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
1Psychology and Crime
2Research Methods in Forensic Psychology
Section 2 Psychological Explanations of Crime
3Psychological Explanations of Crime
4Who Commits Crime? The Criminal Mind
5Juvenile Criminals
Section 3 Psychological Explanations of Specific Crime Types
6The Psychology of Homicide
7The Psychology of Terrorism
8Crimes of a Sexual Nature
9Stalking and Harassment
10Intimate Relationship Aggression: Domestic Violence and Domestic Homicide
11The Psychology of Firesetting
12The Psychology of Theft, Robbery, and Burglary
13The Psychology of Economic Crime
Section 4 Psychology in Detection and Investigation
14Psychology in the Investigation of Crime
15Psychology in the Police Station 1: Victims and Witnesses
16Psychology in the Police Station 2: Investigative Interviews and the Psychology of False Confession
Section 5 Psychology in the Court Room
17Psychology in Court 1: Procedures and Evidence
18Psychology in Court 2: The Defendant’s Mind
19Psychology in Court 3: The Mind of the Jury
Section 6 Psychology in Prison
20Punishment, Rehabilitation, and Psychology
21Adjustment to Prison Life: Mental Disorder, Life Imprisonment, and Death Row