There are a wide range of studies examining the psychology of crime and criminal behaviour. Not all of these relate directly to the criminal. Studies explore a variety of stages in the criminal process, such as: why people commit various crimes; how police may investigate crime; the courts and trial system; imprisonment and reform structures.
To study the psychology of crime, it is important to have a clear idea of what crime is and how it can be studied. Crime is simply a behaviour which is deemed to be against the law. The law is formed within a society and is a generally accepted set of rules that all must follow. Therefore, an act may be considered acceptable in one context but criminal in another. Taking another person’s life is one example. If a soldier were to take a life during warfare it is not a crime; however, if he had an altercation in a bar which resulted in death it is murder.
Criminal psychologists ask questions such as – what types of people do which types of things and how can we prevent or reform their behaviour? To answer questions such as this, it is important to consider the complexity of human behaviour. Humans are complex social beings and numerous factors can influence our behaviour. We may have characteristic ways of dealing with others but there may be small variations based on context and types of interaction.
To examine which factors have an impact on whether people offend, we must first gather a lot of information. Careful consideration must be given to how and where that information is collected from.
Many studies which examine the psychology of crime use data from police sources. This can be arrest or conviction data from various areas. However, is this data representative? Crime may not be reported to police for a variety of reasons. Police may have reports of offences but never arrest a suspect. Even if a person is arrested, they are not always prosecuted or convicted. Therefore, the official statistics do not represent all crimes and criminals. It could be argued that criminal psychologists should use self-report data. However, people are not always willing to participate in such research. Even if they are willing to participate, it cannot be guaranteed they are being truthful. This data may be incomplete or inaccurate.
It must also be noted that when police collect data about a crime or an offender, their primary purpose of gathering that data is to secure a conviction. Police do not generally consider how else such data may be used. Therefore it is best to consider a variety of research methods taken over a longer period.
In summary, numerous stages of crime and criminality are examined by criminal, forensic, and investigative psychologists. It is a vast area of study that explores the process of crime, the actions of the criminal, characteristics of the offender, the judicial and investigation process, incarceration, and rehabilitation.
