SAITO UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

B.A. DEGREE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT (INVESTIGATIONS)

(HONS)

PAPER ANSWER FOR TUTORIAL

SUBJECT : FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY

CODE : LEA 2024

NAME : MOHAMMAD HUNTER EL ARASH JEANAWIE BIN

UNTAM

CLASS : A8

MATRIX NUMBER : 20190333-01-11466

LECTURER : MS. PRIYADARSHINI

In today’s society, a troubled teenager or mischievous adolescent is labeled a juvenile
delinquent. Yet the current definition of a juvenile is based solely upon, most of the
times, on stereotypes. A delinquent may be a troublesome teenager with complicated
problems at home, school, or with friends. He may have extreme physical and / or
emotional needs, or he may just be a child who committed a simple mistake. Was he
unlucky to get caught doing something foolish? Did he run away from home because of
family troubles or to demonstrate independence? What kind of help does he need and
exactly how much?
1. What are the factors of Juvenile delinquency? (10m)
a) Antisocial Behavior
One of the best predictors of future delinquency is a history of antisocial behavior
in childhood. Adolescents who engage in antisocial behavior (e.g., theft, fighting,
vandalism, fire setting, etc.) before puberty (prior to age 13) are more likely to be
delinquent than those who have not engaged in these acts prior to puberty.
Research also suggests that violent careers often begin with relatively minor forms
of antisocial behavior that escalate over time. Those with an early arrest (before
age 13) are more likely to become chronic offenders by age 18. Such chronic
offenders make up a small percentage of the offending population but are
responsible for the majority of serious violent crimes. In addition, youths whose
delinquent careers begin early tend to engage in a broad range of antisocial
behavior rather than specialize in a particular type of offending. Early childhood
may thus be an important developmental period to target for the prevention of
juvenile delinquency.

b) Substance Abuse
Chronic abuse of drugs and alcohol is a precursor to other dangerous behaviors,
including criminal activity. Although some degree of experimentation with drugs
and alcohol is not unusual during adolescence, excessive use is a risk factor for
delinquency.

c) Cognitive Deficits
Cognitive deficits have also been implicated as a risk factor for delinquent
behavior. Low intelligence quotient (IQ) scores, weak verbal abilities, learning
disabilities, and difficulty with concentration or attention have all been associated
with subsequent delinquent behavior. Social-cognitive development is especially
important because it affects one’s ability to learn social norms and expectations.
For example, studies have shown that delinquent youths are more likely than their
peers to think that other children’s behavior is deliberately hostile, even when it is
not. Though not conclusive, studies suggest that such cognitive deficits usually
precede the development of delinquency and not vice versa.
2. What are the signs of deception among children and juveniles? (5m)

- Physical- Based on changes in the face that show a face that is afraid of the
reasons given for children. For juveniles they do not see the face that questions
them for fear of the answer given.
There’s a saying in communication: “physical distance equals emotional distance.”
When you communicate with a young person on an important issue, observe whether
she or he is crossing her arms or legs, turning the body sideways from you, holding an
object in front of her chest to shield herself from you, or stepping behind a piece of
furniture to establish a physical barrier with you. These non-verbal cues may not
signify lying, but at the minimum, they suggest an emotional distance and less than
complete openness.Again, it’s important to keep in mind that just because a child or
teenager exhibits some of the traits outlined in this chapter, it doesn’t necessarily
mean that she or he is lying. People who are confident and secure with what they say,
however, generally do not exhibit the incongruous cues above. It’s useful to keep
these tips in mind when assessing the communication authenticity of a young person.
- Emotions- For children they will be silent when questioned. For example they
will cry when the things they do are wrong in law but persist not to be blame.
In many Western societies, avoiding natural eye contact when speaking can be
interpreted as dishonesty, evasiveness, or shedding responsibility. Most of us have
heard of the saying: “I don’t trust a person who can’t look me in the eye.” There’s
some truth to this statement under proper cultural, social, and psychological
contexts.In addition, both eyes looking straight down can be discerned as feeling
negative emotions (such as sadness, discouragement, or guilt), and eyes looking down
but to one side can be interpreted as feeling negative, but not truly dealing with the
experience.Here’s an example: An adolescent is being called into account for
wrongdoing, and you ask: “Do you know why you’re being punished?” If the young
person answers “yes,” but looks down to the side, he probably doesn’t want to face
the problem squarely and sincerely. He wants to say the right thing, and then be
excused.
- Language in speech- They will try to raise their voices and there are also those
who try to curse those who question them in this way so that they can save
themselves from guilt.
When a person who normally doesn’t do so suddenly stutters when being put on a
spot, it could be due to nervousness, self-consciousness, or defensiveness. It could
also include the possibility of lying.In addition to Furnham’s tips, here are additional
non-verbal communication cues that may hint at a child or teenager being dishonest,
inhibited, or, at the minimum, insecure. These signals are particularly telling when
exhibited under direct questioning
- Social detect - They are easy to do things they never did and connect with friends
who are older than them.
a) Bad Language
Explain why bad language should not be used in your family. It is important for
your child to know the consequences of using such language on the people it uses
and on themselves. Tell your child that they can ask you if they are not sure if a
word is 'bad' and that you are ready to help if needed.
b) Unacceptable Social Behavior
This includes stealing, hitting other children, bullying and so on. Explain that the
behavior is morally wrong. Emphasize how such behavior can hurt others. If you
have previously explained the consequences of doing the behavior, hold your
child accountable for his actions if he repeats them.

- Culture - Understandably, in a different social context of the same culture or the

same social context in a different culture, both components may affect lying
differently.
Factor Peers are also identified as having a strong influence on moral formation
process among school students (Che Noraini, 2005). At school, they start making
connections with friends outside the environment family. Here, we will see clearly
that children are through the transition from social interaction in the family to roles
and position as an adult. This is because peers have its own sub-culture. Related to
that, peer influence is important in the development of children, especially from
development intellectual, personality, emotional and social. For example; children
associate with studious peers will encourage intellectual development and its potential
to the optimum level. Children who socialize with friends peers who are polite will
absorb positive value from them

3. What are the methods that can be used to detect deception among children and
juveniles? (10 m)
Research on detecting children’s truth- and lie-telling behaviors has been conducted
in both laboratory and field studies. Laboratory studies have usually used one of two
methodologies to detect deception. In the first, children are told to make a false report
about an event. These reports are examined using one or both of the following
measurement techniques: Trained coders observe the reports for behavioral markers,
or video clips of the children’s reports are shown to adults, who are asked to
discriminate between the truth and lie tellers. This methodology allows examination
of children’s false reports about specifically designed events that may be analogous to
legally relevant settings, such as children reporting about a medical examination.
However, such reports may be unnatural due to children being instructed to lie or
“pretend,” making the act of lying in these cases of very low perceived consequences
and thereby unlike certain real-life situations. In the second commonly used
 laboratory-based methodology, naturalistic situations are created in which children
can choose to lie spontaneously about an event, such as committing a transgression
(e.g., peeking at a forbidden toy). Video clips of children’s behaviors in these
situations are used for detecting the truthfulness of their claims. In these naturalistic
lie-telling situations, children may have greater motivation to lie due to the perceived
increased risk of consequences of the situation (e.g., getting caught), and thus, they
have greater ecological validity. However, current laboratory procedures tend to
create situations where children produce only short verbal reports, and the situations
created are not necessarily similar to the types of reports given in the legal system.
Field study reports, another methodology, use children’s actual reports of events (e.g.,
sexual abuse) to analyze statements for markers of deception. This methodology has
the advantage of being realistic and having ecological validity because actual forensic
reports are used. However, unlike the other methodologies where it is known for
certain that the child is lying, it is impossible to know for certain which reports are
fabricated and which are true.

4. Pick any ONE offence/misconduct that is commited by juveniles and discuss in

detail the crime/misconduct. (5m)
According to Kamus Dewan, youth refers to a person who has started to grow up and
has reached puberty, while a juvenile offense is a mistake made by an immature
young person.According to juvenile law, young people and teenagers have the same
meaning, that is, a person between the ages of 10 and 18. Juvenile crime refers to
criminal behavior committed by teenagers who act illegally. This issue is an important
social issue because this group is a group that interferes with human rights. Among
the crimes committed by juveniles are rape, robbery, stealing motorbikes, burglary,
and including aggressive acts against people such as extortion. In addition, vandalism
is also a crime that often occurs in playgrounds and schools.

5. Discuss the types of punishment , advantages and disadvatages of punishments

for juveniles? (10 m)
1. It eliminates the juvenile threshold for consequences associated with severe crime.
Most juvenile offenders can have their records expunged or sealed when they reach
the age of 18, 21, or 25 in most countries. When there is a waiver into the adult court,
then a conviction does not become hidden in such a way. Over 300 people are killed
each year because of the actions of an individual under the age of 18 in the United
States, which is one of the highest rates of such activity in the world today. Removing
the leniency as a child transitions into adulthood creates an incentive to avoid criminal
conduct in the first place.

2. There are fewer opportunities to commit multiple severe crimes.

Lee Boyd Malvo petitioned the Supreme Court in October 2019 to take another look
at his sentencing after terrorizing the Washington area in 2002. He was with John
Allen Muhammad during a sniping shooting spree that killed 10 people and injured
others, paralyzing the region in fear. Malvo received a sentence of four life sentences
for his conduct at the time. When older youth commit severe and violent crimes,
giving them a waiver into the adult court system allows for society to be safer because
they cannot continue to make the same choice.

3. Some children are mature enough to commit a premeditated crime.

A 10-year-old girl was babysitting at a home daycare in Wisconsin. She accidentally
dropped the six-month-old child, which caused the little one to start crying. The girl
panicked because she felt like she was going to be in a lot of trouble, so she decided
to stomp on the baby’s head to get them to be quiet. Officials said that the girl was
able to control her behavior, which showed that there was a specific decision made to
prevent consequences when taking these actions.A judge ruled in March 2019 that the
girl was incompetent to stand trial on the automatic charge of homicide, but that
doesn’t mean the case is dismissed. It is just suspended indefinitely until there is a
determination that she will be fit to stand trial. Reviews will happen quarterly. Some
children are more mature than others, which means the justice system must take that
into account.
4. It provides a consistent structure within the justice system.
When children commit horrendous crimes, they can come back into society without
the same notifications that adult offenders must provide. Jasmine Richardson killed
her parents and brother so that she could be with her boyfriend at the time – and she
was only 12 years old. Investigators determined that she had stabbed the young boy in
the chest several times while her older boyfriend, who was 23 at the time of the
incident, slit his throat.
Richardson’s sentence was complete after a final review on May 6, 2016. The
maximum penalty she could receive at the time was imprisonment of 10 years. Now
she can live anywhere despite being a convicted triple homicide offender. Waiver into
adult courts can help to prevent this issue.
5. Youth have access to services that aren’t always available in the youth system.
The two primary advantage that juveniles have as a convicted adult offender is that
there is access to schooling and vocational skill development. Youth services will
provide some of these services as well, but from an instructional perspective instead
of trying to develop a life skill. Some adult facilities have better access to mental
health support funding than juvenile facilities. There could be specialized help for
addictions, learning disabilities, or other concerns that may have led to the initial
criminal conduct in the first place.
6. It offers society an opportunity to teach children about accountability.
Criminal conduct is not always a learned behavior, but some households can treat it as
acceptable conduct. Illegal activities should always carry consequences, whether that
means a parking ticket is issued or someone stands before a jury to answer charges.
 Most consequences handed out by the youth system stop at the age of 21 unless
unusual circumstances exist. If Malvo had been tried in the juvenile system, he would
have likely received a sentence of 4 years for his participation in 10 murders instead
of four life sentences.
When there is a structure in place that allows for a waiver into the adult justice
system, juveniles can learn more about accountability. It teaches them the
expectations that society has for their decisions and conduct.

6. Analyse the psychology behind providing alternative punishments such as

Restorative Justice and Diversion for Juveniles. (10 m)

1.Provide counseling, advisory services, emotional support and help teenagers in

choosing a solution to the conflict experienced.
2. Make home and school visits to obtain detailed information and confirmation
related to adolescent problems from all angles such as family, friends, school and
community support.
3. Be a platform for meetings between teenagers with problems, parents and the
school to find a solution together.
4. Get involved in any appropriate program implemented by public health disciplines
such as School Health, Family Health, Mother and Child, NCD (Non-Communicable
Disease), Health Education and any appropriate discipline.
5. Giving motivational talks and dialogue sessions in forums or seminars to provide
the latest information related to the increasingly chronic social problems of teenagers.