Forensic psychology: opportunities and prospects

Criminal psychology, also called forensic psychology, is the study of the attitudes, thoughts, intentions, actions and thus reactions of criminals and everything involved in criminal behavior. The use of this term is rare in the scientific literature today, as it is generally understood that crime is behavior, and participation in a crime does not mean that someone is a criminal.

Accepted Practices

Many common practices of forensic psychology, such as profiling, have been discredited, and are no longer supported by scholars or professionals in the modern fields of forensic psychology or criminology. It is related to the field of criminal anthropology. The study takes a deep dive into the reasons why someone commits a crime, as well as reactions after the crime, whether on the run or in court. Criminal psychologists are often called as witnesses in court cases to help jurors understand the criminal's mind. Some types of psychiatry also deal with aspects of criminal behavior.

Briefly about the importance of criminal psychology

So, what can be said (besides what we have already talked about) in general about the significance of criminal psychology? Why is it necessary to study so carefully and scrupulously the personality characteristics of the criminal, criminal groups and other related issues?

First of all, it should be noted that these requirements are prescribed by law. The principle of individualization of punishment, which plays a huge role in society, is based on them. This principle is the most important sign of a civilized and humane attitude towards the human person.

Criminal psychology allows us to make correct and adequate conclusions about the motives of crimes, which are their subjective side. And this can already be safely called the basis for the professional qualification of committed illegal actions.

On the other hand, knowledge about the motives of criminals contributes to the development of measures for adequate and effective educational influence on individuals in a correctional regime. Such information helps to clearly establish what specifically needs to be resocialized through a change in a person’s values, attitudes, norms and values.

The information base provided by criminal psychology significantly simplifies and facilitates the process of preliminary investigation - pre-trial investigation of crimes, as well as carrying out preventive work necessary for the early suppression of illegal actions.

And finally, criminal psychology makes it possible to adequately and completely explain the motives of criminals and convey them to their consciousness, which often helps such people to realize themselves and their difficulties, and therefore accept responsibility for their actions and actions.

Thus, criminal psychology is of great importance for society, contributing to the effective prevention and investigation of criminal acts, as well as explaining the psychological characteristics of a criminogenic personality and the motives for crimes committed.

But, of course, as we said, it is impossible to consider such a complex topic in all detail within the framework of one article. Therefore, if you want to study it in detail, we can recommend reading relevant literature.

Here are several books by Russian authors:

A. F. Zelinsky “Criminal Psychology”
F. S. Safuanov “Psychology of criminal aggression”
S. V. Poznyshev “Criminal psychology. Criminal types"
V. F. Pirozhkov “Criminal Psychology”
V. V. Sobolnikov “Fundamentals of criminal psychology”

And several works by foreign authors:

Cesare Lambroso "Criminal Man"
Gabriel Tarde "The Criminal and the Crowd"
Robert D. Hare “Deprived of Conscience. The frightening world of psychopaths"
Kurt Bartol "Psychology of Criminal Behavior"
Philip Zimbardo "The Lucifer Effect" Why do good people turn into villains?

And in addition to these books, we recommend watching the recording of the lecture “Criminal Psychology” by the head of the Department of Criminal Psychology of the Faculty of Legal Psychology of the Moscow State University of Psychology and Education.

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Key words:1Profiling

Forensic psychology

Forensic psychology is the intersection of psychology and the justice system. This includes an understanding of fundamental legal principles, especially with regard to expert testimony and the specific subject area of concern (for example, competence to stand trial, child custody, or workplace discrimination), as well as relevant jurisdictional considerations (for example, in the United States, the definition insanity in criminal trials differs from state to state) in order to be able to properly interact with judges, defense attorneys, and other legal professionals. This is well described in Bogomolova’s book “Forensic Psychology”.

Requirements and challenges of the profession

An important aspect of forensic psychology is the ability to testify in court as an expert witness, reformulating psychological findings into legal courtroom language, presenting information in a way that can be understood.

In addition, to be a credible witness, a forensic psychologist must understand the philosophy, rules, and standards of the judicial system. First of all, they must understand the rivalry system. There are also rules about evidence of hearsay and, most importantly, the exclusionary rule. Failure to have a firm understanding of these procedures will cause the forensic psychologist to lose credibility in the courtroom. A forensic psychologist may be trained in clinical, social, organizational, or any other area of psychology. Typically, a forensic psychologist is designated as an expert in a specific area of study. The number of areas of expertise in which a forensic psychologist qualifies as an expert increases with experience and reputation, as described in Forensic Psychology by S. N. Bogomolova.

Forensic psychoneurologists

Forensic neuropsychiatrists are commonly asked to serve as expert witnesses in cases involving brain injury. They may also deal with questions about whether a person is legally competent to stand trial. Questions asked in court by a forensic psychologist are generally not psychological questions, but are legal questions and the answer must be in a language the court can understand. For example, the court will often appoint a forensic psychologist to evaluate a defendant who is standing trial.

The court also often appoints a forensic psychologist to evaluate the defendant's state of mind at the time the crime was committed. This is called an assessment of the defendant's sanity or insanity (as it relates to criminal responsibility) at the time the crime was committed. These are not psychological issues, but rather legal ones. Thus, a forensic psychologist must be able to translate psychological information into a legal framework. As mentioned earlier, all these processes are perfectly described in “Forensic Psychology” by Viktor Obraztsov, Sappho Bogomolova).

Are relatives of maniacs victims or silent accomplices?

“There are many cases when relatives of a person who committed a brutal murder say: he could not have done it, he was completely normal. How can a murderer create the image of a normal person? Or are relatives deliberately not noticing strange behavior?

— There is a simple expression: your own shit doesn’t smell. And when some boy, someone else’s boy, beats his shit, it’s not so scary. Now, if he hits his sister, it’s already serious. This works when the killer's family is at the same level of development as him. If a family protects a neighbor’s boy in the same way as their own child, such a family will not give in to a murderous maniac and will not turn a blind eye to his oddities.

- So, people who live with a maniac also have some kind of mental disorder?

- No, that doesn’t mean it. If they live with a murderer, tolerate his antics, and guess something (and believe me, it is impossible not to guess), it means that they are on the same level of moral development with him.

- So the stories that I didn’t know that my husband was raping little girls are a lie?

- Yes. Moreover, not all, but many women explicitly or implicitly contribute to this. Some even bring girls to their husbands themselves. Because for some reason they need this guy nearby, they need to help him. Or women sound the alarm and drag their husbands to psychologists - this is when his actions do not correspond to their level of moral development, their values. This is understandable. Look at how fathers and mothers in high positions behave when their son turns out to be a criminal. If a person is of a high level of development, then he will say - let him be judged, I will not interfere in this. But if a person, despite a high position, has not gone far morally, he will save his son, because this is his son, there is no other way.

Other responsibilities

Forensic psychologists may be called upon to provide sentencing recommendations, treatment recommendations, or any other information requested by the judge, such as information about mitigating factors, assessment of future risk, and the credibility of a witness. Forensic psychology also includes training and evaluating police officers or other law enforcement officials, providing law enforcement officers with criminal intelligence, and other ways of working with police departments. Forensic psychologists can work with any party in criminal or family law.

Psychiatrists and psychologists are licensed professionals who can evaluate both mental and physical health. They look for patterns in behavior to characterize the individuals behind a crime

Typology of offenders depending on the degree of danger to others

All offenders are classified depending on the degree of danger to others:

Robbers are sociable people who value social norms. They prefer to live at other people's expense. They easily control their behavior and love to make new acquaintances. These include fraudsters, corrupt officials, and persons forging valuable documents.
Thieves are characterized by flexible, less impulsive behavior. They easily establish interpersonal relationships and are not afraid of society. They may repent for what they have done.
Selfishly violent offenders. Often exhibit impulsive behavior. They disrespect laws and social norms and are aggressive towards others. They often indulge their desires and do not know how to restrain themselves.
Rapists are individuals who try to dominate in everything. Overcome any obstacles before the intended goal. They do not know how to perceive other people's feelings. They have little control over their desires. They constantly strive to express their “I”. They often show social withdrawal.
Murderers are impulsive offenders who often exhibit anxiety. Be careful about any innovations. They put their interests and experiences above all else. They don't value other people's lives. They are prone to conflict situations and do not know how to control themselves in society. Often irritable and restless.
Killers are criminals who have learned to make money by killing. They end other people's lives on someone else's orders. Other personalities are just goals for them. They are guided by cold calculations. Previously, they served in “hot spots” where they received military training. They are distinguished by increased caution, vigilance, and attentiveness. If we talk about character, we can highlight necrophilic traits, which manifest themselves in the desire to exterminate all living things. They control desires well and know how to behave correctly in society. Maintain composure in situations where other people would become confused. They are considered the most dangerous and elusive.

Female criminals are included in a separate group. They commit crimes to demonstrate their abilities and attract everyone's attention. After what they did they feel guilty.

Declaration of sane or insane

The question of competence before the court is a question of the current condition of the offender. This assesses the offender's ability to understand the charges brought against them, the possible outcome of conviction/acquittal on those charges, and their ability to assist counsel in the defense. The question of sanity/insanity or criminal responsibility is an assessment of the state of offenders at the time of the commission of the crime. This refers to their ability to understand what is right and what is wrong. The insanity defense is rarely used as it is very difficult to prove. If found insane, the offender is placed in a secure hospital facility for much longer than he would have served in prison.

The role of psychology in the legal system

Main article: Criminal psychology

Psychologists are licensed professionals who can evaluate both mental and physical health. Profilers look for patterns in behavior to typify the personality(s) behind a crime. Group work attempts to answer the most common psychological questions: is there a risk of reoffending as a sexual predator if returned to the community; the offender's competency to stand trial; whether the offender was sane/insane at the time of the crime.

Forensic psychologists can be used to conduct investigations, such as examining photographs of a crime or interviewing a suspect. Sometimes they have to formulate a hypothesis to estimate what the offender is going to do next after breaking the law.[4]

The question of the right to stand trial is a matter of the current state of mind of the offender. This assesses the offender's ability to understand the charges against him, the possible outcome of conviction/acquittal on those charges, and his ability to assist his lawyer in defending them. The question of sanity/insanity or criminal responsibility is an assessment of the criminal’s state of mind at the time of the commission of the crime. This refers to their ability to distinguish between good and bad and what is against the law. The insanity defense is rarely used because it is very difficult to prove. If a criminal is declared insane, he is placed in a secure hospital facility for a much longer period of time than he would have spent in prison, that is, in theory.[5]

Legal psychologists, or known as criminal psychologists, make decisions regarding offenders. They see whether these criminals pose a threat to society.

Responsibilities of criminal psychologists

Obraztsov’s book “Forensic Psychology” describes four ways in which a psychologist can act when professionally participating in a criminal trial. Here they are:

Clinical: In this situation, a psychologist is involved in assessing the individual to give a clinical opinion. The psychologist may use assessment instruments, interviews, or psychometric instruments. These assessments can help the police or other comparable organizations determine how to treat the individual. For example, to help determine whether he or she is competent to stand trial or whether the person has a mental illness that relates to whether he or she is unable to understand the proceedings.
Experimental: In this case, the task of the psychologist is to carry out a study. This may include conducting experimental tests to illustrate the point or provide additional information to the courts.
Actuarial: This role involves using statistics to inform a case. For example, a psychologist may be asked to provide the probability of an event occurring, or courts may ask how likely a person is to re-litigate if a conviction is thrown out.
Advisory: Here the psychologist can advise the police on how to proceed with the investigation. For example, how best to interview a person, how best to cross-examine, how an offender will act after committing a crime.

Why do people kill

- To do something bad to another, you need to hate that person. To hurt, stop considering a person as a person. And the killers who kill not out of hatred, but precisely for pleasure - how do they treat their victims?

- Like a bag of money. As in “The Tale of the Troika” by the Strugatskys: “A person is a wineskin with a nutrient mixture.” For a criminal, a person is a wineskin with a nutrient mixture. What desires can a wineskin have? Yes, I'm not interested. You are a punching bag, a wineskin exists to be beaten.

— Does the victim have the opportunity to stop being a “skin”?

“The only way to save yourself when confronted with a criminal is to let him know that you are human, that you are like him.” A friend of mine was saved by simply showing humanity. She worked at the market, thugs came to her, it’s clear why. She looked at one of them and asked: why are you so sad? And his mother is sick, well, my friend talked to him. That's it, no one touched her after that. Although, perhaps, next to this woman there was a neurologist surgeon who could have saved the life of this thug’s mother, but this surgeon’s brothers took him into the forest because for them he was a wineskin.

— Is it really possible to convince a maniac that you are also a human being?

- I don’t know, I didn’t succeed. I talked a lot with serial killers at work. Well, what can I do, I’m a mentally healthy man, if I was some kind of unfulfilled maniac inside, then maybe he would have accepted me. And so - I read in their eyes their desire to feed on my blood. For a maniac, the thrill is in control. For him, murder is like playing the violin. The sound is coming, everyone is trembling. I play on you so that you howl in pain, I like the scale of your pain. I like the way you will gasp, the way you will twitch, I generally control your whole life.

- Can the victim become a killer?

- No. The victim, the real victim, usually feels crushed and depressed throughout life. To get out of this state, you need a specialist.

- But why then do many serial killers have their own cruel history from childhood, many were beaten and raped by their own fathers...

- Yes, sometimes. But if the father mocked the child successfully, the father did not suffer anything for it, and the child saw the joy on the father’s face, then he copied this behavior and said to himself: but I will grow up and be like my dad. This child may grow up to hate his father, may eventually kill him and adopt exactly his behavior. And such a child, despite the violence he experienced, chose not to be a victim, he simply decided to gain strength, wait and become like his rapist.

— Can a maniac experience remorse after a murder?

- No. What pangs of conscience should I feel if I make a hole in the wineskin? The only torment is regret that everything went quickly. The maniac gets a thrill from the fact that he is strangling you. He will let you go, then he will strangle you again.

—There are only a few female maniacs. Does gender influence violence?

- Doesn't have any effect. There are plenty of cruel women. Women beat their own children, or recently there was a story about a nurse who pulled a child by the hair. There are many thieves and fraudsters among women. It seems to me that there are fewer female maniacs only because such crimes still require physical endurance and strength.

- How many people are capable of murder?

- Everyone is capable of murder. War is also murder.

“But even on the battlefield, not everyone is capable of killing...

- Yes, only 30%. There is such a big work in English called “Military Stress”. 30%, in principle, shoot only because there was an order. It's simple. Let's return to the previous thesis. Dehumanization is a prerequisite for murder. The victim does not have to be human. Some kind of bastard, not even an animal, because not everyone can even slaughter a pig. He must be some kind of simple creature that causes disgust and disgust. This is a required component.

— There is an opinion that all serial murders, even if there was no sexual contact, are always about sex.

— I would like it to be like this, it would be easier to perceive reality this way, but no. It is always a feeling of power, acute power. The same as for rockers. When you have an audience screaming and yelling, it’s a thrill. And when it’s silent, damn it, it’s not the audience, it’s some kind of crap. For a maniac, a person should suffer for real, and not die quietly with dignity. Only then does the maniac feel like a good musician.

Profiling

The bulk of criminal psychology, known as criminal profiling, began in the 1940s when the United States Office of Strategic Services asked William L. Langer's brother, renowned psychiatrist Walter C. Langer, to profile Adolf Hitler. After World War II, British psychologist Lionel Howard, while working for the Royal Air Force Police, compiled a list of characteristics that high-ranking war criminals might have to identify them among ordinary captured soldiers and airmen.

Lombroso's contribution

The famous Italian psychologist Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909) is believed to have been one of the first criminologists to attempt to formally classify criminals by age, gender, physical characteristics, education and geographic region. By comparing these similar characteristics, he better understood the origins of motivation for criminal behavior, and in 1876 he published his book Criminal Man.

Lombroso studied 383 Italian prisoners. Based on his research, he suggested that there are three types of criminals. There were natural born criminals who were degenerates and criminally insane and suffered from mental illness. The scientist also found specific physical characteristics: several examples included facial asymmetry, eye defects and features, ears of unusual size, etc.

Features of offenders

The personality traits of offenders can be divided into two large groups:

Features identified in professional criminals. Psychologists call them repeat offenders. This means that the person is accustomed to a dangerous form of behavior. This category of people has persistent criminal and antisocial behavior traits. It usually does not agree with common sense, which leads to uncontrollable actions. Typically, recidivism develops under the influence of psychological abnormalities. This could be addiction to alcohol, drugs, or psychopathy. Criminal associations, which include many repeat offenders, are the most dangerous for society.
Features of subjects who commit careless crimes. Arrogant individuals commit such offenses. With due attention, they could have foreseen the danger to themselves from society, but they ignored it. The peculiarity of their behavior is a defect of perception. The situation is aggravated by overload associated with narcotic effects, alcohol intoxication, and other factors.

Only after conducting a competent psychological analysis can the court make the right verdict.

Further researchers

In the 1950s, American psychiatrist James A. Brussel developed what turned out to be an incredibly accurate profile of the man who terrorized New York City.

There were films based on the fictional works of author Thomas Harris that brought the profession to the public's attention, notably The Headhunter (1986) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991). The most rapid development occurred when the FBI opened its training academy, the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), in Quantico, Virginia.

This led to the creation of the National Violent Crime Analysis Center and the Criminal Apprehension Program. The idea was to create a system that could identify connections between major unsolved crimes.

According to the book Forensic Psychology (V.A. Obraztsova, S.N. Bogomolova), in the United Kingdom, Professor David Kanter was an innovator who helped lead police detectives from the mid-1980s on the trail of a criminal who had committed a series of serious attacks. He and a colleague coined the term "investigative psychology" and tried to approach the subject from what they considered a more scientific point of view.

Classification of lawbreakers

When studying the psychology of the personality of a criminal, it is necessary to understand the classification of offenders. Separation according to signs of antisocial orientation:

A frivolous and irresponsible attitude that manifests itself towards social norms. Manifests itself in careless offenses.
Selfish-private property relations that ignore the right of private property and state property. Manifested by petty thefts, thefts, speculation, bribes.
A negative and dismissive attitude that applies to any person, her life, honor, health, peace, dignity. Manifests itself in bodily harm, murder, hooliganism, insults, and rape.
Individualistic character towards family, civil, and official responsibilities. Manifests itself in the commission of economic offenses.

According to this classification, there are several types of offenders:

Particularly dangerous. They commit dangerous crimes repeatedly.
Unstable. Such people have committed a dangerous crime once and have previously been found to have violated the law.
Random. Subjects who have violated the law for the first time.
Malicious. Previously convicted persons who continue to commit dangerous offenses.
Situational. When committing a crime, the subject was influenced by negative environmental factors and society.

If we talk about criminal activity, then the following types of offenders are distinguished:

Passive asocial. These are individuals who lead a parasitic existence for a long time. They often beg, do not work, and wander. Most of the crimes committed are related to the need to buy alcohol and food for subsistence.
Situational personalities. Their criminal behavior results in a minor danger to society. Such people have a number of psychological characteristics that push them to commit crimes. In addition, they are affected by emerging situations. They often commit crimes that involve financial difficulties.
Unstable personalities. They commit offenses only under bad circumstances in different areas of life. This could be petty theft, hooliganism, robbery, or fights. If you change the living conditions of such a subject, his behavior will improve.
Actively antisocial. These are persistent repeat offenders who constantly break the law. They constantly commit robberies, thefts, assaults, and serious crimes. They often unite in groups that commit mass robberies.

A separate typology concerns speedy offenders. They are divided into several groups:

Maladaptive - persons who have impaired social adaptation. Vagrants who rob to maintain their authority.
Self-affirming individuals are individuals who commit crimes to attract attention, intimidate enemies, and establish themselves.
Alcoholics - commit offenses in order to buy alcohol. These could be fights, petty thefts.
Gamers are people who constantly lack thrills. For them, it is more important to get emotions from the crime committed than to gain.
Family thieves are numerous thieves who rob the state and rich people for the benefit of their own family.

Some offenders combine several aspects, which makes them less predictable.

Essence and prospects

Criminal profiling, also known as criminal profiling, is the process of linking a criminal's actions at a crime scene to his most likely characteristics to help police investigators prioritize the most likely suspects. Profiling is a relatively new and emerging field of forensic psychology, which over the past 20 years has evolved from what was once called an art into a rigorous science. Criminal profiling, which is part of the field of forensic psychology called investigative psychology, is based on increasingly rigorous methodological advances and empirical research.