Criminological and Forensic Psychology

Helen Gavin was, before retiring in 2023, Subject Lead in Criminal Psychology at the University of Huddersfield, having previously been Head of Psychology at two universities. She taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses in this area, and now carries out research that focuses on deviant and homicidal sexual expression. She is currently collaborating with researchers and practitioners across the UK and in the USA, concerned with projects in female aggression, non-apprehended offenders, and issues concerning policing. She has supervised a number of research students, some of whom have investigated female aggression and psychopathy, the effect of childhood abuse, witchcraft and child homicide, sexual assault in hidden populations, traumatic incidents experienced by police officers, characteristics of homicide, sexual deviancy and disgust responses, and incarcerated sex offenders. Previous books include Women and the Abuse of Power (Emerald), Understanding Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology (Sage), The Essence of Cognitive Psychology (Prentice-Hall), and Sex Drugs and Rock & Roll: Psychological, Legal, and Cultural Examinations of Sex and Sexuality (ID-Net Press). She has also contributed chapters to over a dozen edited books, and published widely in forensic and medical journals. Helen feels that studying criminal psychology can make one lose a sense of perspective, so she also studies cultural issues such as music and fairy tales, both of which, she has discovered, have a dark side.

Section 1: Defining Criminological and Forensic Psychology
Chapter 1: Defining Forensic Psychology
Chapter 2: Research Methods in Forensic Psychology
Section 2: Psychological Explanations of Crime
Chapter 3: Psychological Approaches to Understanding Crime
Chapter 4: Who Commits Crime? The Criminal Mind
Chapter 5: Juvenile Criminals
Section 3: Psychological Explanations of Specific Crime Types
Chapter 6: The Psychology of Homicide
Chapter 7: The Psychology of Terrorism
Chapter 8: Crimes of a Sexual Nature
Chapter 9: Intimate Relationship Aggression: Domestic Violence and Domestic Homicide
Chapter 10: The Psychology of Firesetting
Chapter 11: The Psychology of Theft, Robbery, and Burglary
Chapter 12: The Psychology of Economic Crime
Section 4: Psychology in Detection and Investigation
Chapter 13: Psychology in the Investigation of Crime
Chapter 14: Psychology in the Police Station 1: Victims and Witnesses
Chapter 15: Psychology in the Police Station 2: Investigative Interviews and the Psychology of False Confession
Section 5: Psychology in the Court Room
Chapter 16: Psychology in Court 1: Procedures and Evidence
Chapter 17: Psychology in Court 2: The Defendant’s Mind
Chapter 18: Psychology in Court 3: The Mind of the Jury
Section 6: Psychology in Prison
Chapter 19: Punishment, Rehabilitation, and Psychology
Chapter 20: Adjustment to Prison Life: Mental Disorder, Life Imprisonment, and Death Row