Psychology and Crime

Content

a) Explanations of criminal behaviour:

i) theories of criminal behaviour;

ii) individual and cultural differences in criminal behaviour;

iii) social psychology of the criminal.

b) Criminal thinking patterns:

i) morality and crime;

ii) social cognition and crime;

iii) rationality and choice.

c) Crime-victim interaction:

i) who are victims; fear of crime;

ii) victim responses;

iii) crime reporting and intervention.

d) Offender profiling:

i) definitions, approaches and developing a profile;

ii) biases and pitfalls in profiling;

iii) applied profiling (one case study only).

e) The police and crime:

i) policing; the police personality;

ii) determining and processing suspects;

iii) interviewing and negotiation techniques.

f) Psychology of testimony:

i) cognitive processes and testimony;

ii) variables influencing accurate identification of suspect/event;

iii) aids to recall/recognition: identikit and identity parades.

g) Psychology of the courtroom:

i) trial procedures and persuasion techniques;

ii) jury selection and decision-making;

iii) children as witnesses.

h) Offender punishments and treatments and preventing crime

i) types and effectiveness of punishments;

ii) offender treatment programmes;

iii) environmental crime prevention.