In this groundbreaking book that is built on decades of work on the front lines of the criminal justice system, expert psychologist Craig Haney encourages meaningful and lasting reform by changing the public narrative about who commits crime and why. Based on his comprehensive review and analysis of the research, Haney offers a carefully framed and psychologically based blueprint for making the criminal justice system fairer, with strategies to reduce crime through proactive prevention instead of reactive punishment. Haney meticulously reviews evidence documenting the ways in which a person's social history, institutional experiences, and present circumstances powerfully shape their life, with a special focus on the role of social, economic, and racial injustice in crime causation. Haney debunks the "crime master narrative"--the widespread myth that criminality is a product of free and autonomous "bad" choices--an increasingly anachronistic view that cannot bear the weight of contemporary psychological data and theory. This is a must-read for understanding what truly influences criminal behavior, and the strategies for prevention and rehabilitation that follow.

Criminal psychology is the application of the principles of normal and abnormal psychology to the understanding, prediction, and control of criminal behavior. Criminal Psychology: Nature, Nurture, Culture provides an in-depth yet readable introduction to the foundations of criminal psychology as it is understood and practiced from the classroom to the courtroom. The book is organized into five sections. Part I examines the nature and origins of criminal behavior. These chapters outline the role of psychology in the criminal justice system, and review the biology, psychology, and sociology of crime to develop a naturalistic model of criminal behavior that can guide theory and practice in law enforcement, criminal justice, and forensic evaluation. Part II examines the major classes of mental disorder that may be associated with criminal behavior, including psychotic disorders, mood disorders, organic brain syndromes, substance abuse, and personality disorders. Each chapter consists of a description of the syndrome, followed by applications to law enforcement, criminal justice, and forensic mental health issues of competency, sanity, and criminal culpability. Part III deals with death. Topics include homicide, serial murder, mass homicide, workplace and school violence, and terrorism. Part IV covers sexual offenses and crimes within the family, including rape and sexual assault, sex crimes against children, child battery, domestic violence, and family homicide. Part V discusses the psychological dynamics of a variety of common crimes, such as stalking and harassment, theft and robbery, gang violence, organized crime, arson, hate crimes, victimology, the psychology of corrections, and the death penalty. Each chapter contains explanatory tables and sidebars that illustrate the chapter’s main topic with examples from real-life cases and the media, and explore controversies surrounding particular issues in criminal psychology, such as criminal profiling, sexual predator laws, dealing with children who kill, psychotherapy with incarcerated offenders, and the use of “designer defenses” in court. Grounded in thorough scholarship and written in a crisp, engaging style, this volume is the definitive handbook and reference source for forensic psychologists, mental health practitioners, attorneys, judges, law enforcement professionals, and military personnel. It will also serve as an authoritative core text for courses in forensic psychology, criminology, and criminal justice practice.

Identifies and evaluates the psychological choices implicit in the rules of evidence Evidence law is meant to facilitate trials that are fair, accurate, and efficient, and that encourage and protect important societal values and relationships. In pursuit of these often-conflicting goals, common law judges and modern drafting committees have had to perform as amateur applied psychologists. Their task has required them to employ what they think they know about the ability and motivations of witnesses to perceive, store, and retrieve information; about the effects of the litigation process on testimony and other evidence; and about our capacity to comprehend and evaluate evidence. These are the same phenomena that cognitive and social psychologists systematically study. The rules of evidence have evolved to restrain lawyers from using the most robust weapons of influence, and to direct judges to exclude certain categories of information, limit it, or instruct juries on how to think about it. Evidence law regulates the form of questions lawyers may ask, filters expert testimony, requires witnesses to take oaths, and aims to give lawyers and factfinders the tools they need to assess witnesses’ reliability. But without a thorough grounding in psychology, is the “common sense” of the rulemakers as they create these rules always, or even usually, correct? And when it is not, how can the rules be fixed? Addressed to those in both law and psychology, The Psychological Foundations of Evidence Law draws on the best current psychological research-based knowledge to identify and evaluate the choices implicit in the rules of evidence, and to suggest alternatives that psychology reveals as better for accomplishing the law’s goals.

This book provides a focused and comprehensive overview of criminal psychology in different socio-economic and psycho-sociological contexts. It informs readers on the role of psychology in the various aspects of the criminal justice process, starting from the investigation of a crime to the rehabilitation or reintegration of the offender. Current research in criminology and psychology has been discussed to understand the minds of various offenders, how to interact with them during investigation and conviction effectively and how to bring about positive changes in various stages of the criminal justice process—investigation, prosecution, incarceration, rehabilitation—to increase the efficacy of the correctional system and improve public confidence in the justice system. It thoroughly addresses the bigger issues of holistically reducing the increase in crime rates and susceptibility in society. Each chapter builds on leading scholarship in this field from Western scholars and supplements these theories with research findings from a South Asian perspective, particularly in the Indian criminal justice system. This book successfully encapsulates the foundations of criminal psychology literature while incorporating interdisciplinary avenues of study into criminal behaviour and legal psychology, bringing into the provincial discourse lacunas of the justice system and avenues for alternative correctional and rehabilitative programs.

"This is an exceptional book that comprehensively covers the interface between psychology and criminology regarding an empirical understanding of crime. It is written in an engaging and accessible manner, nicely linking key themes in order to situate the contribution of psychology to theories of criminal behaviour, strategies for informed practice, and contemporary challenges. It should prove to be an incredible resource for students, but also be of interest to researchers and clinicians. I cannot recommend this text more heartily." Dr Ralph Serin, Carleton University, Canada "James McGuire is one of the leading international experts on what works in reducing reoffending, and he has written an extremely valuable and accessible textbook on psychology and crime. The book is a clearly written, well-researched and up-to-date survey of important contributions of psychology to key criminological issues. It is especially noteworthy for its illuminating reviews of cognitive-social learning theories, risk factors and longitudinal studies, risk assessment, cognitive-behavioural programmes and meta-analyses of treatment effectiveness." Professor David Farrington, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge What contributions can psychology make to our understanding of crime? How can psychological models and research help to prevent crime and reduce repeat offending? This highly readable book discusses the complex relationships between psychology, criminology and criminal justice. Challenging the assumptions of those who object to the use of psychology within criminology, this book shows how a methodical approach to the study of criminal behaviour can generate both systematic findings and practical solutions to problems. McGuire argues for a broader understanding of crime, based on factors such as the individual’s cognitive and emotional development, in addition to the influences of socialization, peer groups, and the social and economic environment. He highlights the value of understanding ‘pathways’ to offending behaviour, and the critical points at which choices are made. Topics include: Theoretical and empirical research foundations of ‘criminogenic risk factors’ Theory turned into practice – the development of offending behaviour programmes A psychological perspective on some core concepts in criminology: retribution, deterrence and incapacitation Major practical applications of psychology in policing, prosecution and sentencing This authoritative and stimulating text is essential reading for students in criminology and psychology and for criminal justice practitioners and policy makers.

When is it fair to hold young people criminally responsible? If young people lack the capacity to make a meaningful choice and to control their impulses, should they be held criminally culpable for their behaviour? In what ways is the immaturity of young offenders relevant to their blameworthiness? Should youth offending behaviour be proscribed by criminal law? These are just some of the questions asked in this thoughtful and provocative book. In The Moral Foundations of the Youth Justice System, Raymond Arthur explores international and historical evidence on how societies regulate criminal behaviour by young people, and undertakes a careful examination of the developmental capacities and processes that are relevant to young people’s criminal choices. He argues that the youth justice response needs to be reconceptualised in a context where one of the central objectives of institutions regulating children and young people’s behaviour is to support the interests and welfare of those children. This timely book advocates a revolutionary transformation of the structure and process of contemporary youth justice law: a synthesised and integrated approach that is clearly distinct from that used for dealing with adults. This book is a key resource for students, academics and practitioners across fields including criminal law, youth justice, probation and social work.