There is a common misconception that Miranda rights are generally understood by everyone, but a good portion of the community (including defendants) lack an accurate working knowledge and are misguided. It shouldn't be assumed that education, intelligence and past experiences provide a better insight into one's Miranda rights.

Most have a basic understanding of the right to silence and legal counsel, but many falsely believe that silence is self-incriminating

Based on research findings, certain types of interrogation techniques are unusually likely to produce false confessions.

Witness competency is contingent on the person's capacity to observe, recall, and report events witnessed and to understand the oath

The risk of re-arrest among NGRIs are largely limited to the first few years of release. Probability of being re-arrested is minimal after 10 years of no re-arrest.

Demographic and criminogenic factors are important in the prediction of arrest. Length of stay (hospitalization) has little to no effect on both general and violent recidivism.

Every test of insanity requires 1. that the defendant have a mental defect or illness and 2. the dysfunction directly caused the defendant's actions at the moment of the crime. It must be shown that "but for" the disorder/defect, the crime would not have occurred

A lot of judges employ a mix of interventionist and non-interventionist strategies to avoid racial disparities and discrimination, depending on the stage of trial

Racial disparities may in part exist because of differential treatment by criminal justice officials, whether intentional or unintentional. Some believe it may be due to the differential impact of facially neutral laws and differences in criminal offending rates.

There has been a shift from the rehabilitative/incapacitative model of sentencing toward determinate sentencing, limiting the role of mental health professionals

Variance in sentencing has largely to do with the specific judge. Judges vary in sentencing goals: some focus more on rehabilitation while others focus on retribution.

Prior to the positive influence of feminism, child victims of sexual abuse were deemed liars or delinquents, being blamed for the abuse rather than the offender.

Towards the late 60's and early 70's, laws started to be passed directly addressing child abuse and mandated reporting of it, as research was indicating how traumatic and damaging child maltreatment and sexual abuse were to the well-being of the child.

Professional societies created by medical professionals, mental health experts, and social activists continue to be integral in protecting against child abuse.

Despite the improvements that have been made in the law to combat child abuse and maltreatment, there is still division in how laws should be shaped and how specific they should be written, causing confusion and generalities in some instances. There are also still plenty of cases that go unreported.

The validity of clinical scales re: job performance is low. The matrix methodology is a sound method since it is purely scientific and combines the different levels of evaluation

Including base rates significantly improve decision making accuracy in assessing performance or hiring law enforcement and are simple enough to use/calculate. They can also be good in predicting future behavior. Not using them can cause bias and inaccuracy

Multiple sources are used in law enforcement selection: physical, medical, psychological functioning

The Federal Rules of Evidence are vague in the specifications that an expert witness should have. This allows some "experts" like psychologists to testify about specific fields with which they aren't necessarily experienced.

FFDEs are commonly submitted by mental health professionals who have little experience with police psychology or knowledge of the police officer's roles, or those who have biases and conflicts. Ways to avoid bias and false validity include getting a second opinion from a well qualified examiner

Women who deviate from multiple traditional gender stereotypes are disproportionately targeted with multiple varieties of gender harassment, even in female dominated workplaces.

Gender harassment is the most common type of sexual harassment that women experience, which can include sexist remarks and crude behavior

In a sexual harassment law suit, plaintiff must establish: 1) plaintiff was subjected to "unwelcome conduct" 2) The conduct was based upon sex and 3) it caused harm. In hostile work environment claims specifically, the conduct must be proven to be "sufficiently severe or pervasive"

Two types of sexual harassment: quid pro quo and hostile work environment.

Quid pro quo occurs when a supervisor grants or withholds a job benefit on a subordinate's unwillingness to comply with sexual advances.

Hostile work environment occurs when an employee is subjected to unwelcome sexual conduct that is sufficiently severe or pervasive as to alter the conditions of the victim's employment and create an abuse working environment.

In a self defense claim, the defendant must prove that she honestly and reasonably believed that 1) she was in imminent or immediate danger of unlawful harm 2) use of force was necessary to prevent her loss of life or injury 3) force was not excessive compared to the threat

Battering encompasses physical abuse, sexual abuse, and/or psychological abuse and has a range of severity that fluctuates throughout the relationship and dependent on the batterer's moods

Battered women come from all walks of life: the stereotype of a poor, dependent woman with no skills or education is false. The important variable is the amount of violence and threat she has experienced

Modern rape law now focuses on the perpetrator's behavior and not the victim's response. The "consent" standard is the main focus today.

Only 20 states have accepted Rape Trauma Syndrome as medical evidence to show that a woman was raped and didn't consent

RTS still continues to gain strong empirical and clinical backing as a normal, traumatic psychiatric response to nonconsensual sex

PTSD may be more beneficial (and less confusing) to use in court, so long as it includes the postrape features that are not necessarily covered under a typical diagnosis of PTSD. Other coinciding traumas should also be ruled out.

Human trafficking is under-reported and difficult to prosecute. Part of the problem is the limited knowledge that police have of trafficking, as well as their ability to identify and respond to it

Few cops believe that trafficking is a significant issue in their departments, most don't receive training for it, and most don't have specific policies in place to address it

Another important issue is the way trafficking is defined; although it clearly states the victimizing and exploitative nature of trafficking, it isn't transferred into practice and action well

Prosecution of these cases can be because of local investigatory errors, time constraints, lack of victim-centered protocols and resources, and lack of organizational support

Human trafficking investigations should be more victim focused, specifically in treatment and inclusion in the investigation. Trafficking survivors have unique knowledge that investigators don't have, but the level of mistrust in the relationship between the two is significant