| CODE | PSY2640 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Forensic and Criminal Psychology | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Psychology | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The aim of this study-unit is to give participants an overview of the different contributions to the psychological understanding of crime and the role of psychology within the Criminal Justice System. This study-unit will bring together an array of theory and research which will be examined from different perspectives. More specifically, it will seek to examine the development of criminal behaviour, responses to criminality such as imprisonment and rehabilitation, the social contexts of criminal career development and the role of psychologists and psychology within the criminal justice system. The course will begin with a conceptualisation of the terms and an exploration of the typologies of criminal behaviour. The measurement of juvenile delinquency and crime and the distribution of delinquency and crime will also be explored. The study unit will explore explanations of delinquent and criminal behaviour. The development and the social contexts of the criminal career will be explored. Other psychological Issues in offending that will be explored include: aggression and violence; crime and mental disorder; sexual offending; the role of psychology of the courtroom; and the psychology of imprisonment. Study-unit Aims: - The study-unit will range from the purely descriptive, focusing on the terminology used, to the more theoretical (different perspectives on addiction), to prevention and intervention. - This study-unit will also draw upon developments in the understanding of criminality to inform thinking and practice relating to the field. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Document the role of psychology in the understanding of criminal behaviour; - Demonstrate understanding of how criminal behaviour develops; - Demonstrate understanding of how criminal behaviour is impacted by social factors; - Document the major theoretical perspectives that draw on psychology for an understanding of criminal and criminal behaviour; - Critically appraise the role of psychology in the criminal justice system. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Critically engage with theory and practice in the field; - Move from theoretical explanations to understanding implications for research and practice. Main Text/s: Blackburn, D (2008). The Psychology of Criminal Conduct. UK: Wiley. Howitt, D (2012) Introduction to Forensic and Criminal Psychology USA: Prentice Hall. Supplementary readings: - Clark, M. (2002) ‘Drug Abuse and Criminal Careers: An investigation into the Relationship between Abuse, Addiction and Criminality’. In Bell, A. & Arpa, S. (eds) Euro Med Networking in Substance Abuse Prevention Vol 2 (41-63) Sedqa: Malta. - Clark, M (2006) ‘Commitment to Crime: the role of the criminal justice system’, European Journal of Criminology 3 (2): 201–220. - Clark, M. ( 2007). Crime, Honour and Shame. The Correctional Psychologist 39, 9-12. - Clark, M. (2010) Drugs and Alcohol in Relation to Crime and Victimisation. In Shoham, S., Knepper, & P. Kett, M. (eds) International Handbook of Victimology (251-281) FL:Taylor and Francis. - Clark, M. (2011) The Role of Social Cognition in Criminal Careers. Internet Journal of Criminology ISSN 2045-6743 (Online): http://www.internetjournalofcriminology.com/Clark_The_Role_of_Social_Cognition_in_the_Development_of_the_Criminal_Career.pdf - Clark, M. (2011) Exploring the criminal lifestyle: a grounded theory study of Maltese male habitual offenders International Journal of Criminology and Sociological Theory 4 (1): 563-583. - Curran, D & Renzetti, C (1994). Theories of crime. MA: Allyn and Bacon. - Gibbons, D. (1992). Society, crime and criminal behaviour. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. - Hollin, C. (1989). Psychology and crime: an introduction to criminological psychology. UK: Routledge. - Walters, D. (1990). Drugs and crime in a lifestyle perspective. CA: Sage. - Wagstaff, G., Vella, M. & Perfect, T. (1992) ‘The Effect of Hypnotically Elicited Testimony on Juror’s Judgment of Guilt and Innocence’ Journal of Social Psychology, 132, 591-595. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | This study unit is only available to BPsy Students | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Marilyn Clark |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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