2. Causes of Crime

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this lecture, we consider the causes of offending behaviour, focusing in particular on: (i) how different theories of what causes crime form a spectrum that reaches from biological explanations (e.g. Lombroso’s theory of atavistic form) to social explanations (e.g. subcultural theory); (ii) different perspectives on offending behaviour in more detail, including biological, psychological and cognitive explanations of crime.

Course

In this course, Professor David Canter (University of Liverpool) provides an introduction to the field of forensic psychology and some of the most important practices and areas of research associated with it. In the first lecture, we start with a definition of forensic psychology as a discipline that applies psychological insights to legal processes and the criminal justice system. In the second lecture, we consider the different ways in which psychologists have theorised the causes of crime. In the third lecture, we think about how crime can be defined and measured. Next, we think about offender profiling. In the fifth lecture, we explore how this practice gradually developed into the broader area of investigative psychology. In the sixth lecture, we take a closer look at the field of investigative psychology and how it can contribute to police investigations. In the seventh lecture, we focus on geographical offender profiling. In the eighth lecture, we explore investigative interviewing. In the ninth and final lecture, we explore a specific method for modelling serial murder, known as the ‘radex model’ of serial killers.

To find out more about forensic psychology and David Canter’s work visit www.davidcanter.com.

Lecturer

Although internationally known for introducing scientific psychology into ‘offender profiling’ and developing the field of Investigative Psychology beyond those origins, Prof. David Canter has a wide range of interests including his continuing work in Environmental Psychology.