Criminal Behavior: A Psychosocial Approach

This book examines the causes, classification, prediction, prevention intervention, and treatment of criminal behavior from a social psychological perspective. It presents the criminal offender as existing on a continuum, ranging from the serious, repetitive offender who begins his/her criminal career at a very young age to the adolescent-limited offender who usually begins offending during adolescence. Chapter topics feature up-to-date discussions on terrorism, juvenile psychopathy, sexual predators, drugs and crime, prostitution, correctional classification, correctional treatment, risk factors for delinquency, corporate and occupational crime, and cyber crime. For any professional in criminal justice— probation officers; juvenile detention workers, victim advocates, caseworkers in corrections, etc.; and any mental health worker working with juveniles, criminal suspects, defendants, or offenders—correctional psychologists, forensic psychologists, police psychologists, and school counselors and administrators.

Criminal Behavior: A Psychosocial Approach, Seventh Edition presents a critical and interdisciplinary look at criminals and crime, challenging students to look beyond over-simplified or prejudicial conclusions about the "crime problem." The book considers the behavioral, emotional and cognitive aspects of criminals, looks at specific criminal offenses, and explores the causes, classification, prediction, intervention and treatment of criminal behavior.

• Greatly expanded and reorganized coverage of criminal profiling
• More information about careers in forensic psychology and correctional psychology
• Updated chapters on the psychopath, juvenile delinquency, the mentally disordered offender, and correctional psychology
• An updated chapter on drugs and crime that reflects the latest drug abuse research
• Expanded coverage of: crime scene analysis, cyber crime, the effects of the mass media on aggression, crime & physical anomalies, gender differences in aggression, infanticide, and robbery
• Numerous new tables, figures, charts, and other in-text learning aids