191-013 Psychology and Criminal Justice

Note

Availability

Credit Points

Coordinator

Prerequisites

37.5 points of 2nd/3rd-year Criminology subjects for 3rd-year students. Admission to Criminology Honours for 4th-year students.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

This subject aims to provide criminology students with an introduction to psychology as it has been applied to crime and criminal justice. It is not necessary that students have studied psychology prior to taking this subject. The first part of this subject examines psychological perspectives on the offender, ranging from the examination of offenders' individual characteristics, such as intelligence, to integrated theories of offending behaviour. The second part turns attention to the criminal justice system itself, the actors who work to make the system function and the perspectives that shape the system's operation. By the end of the subject students should be familiar with the psychological perspective on human and organisational behaviour and be able to critically evaluate the contribution of psychological theory to the understanding of criminological phenomena.

Assessment

An essay of 3000 words, and a 2-hour exam or take-home test of 2000 words.