de la psiquiatría a introducir a mediados de la década de 1890 una noción, la de responsabilidad atenuada, que permitía una nueva definición del individuo peligroso y la defensa social; y 3) el tratamiento de la peligrosidad social del enfermo mental por parte del movimiento de higiene mental entre 1920 y 1936 (AU)

The objective of this work is to examine how psychiatry and criminology contributed to the pathologisation of criminals and the criminalisation of madness, thus increasing the stigmatisation and marginalisation of mental patients and deviant individuals. Based on Michel Foucault’s ideas on the dangerous and abnormal individual, I intend to describe the construction of the dangerous subject in Spain between 1880 and 1936 taking into account three main issues: 1) the influence of degenerationism on psychiatric court reports and the reception of criminal anthropology in Spain during the decades of the 1880s and 1890s; 2) the conflict between psychiatrists and law concerning the concepts of responsibility, free will and potential risk, showing how around the mid 1890s a sector of the psychiatric profession introduced a notion, that of diminished responsibility, that fostered a new perception of the dangerous individual and a redefinition of social defence; 3) the treatment of the social dangerousness of the mentally ill by the mental hygiene movement from 1920 to 1936 (AU)

La psicología criminal en la policía de Franco / Criminal psychology in Franco’s police

Antecedentes: Francisco J. de Echalecu (1897-1957) fue un psiquiatra español que ocupó los cargos de profesor de Psicología en la Escuela General de Policía y neuropsiquiatra de la Dirección General de Seguridad. Método: en este trabajo se presenta una breve biografía del Dr. Echalecu y se analiza la transcripción de sus clases de Psicologia Criminal de 1942, su Psicología Criminal de 1947, así como su intervención en el caso de las torturas al líder comunista Heriberto Quiñones. Resultados: se presenta su proyecto de una Psicología criminal totalitaria y su propuesta de intervención social, en base tanto a métodos eugenésicos como de reclusión obligatoria de los clasificados como asociales. Se describe la adaptación en España del proyecto psicológico totalitario a la nueva realidad internacional creada tras la segunda Guerra Mundial. Conclusiones: en España se preparaba una «solución final» para la delincuencia y la disidencia política, inspirada en la política criminal nazi y promovida por el Dr. Echalecu desde la máxima instancia policial de España, la DGS. El proyecto se frustró por la derrota alemana en la Guerra Mundial, y del proyecto original solo quedó la aplicación arbitraria a los individuos considerados asociales de la Ley de Vagos y Maleantes (AU)

Francisco J. de Echalecu (1897-1957) was a Spanish psychiatrist who held important positions, such as Psychology Professor at the Academia General de Policía and Neuropsychiatrist at the Dirección General de Seguridad. Method: This work provides a brief biography of Echalecu and analyzes the transcriptions of his classes on Criminal Psychology of 1942, his Criminal Psychology from 1947 as well as his involvement in the case of the torture of Communist leader Heriberto Quiñones. Results: We describe his project of a totalitarian Psychology and his proposal of social intervention, including eugenic methodologies as well as forced reclusion for those labeled as asocial. The adaptation in Spain of the totalitarian psychological project to the new international reality after the Second World War is also described. Conclusions: In Spain a «final solution» for criminals and political dissidents has been prepared, which was inspired by the Nazi criminal policies and promoted by Dr. Echalecu from Spain’s higher police body, the DGS. This project was frustrated by the German defeat in the world war and the only thing left from the original project was the arbitrary application of the Ley de Vagos y Maleantes [an antivagrancy law] to those individuals labeled as «asocial» (AU)

[False victimization syndrome]. / Pszeudoviktimológia.

Criminology and criminal-psychology are sciences dealing mostly with the personality of the criminals as well as the interconnections of crime and deviance. The other player of the crimes - the victim - has recently come into focus posing the question why and how somebody is becoming a victim, and what effect can the victim have when the crime is being committed. The first international publications appeared at the beginning of the third millennium on so-called victims who are convinced to suffer from material, moral or other damages and, accordingly, who would pursue "justice" at any rate. They often appeal against decisions. Considering these facts the procedures are rather thorough and circumspect. A significant part of the law-enforcement staff is heavily involved for long periods. On the other side there is the person considered criminal being actually the real victim. These people are getting alienated from the society because of their reckoned deeds and, because of the distorting influence of the media they are condemned morally. The present study describes the syndromes of fake-victim, their occurrence as well as psychiatric considerations, social appearance and impact. The authors are drawing attention to the existence and significance of this medical-legal problem.

In quest of constitutional principles of "neurolaw".

The growing use of brain imaging technology and the developing of cognitive neuroscience pose unaccustomed challenges to legal systems. Until now, the fields of Law much affected are the civil and criminal law and procedure, but the constitutional dimension of "neurolaw" cannot be easily underestimated. As the capacity to investigate and to trace brain mechanisms and functional neural activities increases, it becomes urgent the recognition and definition of the unalienable rights and fundamental values in respect of this new techno-scientific power, that must be protected and safeguard at "constitutional level" of norms such as: human dignity, personal identity, authenticity and the pursuit of individual "happiness". As the same as for the law regulating research and experimentation on human genome adopted in the past years, one may also argue if the above mentioned fundamental principles of "neurolaw" must be fixed and disciplined also at European and International level.

Neuroscience and crime.

Jurisprudence will profit considerably from methods and applications of the neurosciences. In fact, it is proposed that the neurosciences will provide unique possibilities and advantages in understanding motivations and causes for staying lawful or for becoming unlawful. Neuroscientific models on brain-behavior interactions have profited considerably from the advent of neuroimaging techniques and genetic analyses. Furthermore, advances in interdisciplinary investigations, which combine conventional psychological and sociological explorations with biological examinations, provide refined insights into the question 'What makes us tick?' (Weiskrantz, 1973, British Journal of Psychology, 64, 511-520). The search for such interactions from the time of the nineteenth century to the present is briefly surveyed and it is concluded that the interdisciplinary approaches within and across neuroscientific fields will lead and have already led to a considerable expansion of our knowledge. The articles in this issue devoted to highlighting the latest neuroscience research related to criminal behavior underline the power of this new approach.

Implications of fMRI and genetics for the law and the routine practice of forensic psychiatry.

This review outlines recent neurobiological findings in humans relevant for the practice of law and forensic psychiatry. We focus on offenders with antisocial personality disorder and on sex offenders. In addition, the impact of risk polymorphisms in monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A), previously related to violence in interaction with the environment, on brain structure and function and on personality traits in healthy persons are presented. While increasing knowledge of functional and structural alterations provides a better understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of delinquent behaviour, antisocial and violent behaviour arises from a complex pattern of biological, psychological, social and situational factors, precluding a stance of simple biological reductionism. Rather, optimal integration of neurobiological findings requires cooperation among many disciplines such as medicine, criminology, sociology, psychology, politics and neuroscience.

Crime prevention: More evidence-based analysis / La prevención del delito: más análisis basados en la evidencia

This paper introduces a new section of Psicothema dedicated to the evidence-based approach to crime prevention. Along with an original sexual-offender-treatment programme implemented in Spain, this section presents four systematic reviews of important subjects in the criminological arena, such as sexual offender treatment, the well-known «Reasoning and Rehabilitation» programme, the effectiveness of custodial versus non-custodial sanctions in reoffending and the fight against terrorism. We also highlight some of the focal points that scientists, practitioners and governments should take into account in order to support this evidence-based viewpoint of crime prevention (AU)

Este artículo introduce una nueva sección que la Revista Psicothema dedica a la aproximación basada en la evidencia en la prevención del delito. Junto a un estudio original acerca de un programa de tratamiento de delincuentes sexuales aplicado en España, esta sección ofrece cuatro revisiones sistemáticas en torno a tópicos relevantes de la Criminología, tales como el tratamiento de los delincuentes sexuales, el bien conocido programa «Razonamiento y Rehabilitación», la efectividad de las penas cortas en comparación con las largas, y las estrategias empleadas para combatir el terrorismo. También destacamos algunos de los puntos esenciales que los científicos, profesionales y gestores políticos deberían considerar con objeto de apoyar esta perspectiva basada en la evidencia (AU)

Efficacy of a psychological treatment for sex offenders / Eficacia de un tratamiento psicológico para delincuentes sexuales

The aims of the present paper are the following: firstly, to describe the psychological treatment administered to sexual offenders in Spain; secondly, to assess the effectiveness of the application of this psychological treatment in the prison of Brians (Barcelona). For this purpose, two equivalent groups were selected: a treatment group of 49 subjects who received the whole treatment program, and an untreated control group of 74 subjects. These groups were selected taking into account various risk factors in order to guarantee group comparability. The main results not only show the efficacy of the cognitive-behavioural program for sexual offenders but also that the effectiveness of this program exceeds the average of similar programs in the meta-analytic reviews performed to date (AU)

Los objetivos de este artículo son dos. En primer lugar, describir el tratamiento psicológico que se aplica con los delincuentes sexuales en España. En segundo término, evaluar la efectividad de dicho tratamiento en la prisión Brians de Barcelona. Con este propósito se seleccionaron dos grupos: un grupo de tratamiento integrado por 49 sujetos que habían recibido el programa de tratamiento completo, y un grupo de control constituido por 74 sujetos que no habían recibido dicho tratamiento. Ambos grupos se crearon teniendo en cuenta diversos factores de riesgo con la finalidad de asegurar la equivalencia de los grupos. Los principales resultados obtenidos no sólo muestran una buena eficacia del tratamiento cognitivo-conductual aplicado con los delincuentes sexuales, sino también que dicho tratamiento supera, en esta evaluación, la efectividad promedio de programas similares en las evaluaciones que se han realizado con anterioridad (AU)