Criminal psychology
Criminal psychology in simple words is - the study of human behaviour of criminals and the motivations behind committing a crime.
The wills, thoughts, intentions and reactions of criminals are observed keenly and then a report is prepared on this basis. The study also observes the reactions after the crime, on the run or in court.
Criminal psychologists are often called up as witnesses in court cases to help the jury understand the mind of the criminal.
Criminal psychologists can engage in activities ranging from creating profiles of offenders or victims based on available information to conducting psychological testing of people on trial for various crimes.
The insights of someone trained in criminal psychology can be valuable in a criminal investigation. These psychological professionals can utilize a variety of clues to gain an insight into the nature of a crime and the person who committed it.
Training in criminal psychology can include a bachelor's, master's, or doctorate degree in psychology.
Some psychologists specialize in working with police and lawyers. Others conduct research into criminal behavior and witness testimony.
The History
In the late 19th century, psychology as an academic discipline was established at European and American universities but, the criminal profiling informally began in the 1880s.
Two physicians used clues from several crime scenes to predict what the serial killer Jack the Ripper’s personality was like.
A German psychologist, Hugo Munsterberg, truly started the field of criminal psychology. His book "On the Witness Stand" and other papers provide a great insight into the field.
Criminal psychology gained momentum in 1940, when , a well renowned psychiatrist, Walter C. Langer, was asked to draw a profile of Adolf Hitler by the United States Office of Strategic Services.
In the 1950s, US psychiatrist James A. Brussel drew up what turned to be an uncannily accurate profile of a bomber who had been terrorizing New York.
The FBI interviewed dozens of serial murderers in a Behavioral Science Unit 1974, to get inside their heads and develop theories on offender behavior.
A well known psychologist David Canter, founded the field of investigative psychology,1990 in Britain, so that psychologists could conduct scientific research in criminal psychology and thereby support the legal system more effectively.
Four roles of Criminal psychologist
In 1981 professor Lionel Harward, one of the UK’s founding fathers of criminal psychology described the four roles that psychologists may perform when they become professionally involved in criminal proceedings.
i. Clinical
A psychologist usually assesses an individual in order to provide a clinical judgment. The psychologists could use interviews, assessments tools or psychometric tests to aid in his or her assessment. Mental illness is focused on.
ii. Experimental
A psychologist performing research in order to inform a case. The actual value that is running in the criminals mind is focused on. Illusion is Jugded.
iii. Actuarial
Actuarial relates to the use of statistics in order to inform a case. The likelyhood of an offender to repeat the same offend is focused on.
iv. Advisory
A psychologist may provide advice to the police about how to proceed with an investigation. Advice can also be given to the lawyers on how to cross-examine a vulnerable witness or another expert witness.
The criminal psychologist an invaluable asset in the court room. Apart from providing a second opinion, the criminal psychologist will also perform evaluations on criminals or their victims.
Child victims or victims of sexual abuse are commonly asked to get evaluations from a criminal psychologist.
Juvenile offenders are also given assessments and evaluations from the criminal psychologist to determine whether the juvenile offender is mature enough to know the consequences of his actions.
Risk Factor
A risk factor for criminality is anything in a persons psychology, developmental or family history that may increase the likelihood that they will become involved in some point in criminal activities. Following are the tendencial risk factors :
- Lower class origin,
- family of origin,
- poor personal temperament,
- lower aptitude,
- early behavioural histories,
- poor parenting,
- school based factors,
- poor educational/vocational/socioeconomic achievement,
- poor interpersonal relationships,
- antisocial associates which support crime,
- antisocial attitudes/values/beliefs and feelings and
- Psychopathology.
An Example
I. A rape case committed by a stranger on a women walking home alone after a night with her friends.
Crime analysts could use the details of this case- the fact that she had just left a late night party, that the rapist took some of her clothing away from the scene with him.
And the content of the threats used towards the women- in order check against an already established database of similar crimes to see whether there are any similarities to past crimes.
If matches are found- the same threats were used, similar items of clothing taken by a rapist, and it was a close geographical location to another rape - then this information can be used by the police to investigate the potential that the same individual offender has committed both crimes.
II. Or a murderer who mutilates a victim may leave markings which could be clues to motivations or identity which could be used to develop a psychological profile which might help investigators identify suspects.
Likewise, a criminal psychologist could look at the victims selected by an offender and draw conclusions about the offender and likely future targets from their profiles.
Detecting Deception
The police can also use psychologists to conduct research in order to gain advice on how to interview particular types of witnesses or suspects. This research performed by criminal psychologists investigating the detection of deception also has useful application for the police when interviewing witnesses and in particular suspects.
The Cycle of Violence
From the researches and statistics available today, one can say a lot about the "cycle of violence hypothesis". It predicts that abused children will become abusers and victims of violence will become violent offenders.
Abused and neglected children are more likely to exhibit delinquent characteristics as well as criminal and violent behaviour as adults.
A Note
Criminal psychology should not be confused with criminal psychiatry.
Psychiatry is heavily focused on the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, which can include a variety of therapies and treatment approaches.
While psychologists study human behavior and the motivations behind it, which can include mental illness and ways in which it can be treated.
Advantages
- Working as a criminal psychologist can be very rewarding since this career path allows you to help others.
- It offers many career paths such as work in educational institutions, in criminal courts, in the government, or work as a consultant.
Disadvantages
- The salary is relatively low considering the amount of education and training needed to be a qualified.
- A few times, the criminals get back at you with revenge and that can leave a traumatic effect on your life.
Conclusion
- Criminal psychology is an interesting field where in, just studying the nature of the person, the psychologist can give a valuable insight into the criminal activity that has happened or about to happen.
- Criminal psychology can go hand in hand with law and order and curb crime to a greater extent.
- At the same time, it also gives a comfort to the victims that everything best possible is being done so as to have Justice.
- By Sunil R Yadav
No comments:
Post a Comment