Psychology of Criminal Behaviour

Overview

This unit guides students how to understand and examine psychological theories of crime and then apply guiding principles from these theories into effective correctional policies and practices. The unit will introduce the major empirical and theoretically informed psychological frameworks for understanding criminal behaviour, the major risk factors for criminal conduct, methodologies for assessing these risk factors, and importantly, the Risk Need Responsivity (RNR) model of correctional practice and how this model provides direction to policies in criminal justice agencies internationally.

Unit learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

1. Differentiate psychology-based risk factors for crime from biological and social explanations of criminal behaviour while situating these risk factors within general psychological models of human behaviour
2. Critically assess the role of research methodologies and empirical paradigms in the development of practice frameworks for correctional environments
3. Interpret incidents of criminal behaviour using an understanding of the major psychology-based risk factors for crime
4. Justify or question policies and practices in correctional environments using knowledge of empirically derived frameworks based in a psychological understanding of criminal behaviour
5. Construct recommendations about how correctional staff could address, manage, and reduce criminal behaviour using psychology-based practice frameworks, attending specifically to the unique characteristics of marginalised individuals (such as women, First Nations individuals, people with various diagnoses, etc.)
6. Evaluate the real-world challenges associated with effectively implementing psychology-based practice frameworks in correctional environments

Teaching methods

All applicable locations

Assessment

Content

• Introduction to a psychological understanding of criminal behaviour
• Comparison of psychological perspectives to biological and social perspectives on crime
• Methodologies and empirical frameworks for studying the psychology of criminal behaviour and establishing principles of effective correctional practice
• Historical and current research findings on the major psychological risk factors for crime
• How to apply psychological understanding of crime to practical correctional problems, such as placement in prison, assignment to rehabilitation programs, and management of release into the community
• Common challenges to implementing evidence-based empirical frameworks into corrections policies and practices
• Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Information literacy
• Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Technical literacy