Psychology of Crime

Why do people commit crimes? Why would someone confess to a crime they didn’t commit? Should someone’s mental state be considered when they commit a crime? How can damage to one’s mental state be quantified? This course will examine these questions and many others as we study Psychology of Crime.

Psychology of Crime focuses on the collaboration between Psychology professionals and the legal system. This area of expertise is known as Forensic Psychology. We will begin with an examination of how forensic psychologists use their expertise to assist the legal system with such things as identifying suspects, determining the impact of mental state on criminal behavior, helping victims of crime, determining damages in a civil case and assessing claims for political asylum.

Students will identify the different areas in which psychologists serve as expert witnesses in the criminal justice system, including assessing witness credibility, profiling killers or evaluating the mental status of suspects. Lessons will also include the role of the psychologist in civil law, such as determining psychological damages. Weekly assignments will include engaging discussions on such topics as the use of psychological tactics to extract confessions and the insanity defense. Activities may also include written assignments that address the standards and tools which guide psychologists in their work around such topics as lie detection, eyewitness testimony and profiling. The final project calls for students to apply various course elements such as criminal motivation and psychopathy to a known criminal case. The course also includes a proctored final exam.

In this Honors-level course, students are expected to invest approximately 8 hours per week on their course work.

Acknowledgements

During this course students will encounter content that may be disturbing; students must be mature enough to handle violent, sensitive and graphic subject matter.

This course contains an end-of-course proctored exam. Instructions for students to identify an appropriate adult proctor are included in the course lessons.

Course Objectives

Course Essential Questions:

How do the fields of Law and Psychology work together to promote the well-being of both society and the individual?
How does understanding human behavior contribute to a more safe and equitable society?
What ethical conflicts arise with the collaboration of the legal and psychology fields?
How does the work of Psychologists contribute to reform in the Criminal Justice System?

Course Learning Objectives:

Explain the role that forensic psychologists play in the legal system.
Compare the goals of the legal and psychology fields and assess the ethical considerations when those goals conflict.
Apply standards of psychology to case studies in order to render legal decisions.
Evaluate policy for the use of psychology practices in the legal system.
Explain how the work of psychologists protects the legal and civil rights of citizens.