Course description
Course Details
This programme is designed for anyone interested in the psychology of crime and learning more about the use of psychology in crime, its detection and prevention. The course will enables learners to: (1) Recognise how different research methods can help us research criminal behaviours, (2) Understand how psychology can help us to understand why some people turn to crime, (3) Appreciate how criminal psychology can be useful to criminal investigations, (4) Understand how criminal psychology can be useful in prosecutions, and (5) Recognise how criminal psychology can be help convicted criminals.
Your Tutor will support you throughout the duration of the course. You complete the course by undertaking activities and assignments. You will receive the course manual, assignments and study guide plus tutor support. Our student support team are also available for any other queries that you may have whilst completing your course. You can be assured that support is available for your course, so there is no need to feel isolated during your studies.
Topics Covered in this Course
Unit 1 : Introduction
Defining criminal psychology
Scope of criminal psychology
Roles of the criminal psychologist
Unit 2: Researching Criminal Behaviours
The scientific method of psychological research
Ethical considerations of psychological research
Designing a research study/experiment
Unit 3: How Criminal Psychological can be used to Understand Crime
Factors that influence the incidence of criminal activity
The major perspectives that try to explain causes of criminal behaviour
Developmental theories
Unit 4: How Criminal Psychology can be used in Criminal Investigations
Investigating a crime
Witness reliability
Factors that affect memory acquisition
Factors that affect memory retention
Factors that affect memory retrieval
Interviewing witnesses
Interviewing suspects
Detecting lies
Detecting false confessions
Offender profiling
Geographic profiling
Unit 5: How Criminal Psychology can be used in Prosecutions
An overview of courtroom procedures
How witnesses can affect a jury’s decision
How child witnesses can affect a jury’s decision
How expert witnesses can affect a jury’s decision
How the judicial system can affect a jury’s decision
How the juror reaches a decision
Group decision making
Group behaviour
Unit 6: How Criminal Psychology can be used with Convicted Criminals
A Brief history of punishments
The range of punishments
Imprisonment
Problems inmates encounter in prison
Support available in prisons
Alternatives to imprisonment
Rehabilitating prisoners
Offender behaviour programmes
Who should complete this course?
Anyone interested in criminology and learning more about crime and its causes.
Members of the Gardai Siochana or support services.
People who work in the security and crime prevention industry.
Those involved in working with young people in supporting youth crime prevention.
Entry Requirements / Prerequisites
None.
Assessment
This course is assessed through a series of tutor marked assignments. There is no exam with this course.
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