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Crime and Critical Psychology

Overview

  • Credit value: 30 credits at Level 4
  • Convenor: Dr Lizzie Hughes
  • Assessment: an 800-word and 1000-word learning log (25% and 35%) and one-hour end-of-module test/quiz (40%)

Module description

In this interdisciplinary module we critically explore the relationship between psychology and criminology through a wide range of topics and real-world problems. We offer a theoretical overview of the field, in particular psychosocial explanations of why people commit crime. We take groups such as youth gangs, serial killers and the 'mentally unwell offender' to examine the psychosocial contexts of these phenomena and ask questions such as:

  • Why do young people join gangs?
  • Do structural inequalities enable serial killers?
  • How are mental health problems criminalised through psychology?

We also study the three arms of the criminal justice system, exploring:

  • whether there is such a thing as a 'police personality'
  • issues with eyewitness testimonies and juries in the courtroom
  • the psychological harms of prison, and alternatives from a psych-abolition perspective.

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • understand the interactions, relations and tensions between the fields of criminology and critical psychology
  • develop a critical psychosocial approach to understanding the causes of crime and harm
  • understand the psychologies of the criminal justice system and the psychological effects of the criminal justice system
  • critique research methods used in criminology and psychology.