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Forensic Psychology

Course leader: Dr Katherine Finlay
One term (15 units)

Forensic psychology is a field that addresses the issues surrounding the existence of crime and the function of the law for individuals and society as a whole. It is a cross-over discipline, representing a fusion of psychology, criminology and sociology. Forensic psychology binds psychological theory to legal practice and is an applied field of psychology with career prospects in the prison service, research, consultancy or private practice.

This research area is sometimes referred to as the psychology of criminal behaviour or forensic psychology. It will focus primarily upon the criminal although it will also look at some of the characteristics of victims of crime and the law. It will be important to become aware of the way in which psychological theories aid our understanding of criminal behaviour.

It is the aim that you experience a broad range of theories and perspectives within the forensic psychology field. Some of the issues investigated involve particularly unpleasant facets of human nature, such as murder and sexual violence. However, it must be assumed that there are psychological components to all these forms of socially unacceptable behaviour.

The course will begin by investigating some of the theories that are used to explain criminal behaviour and will then focus upon different forms of criminal behaviour and important issues in crime psychology.

This course is assessed by both course work (40%) and written examination (60%).

Lecture schedule

• Week 1: Introduction and Theories in Forensic Psychology
• Week 2: Juvenile Offenders
• Week 3: Criminal Violence
• Week 4: Sexual Violence
• Week 5: Eyewitness Testimony
• Week 6: Criminal Profiling
• Week 7: Contemporary Issues in Forensic Psychology: Mental Illness
• Week 8: Contemporary Issues in Forensic Psychology: Crime & Punishment

Core texts

• Canter, D. Criminal psychology (London: Hodder Education, 2008). ISBN: 978-0-340-92892-9.
• Howitt, D. Introduction to forensic and criminal psychology (3rd ed., Harlow: Pearson Education, 2009). ISBN: 978-1-4058-7446-5.