Mental Disorder and Crime


Book Description

Contributors to this volume present and discuss new data which suggest that major mental disorder substantially increases the risk of violent crime. These findings come at a crucial time, since those who suffer from mental disorders are increasingly living in the community, rather than in institutions. The book describes the magnitude and complexity of the problem and offers hope that humane, effective intervention can prevent violent crime being committed by the seriously mentally disordered.




Responsibility and Psychopathy


Book Description

The discussion of whether psychopaths are morally responsible for their behaviour has long taken place in philosophy. In recent years this has moved into scientific and psychiatric investigation. Responsibility and Psychopathy discusses this subject from both the philosophical and scientific disciplines, as well as a legal perspective.




Criminal Behavior


Book Description

Crime Statistics suggest that Americans are not a notably law-abiding people. With some 13 million felonies reported every year, it is not surprising that few topics engage public attention and imagination more compellingly than the dynamics of criminal behavior. Volume and ubiquity alone might suggest the psychology of criminal behavior is well understood and there exists an integrated body of explanatory theory and empirical evidence. But in fact only fragmentary and incomplete accounts have thus far appeared. Criminal Behavior is virtually unique in providing a comprehensive psychological paradigm that fits across variant species of crime, while meeting the requirements of science and the needs of law enforcement and administration of justice in controlling criminal behavior.The authors begin this remarkable text by outlining a model for criminal behavior based not on abnormal psychology but on the tenets of social learning theory. They illuminate the processes by which criminal activity is initiated and repeated, including personal constructs, stimulus determinants, and behavioral repertoires. They define four process elements that interact in precipitating criminal behavior-inclination, opportunity, expectation of reward, expectation of impunity. They show how these process elements are regulated and confined by a series of complex and variable boundary conditions in specific criminal offenses. Conceptual, methodological, and operational constraints on the study of criminal behavior are defined, and statistically and behavioral science data bearing upon larceny and homicide, two crimes at diametric extremes, are examined in detail.Pallone and Hennessy locate and define those psychological variables that render comprehensible the process whereby formally criminal acts are construed as possible and desirable by individual actors and show how those actors self-select psychosocial environments that facilitate or at least do not impede the commission of crime. They identify and explain the phenomenon of 'tinderbox violence.'Its comprehensive perspective and balanced consideration of competing viewpoints make Criminal Behavior an ideal text for students and teachers of criminology and of the psychology of criminal behavior. It is also a pioneering work for psychologists, sociologists, criminologists, and law-enforcement official.




Understanding Human Behavior For Effective Police Work


Book Description

When it first appeared in 1976, Understanding Human Behavior for Effective Police Work quickly became the foremost guide for the officer on the force and the recruit in the classroom. Today, the new third edition is still the only comprehensive book on the subject. Thoroughly revised and updated, this edition covers important new developments in the field, including the emergence of Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Teams, which help emergency service personnel survive the impact of critical incident stress. This edition also addresses the psychological aspects of proactive police work. In a world ridden by drugs and violence, it is no longer enough merely to respond to incidents. Police forces around the country are being called upon to perform community-based services to reclaim neighborhoods dominated by crime.As in the previous editions, the heart of the book is a virtual catalog—enlivened by vivid case histories—of the kinds of deviant behavior today's police officer is likely to confront, along with valuable suggestions on identification and management.




Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology


Book Description

This is a concise textbook on abnormal psychology that integrates various theoretical models, sociocultural factors, research, clinical experiences, and therapies. The author encourages critical thinking about the science and study of mental disorders and also reveals the humanity behind them.




The Psychopathology of Crime


Book Description

This book takes an uncompromising look at how we define psychopathology and makes the argument that criminal behavior can and perhaps should be considered a disorder. Presenting sociological, genetic, neurochemical, brain-imaging, and psychophysiological evidence, it discusses the basis for criminal behavior and suggests, contrary to popular belief, that such behavior may be more biologically determined than previously thought. Presents a new conceptual approach to understanding crime as a disorder Is the most extensive review of biological predispositions to criminal behavior to date Analyzes the familial and extra-familial causes of crime Reviews the predispositions to crime including evolution and genetics, and the neuropsychological, psychophysiological, brain-imaging, neurochemical, and cognitive factors Presents the practical implications of viewing crime as a psychopathology in the contexts of free will, punishment, treatment, and future biosocial research




CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY


Book Description

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.




Abnormal Behavior and the Criminal Justice System


Book Description

"The United States has the highest per-capita imprisonment rate in the world. In 1990, the prison population across the country jumped 8.2 percent. On an average day, 100,000 crimes are committed and over 35,000 people are arrested. The judicial and criminal justice systems are overwhelmed by this growing burden, and are ill-equipped to handle the large number of individuals who suffer from some form of mental disorder - roughly 35 percent of those currently in the criminal justice system. A lack of training and understanding has led to confusion and inadequate control in the treatment of these individuals. At what point should criminal justice personnel turn the management of these cases over to mental health professionals?" "Abnormal Behavior and the Criminal Justice System examines the issues behind the supervision of these criminals whose special needs are often neglected. Part I includes an analysis of the criminal personality and the psychopath. Drawing on the cases of such noted figures as Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, the Hillside Strangler and others, Robert G. Meyer examines different aspects of deviant personalities. These types include the Antisocial Personality Disorder, Impulse Disorders, Alcohol and Drug-Abuse Disorders, Sexual Disorders, Organic Brain Damage Disorders, and Anxiety, Dissociative, and Sleep Disorders. Part II looks at topics that are of direct application and practical consequence to the criminal justice student and practitioner. These include violence, the detection of deception, incompetency, criminal responsibility, civil commitment and the prediction of dangerousness, psychopharmacology in the criminal justice system, and specific criminal justice personnel issues." "The detailed emphasis on behavioral descriptions, applied issues, and a practical plan for immediate implementation make this an innovative and important text. Abnormal Behavior and the Criminal Justice System will be an essential tool for both students and practitioners of criminal justice."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved




NIJ Catalog


Book Description

Contains information on criminal justice publications and other materials available from NIJ's information clearinghouse, the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS), and other sources.