CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY

It is another branch in psychology which studies the wills, feelings, intentions and reactions of criminals. It is also related to the field of criminal anthropology. The criminal psychology study goes intensely keen on what makes someone to commit crime, and also the reactions after the crime, on the run or in the court.

Criminal psychologists know how to engage in a number of activities related to criminal investigations, ranging from creating profiles of offenders or victims based on existing information unto conducting psychological testing of people on experiment for various crimes.

The Criminal psychology must not be baffled with criminal psychiatry; as both deals with mental health issues. The criminal psychiatry is deeply focused on the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, as it can include a range of therapies, while the criminal psychologists learn about the human behavior and the motivations behind it, as it can include mental illness and the ways in which it can be treated.

The psychological professionals make use of a wide range of clues to get an insight into the nature of the crime and about the person who has committed the crime. In the same way, a criminal psychologist might look at the victims chosen by the criminal and draw conclusions about the criminal and in future targets from their profiles.

A specialist in criminal psychology may perhaps be asked to watch or take part in the questioning of a person who is of interest in a crime, or to work together with the injured party to gather information.

Some of the criminal psychologists center on functioning with children who commit crimes or who are the victims of crime. They generally have degrees in child psychology and have pursued additional training in criminology and forensic psychology.

The criminal psychologists and may help the children as patients in a medical practice, give evidence about child criminals in court, or recommend support to criminal investigations involving children.

Criminal psychologists are frequently called up as witnesses in court cases to help the board of judges to know the mind of the criminal.

Questions

• What do you think will be the reason for the increase in crime rate?