What does a criminological psychologist actually do? Most people picture a modern-day Sherlock Holmes, helping the police to solve crimes, but the reality is far more interesting and complex. Psychology and Crime offers a fascinating introduction to criminological psychology, providing the reader with a comprehensive grounding in everything from cognitive forensics to police interviewing.
Concise, informative and accessible, the book explores a range of theories to understand criminal behaviour, from the physiological to the social. It covers a range of contexts within the criminal justice system where psychology offers unique insights, including police investigation, the perspective of witnesses and victims, and courtroom proceedings. Thoroughly updated throughout to reflect developments in the field, and featuring new chapters covering cybercrime, terrorism and insights from neuroscience, this edition also includes a student-friendly ‘Apply your learning’ feature and case studies to bring the research to life.
Accessibly written for all levels, and with concise coverage of both classic and contemporary psychological theory, this is the ideal book for anyone studying criminal or forensic psychology.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Defining and measuring crime
3. Biologically oriented explanations of offending
4. Psychologically oriented explanations of offending
5. Socially oriented explanations of offending
6. Psychology and police investigations
7. Witness testimony
8. Courtroom processes
9. Judicial responses to offending
10. Crime prevention
11. Contemporary topics: terrorism and cybercrime
12. Critical perspectives: crime, gender and race
References
Biography
Aidan Sammons has been teaching, writing about, and training teachers of introductory psychology for over 20 years.
David Putwain has taught psychology from GCSE through to doctoral level for over 25 years. His research interests focus on how psychology can be used in applied contexts.
