BPCE 142 Forensic Psychology June 2026 key facts
- Course code: BPCE-142 (BPCE 142)
- Subject: Forensic Psychology
- Programme: Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Psychology (BAPCH)
- Course type: Discipline Specific Elective (DSE), Semester VI
- Credits: 6
- Blocks / units: 4 blocks, 16 units (Block 1: 3, Block 2: 3, Block 3: 4, Block 4: 6)
- Maximum marks: 100 (term-end exam carries 70% weightage, assignments 30%)
- Duration: 3 hours
- Questions in the paper: 8 (4 per section; attempt any 5, at least 2 from each section; 10 answer parts in all)
- Samples shown on this page: 2 (Question 1 and Question 6)
- Questions in the paid file: All 8, including the 6 not shown on this page
What the BPCE 142 Solved Question Paper June 2026 includes
BPCE 142 Solved Question Paper June 2026 is our worked answer file for BPCE-142 Forensic Psychology, a 6-credit Semester VI elective of IGNOU's BA (Honours) Psychology programme (BAPCH) that studies how psychology serves the police, the courts and prisons. It answers every question IGNOU set in the June 2026 term-end examination.
The paper was a varied one. Section A asked about the nature and scope of the field, personality testing, cognitive theory, types of crime and the phases of a polygraph test. Section B moved to police stress, interrogation, delinquency, serial killers and the use of forensic psychology in policy making.
Two complete answers are open on this page: Question 1 from Section A and Question 6 from Section B. The other 6 questions are solved only in the full file, which you get on WhatsApp 9899436384.
Preparing several honours papers for the same session? Our BAPCH Question Paper collection puts this paper next to your other psychology courses.
BPCE 142 Forensic Psychology sample answers and the remaining questions
Two BPCE 142 questions are solved in full below, printed exactly as they appear in the June 2026 paper; the remaining 6 are answered only in the paid file. Read them to judge the depth, structure and length before you ask for the complete file.
Question 1 (Section A)
1. Describe the nature and scope of Forensic Psychology. 20
Answer
Introduction: Forensic psychology is the branch of applied psychology that works where psychology meets the law. The word "forensic" comes from the Latin forensis, meaning "of the forum", the public place where cases were heard in ancient Rome.
The American Psychological Association's Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology (2013) treat it as the use of psychology's scientific and specialised knowledge to help courts and other legal bodies settle legal, contractual and administrative questions.
Hugo Münsterberg's book On the Witness Stand (1908) is usually taken as its starting point, and the field has since grown into a recognised speciality.
Nature of forensic psychology
- Applied and interdisciplinary: it borrows from clinical, social, cognitive and developmental psychology and works alongside law, criminology and forensic science.
- Scientific and evidence-based: conclusions rest on standardised tests, structured interviews and research, because they must stand up to cross-examination in court.
- Serves the legal system: the real client is often the court, not the person assessed, so a forensic evaluation differs from a therapeutic one in its aim, its objectivity and its limits on confidentiality.
- Ethically demanding: informed consent, honesty about the limits of confidentiality and avoiding dual roles, such as being both therapist and evaluator for the same person, are central.
- Wide legal reach: it deals with criminal as well as civil and family matters.
Scope of forensic psychology
- Police and investigative psychology: selection and training of police, stress management, criminal profiling, investigative interviewing and interrogation.
- Criminal psychology: explaining why people offend through biological, psychodynamic, cognitive and social theories, and classifying offenders.
- Legal or court psychology: assessing competency to stand trial, mental state at the time of the offence (the unsound mind defence of Section 84 IPC, now Section 22 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023), eyewitness reliability and expert testimony.
- Detection of deception: polygraph, narco-analysis and brain-mapping tests; in Selvi v. State of Karnataka (2010) the Supreme Court held that these tests cannot be given without the person's consent.
- Correctional psychology: risk assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of offenders in prisons and observation homes.
- Victims and families: work with child victims of sexual abuse, witness protection, and child custody evaluations in family courts.
- Policy and civil issues: workplace harassment and discrimination cases, and advice on crime prevention and justice policy.
Conclusion: By nature, forensic psychology is an applied, scientific and ethically demanding discipline that bridges psychology and law. Its scope runs from the crime scene and the police station to the courtroom and the correctional home. In India its role keeps growing, with central and state forensic science laboratories running forensic psychology divisions for investigative work.
Question 6 (Section B)
6. Describe the risk factors contributing to delinquency. 20
Answer
Introduction: Delinquency means law-breaking or seriously antisocial behaviour by a person who has not yet reached adulthood. In India, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 calls a person under 18 who is alleged or found to have committed an offence a "child in conflict with law".
A risk factor is any condition that raises the chance of such behaviour. No single factor causes delinquency. Risks usually pile up, and the more of them a child carries, the higher the likelihood of offending.
1. Individual factors
- Early aggression and conduct problems in childhood, which strongly predict later offending.
- Impulsivity, hyperactivity and poor self-control; Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990) placed low self-control at the centre of their general theory of crime.
- Low verbal intelligence, low empathy and early use of alcohol or drugs.
Moffitt (1993) separated a small life-course-persistent group, whose problems begin in early childhood, from a larger adolescence-limited group, whose offending is mostly confined to the teenage years.
2. Family factors
- Poor parental supervision and a weak bond between parent and child.
- Harsh, inconsistent or neglectful discipline; Patterson's coercion model shows how such exchanges teach children that aggression works.
- Child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, family conflict and breakdown.
- Parental criminality or substance abuse, which models deviant behaviour.
3. Peer factors
Association with delinquent friends is one of the strongest predictors in adolescence. Gang membership raises offending further, and children rejected by ordinary peers often drift towards deviant groups.
4. School factors
Academic failure, low commitment to school, truancy, suspension and early dropout all increase risk, partly because they cut the child off from conventional goals.
5. Community and socio-economic factors
Poverty, unemployment and overcrowding matter. Shaw and McKay's social disorganisation theory links delinquency to neighbourhoods with weak social control. Easy access to drugs and weapons and exposure to violence add to the risk.
Protective factors: a warm bond with at least one adult, success at school, prosocial friends and community support can soften the effect of these risks.
Conclusion: Delinquency grows out of the interaction of individual, family, peer, school and community risks rather than one cause. For a forensic psychologist, spotting these risks early guides assessment, diversion and rehabilitation under the JJ Act, 2015, and helps target prevention at the children who need it most.
Questions answered only in the full file
These six questions from the same paper are listed exactly as printed. Their answers, including both parts of each short-notes question, are in the WhatsApp file only.
Question 2
- Section A, 2. Describe personality testing in forensic psychology. 20
Question 3
- Section A, 3. Write short notes on the following in about 200 words each : 10+10
- (a) Cognitive theory and criminal behaviour
- (b) Types of crime
Question 4
- Section A, 4. Elucidate polygraph test with a focus on its phases. 20
Question 5
- Section B, 5. Write short notes on the following in about 200 words each : 10+10
- (a) Police stress
- (b) Goals and types of interrogation
Question 7
- Section B, 7. Explain the factors affecting the behaviour of serial killer. 20
Question 8
- Section B, 8. Describe the application of Forensic Psychology in policy making and decision making. 20
BPCE 142 Forensic Psychology topic map of the course
BPCE 142 Forensic Psychology has 4 blocks and 16 units, moving from the basics of the field through criminal psychology and police work to its areas of application, and the June 2026 paper drew on all four blocks. The table shows what each block covers and how the June 2026 questions map onto it.
| Block | Block title | Units | Key topics | June 2026 questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block 1 | Forensic Psychology: An Introduction | 3 | Nature, scope and sub-specialities; ethical issues; forensic vs therapeutic evaluation and personality testing | Q1, Q2 |
| Block 2 | Criminal Psychology | 3 | Forensic vs criminal psychology; psychodynamic, cognitive and biological theories of crime; types of crime and offender typologies | Q3 |
| Block 3 | Police, Investigative and Correctional Psychology | 4 | Police stress and interrogation; truth, deception and the polygraph; profiling, psychological autopsy and correctional work | Q4, Q5 |
| Block 4 | Areas of Application of Forensic Psychology | 6 | Eyewitness assessment and witness protection; child sexual abuse, delinquency, homicide and serial killing; policy making | Q6, Q7, Q8 |
Block 4 alone has 6 of the 16 units and supplied 3 of the 8 June 2026 questions, so it deserves the most revision time. For unit-by-unit reading, use our BPCE 142 Study Material alongside this table.
IGNOU BPCE 142 Question Paper pattern and marks split
The IGNOU BPCE 142 Question Paper carries 100 marks over 3 hours: you attempt any 5 of 8 questions, at least 2 from each section, and every question is worth 20 marks. Answers are expected in about 400 words, or about 200 words for each short note.
| Section | Question | Format | Marks | Word guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Q1, Q2, Q4 | Long answer | 20 each | About 400 words |
| A | Q3 (a) and (b) | Two short notes | 10 + 10 | About 200 words per note |
| B | Q5 (a) and (b) | Two short notes | 10 + 10 | About 200 words per note |
| B | Q6, Q7, Q8 | Long answer | 20 each | About 400 words |
The June 2026 paper kept every long question as a single 20-mark task, while earlier sessions often split marks as 6+14 or 8+12. To see how the split has changed, compare older sessions on our IGNOU Previous Year Question Paper page.
Forensic Psychology topics IGNOU keeps repeating in BPCE 142
Personality testing and theories of criminal behaviour each appeared in 6 of the 7 official BPCE-142 papers we checked, from December 2022 to June 2026. Delinquency, deception and police psychology came next with 5 appearances each.
Papers used: December 2022, June 2023, June 2024, December 2024, June 2025, December 2025 and June 2026, all from ignou.ac.in or webservices.ignou.ac.in. The December 2023 paper was not available on either site, so it is not counted.
| Topic | Sessions where it appeared | Count (out of 7) | In June 2026? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personality testing and forensic evaluation tools | Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Jun 2025, Jun 2026 | 6 | Yes (Q2) |
| Theories of criminal behaviour (cognitive, psychodynamic, biological, intelligence) | Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Jun 2025, Jun 2026 | 6 | Yes (Q3a) |
| Juvenile delinquency: causes and risk factors | Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Dec 2024, Dec 2025, Jun 2026 | 5 | Yes (Q6) |
| Truth, deception and its detection, including polygraph | Jun 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Jun 2025, Jun 2026 | 5 | Yes (Q4) |
| Police stress, police and human relations, special populations | Dec 2022, Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Dec 2025, Jun 2026 | 5 | Yes (Q5a) |
| Nature and scope of forensic psychology | Dec 2022, Jun 2024, Jun 2025, Jun 2026 | 4 | Yes (Q1) |
| Interrogation: Reid technique, techniques, goals and types | Dec 2022, Jun 2024, Dec 2025, Jun 2026 | 4 | Yes (Q5b) |
| Serial killing: classification and psychology | Jun 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2025, Jun 2026 | 4 | Yes (Q7) |
| Types of crime and offender typologies | Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Jun 2025, Jun 2026 | 4 | Yes (Q3b) |
| Forensic vs criminal or investigative psychology | Jun 2023, Dec 2024, Jun 2025, Dec 2025 | 4 | No |
| Eyewitness assessment | Jun 2024, Jun 2025, Dec 2025 | 3 | No |
| Role of the forensic psychologist in child sexual abuse | Dec 2022, Jun 2024, Jun 2025 | 3 | No |
| Homicide types and psychodiagnostics | Jun 2023, Dec 2024, Jun 2025 | 3 | No |
| Mental status examination | Dec 2024, Dec 2025 | 2 | No |
| Psychological autopsy | Dec 2022, Jun 2025 | 2 | No |
| Witness protection | Dec 2022, Dec 2024 | 2 | No |
| Forensic psychology in policy and decision making | Jun 2026 | 1 | Yes (Q8, first time) |
Questions on these repeat topics are worth preparing first for December 2026. For a wider revision list across courses, see our IGNOU Important Questions collection.
How the BPCE 142 answers were written and reviewed
Every BPCE 142 answer is written to IGNOU's word brief, uses the course's own terms and is checked by a second reviewer before it goes into the file. The aim is simple: an answer a student can understand, remember and reproduce in the exam hall.
Each long answer opens with a definition, moves through headed points and ends with a short conclusion. Where it helps, answers bring in Indian law the examiner will recognise, such as the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and the Supreme Court ruling in Selvi v. State of Karnataka on deception tests.
Prateek Talwar wrote the answers after studying the earlier BPCE-142 papers listed above, and Sheetal Kirola reviewed each one for accuracy and length. Course content was cross-checked with IGNOU's eGyanKosh psychology course listing, which includes BPCE-142 Forensic Psychology.
BPCE 142 solved file index question by question
The full file holds answers to all 8 BPCE 142 questions: 2 are on this page and 6 are in the WhatsApp file only. Use this index to see where each question sits in the course.
| Q no. | Question topic | Course block | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nature and scope of Forensic Psychology | Block 1: Forensic Psychology: An Introduction | On this page |
| 2 | Personality testing in forensic psychology | Block 1: Forensic Psychology: An Introduction | Full file only |
| 3 | Short notes: (a) cognitive theory and criminal behaviour (b) types of crime | Block 2: Criminal Psychology | Full file only |
| 4 | Polygraph test and its phases | Block 3: Police, Investigative and Correctional Psychology | Full file only |
| 5 | Short notes: (a) police stress (b) goals and types of interrogation | Block 3: Police, Investigative and Correctional Psychology | Full file only |
| 6 | Risk factors contributing to delinquency | Block 4: Areas of Application of Forensic Psychology | On this page |
| 7 | Factors affecting the behaviour of serial killer | Block 4: Areas of Application of Forensic Psychology | Full file only |
| 8 | Forensic Psychology in policy making and decision making | Block 4: Areas of Application of Forensic Psychology | Full file only |
Programmes that study BPCE 142 Forensic Psychology
BPCE 142 Forensic Psychology is a Semester VI Discipline Specific Elective of the IGNOU Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Psychology, BAPCH, and is not part of the BA (General) programme. Its 6 credits count towards the honours degree.
If you are enrolled in the IGNOU Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Psychology, BPCE-142 sits alongside your other Semester VI psychology courses and follows the same 30 per cent assignment and 70 per cent term-end split.
You may spot older BPCE-142 papers in IGNOU folders labelled BAG, BCOMG and BSCG. That is only because IGNOU stores the CBCS bachelor's papers in shared bundles; it does not mean the course is offered in BAG.
Get the complete BPCE 142 Solved Question Paper on WhatsApp
Message WhatsApp 9899436384 with the code BPCE 142 and you get the full June 2026 file: all 8 questions and 10 answer parts, including the 6 questions not shown here. It is the quickest way to have the IGNOU BPCE 142 Solved Question Paper ready well before your exam.
- Open WhatsApp and message 9899436384.
- Write "BPCE 142 June 2026 solved paper" so our team knows the exact file.
- Our team replies with the details and shares the complete PDF.
BPCE 142 Forensic Psychology FAQs
Quick answers to what students most often ask about the BPCE 142 Forensic Psychology solved paper.
What does the BPCE 142 Solved Question Paper June 2026 contain?
It contains complete answers to all 8 questions of the IGNOU June 2026 BPCE-142 Forensic Psychology paper, which works out to 10 answer parts because Questions 3 and 5 are short notes in two parts. Long answers follow the 400-word brief and short notes follow the 200-word brief. Two answers, Questions 1 and 6, are shown on this page as a sample.
How can I get the full BPCE 142 Forensic Psychology solved file on WhatsApp?
Send a WhatsApp message to 9899436384 with the course code BPCE 142 and the session June 2026. Our team replies with the details and shares the complete solved file, which answers all 8 questions and 10 answer parts. That includes the 6 questions listed on this page without answers, so you get the whole paper in one place.
How many questions are in the BPCE 142 June 2026 paper and how many must I attempt?
The BPCE 142 June 2026 paper has 8 questions split into Section A and Section B, four in each. You answer any five, with at least two from each section. Every question carries 20 marks, so the paper totals 100 marks in 3 hours. Questions 3 and 5 are short notes worth 10 marks for each of their two parts.
Which BPCE 142 Forensic Psychology topics repeat most in IGNOU papers?
Personality testing and theories of criminal behaviour lead, each appearing in 6 of the 7 official papers we checked from December 2022 to June 2026. Juvenile delinquency, detection of deception and police psychology follow with 5 appearances each. Nature and scope, interrogation, serial killing and types of crime came up 4 times each. The December 2023 paper was not available on IGNOU's sites.
How long should a BPCE 142 Forensic Psychology answer be in the exam?
The BPCE 142 paper asks for about 400 words per full question and about 200 words for each part of a short-notes question. That means roughly 2,000 words across five answers in 3 hours. Our solved file keeps to these limits, so you can see how much detail fits into a 20-mark answer without padding it or skipping key points.
Which IGNOU programme includes BPCE 142 Forensic Psychology?
BPCE 142 Forensic Psychology belongs to the IGNOU Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Psychology, BAPCH, where it is a Discipline Specific Elective taught in Semester VI. It is not part of the BA (General) programme. Older papers sometimes sit in IGNOU folders marked BAG, BCOMG and BSCG only because IGNOU bundles the CBCS bachelor's papers together in one place.
How many credits is BPCE 142 Forensic Psychology and how is it assessed?
BPCE 142 Forensic Psychology is a 6-credit course with 4 blocks and 16 units. Assessment has two parts: three assignments carry 30 per cent weightage and the term-end examination carries 70 per cent. The term-end paper is out of 100 marks and runs for 3 hours, so how well you write it decides most of your final result.
Who wrote and checked the BPCE 142 Forensic Psychology answers?
The BPCE 142 answers were written by Prateek Talwar and reviewed by Sheetal Kirola of Unnati Educations. Each answer was written after studying earlier BPCE-142 papers, so it covers what IGNOU tends to ask. Answers use the course's own terms, Indian legal examples where they fit, and a clear introduction, body and conclusion that examiners can mark quickly.