Criminal Psychology

eLearning course with Tutor Support accredited by ABC Awards

Students have 6 months to work at their own pace and can start at any time of year

Tutor-supported
eLearning course with Tutor Support.

Certificate
Leads to an endorsed award.

Flexible
Start any time and work at your own pace.

Learn anywhere
Learn anytime, anywhere.

Criminal Psychology

€455

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Course Details

This Criminal Psychology course is designed for anyone interested in the psychology of crime and learning more about the use of psychology in crime, its detection and prevention. The course will enable learners to (1) recognise how different research methods can help us research criminal behaviours, (2) understand how psychology can help us to understand why some people turn to crime, (3) appreciate how criminal psychology can be useful to criminal investigations, (4) understand how criminal psychology can be useful in prosecutions, and (5) recognise how criminal psychology can be help convicted criminals.

Your Tutor will support you throughout the duration of the course. You complete the course by undertaking activities and assignments. Our student support team are also available for any other queries that you may have whilst completing your course. You can be assured that support is available for your course, so there is no need to struggle or feel isolated during your studies.

By choosing to study this course with CMIT, Students have 24×7 access to CMIT eLearning for the duration of the course. This includes a comprehensive Course Manual, Video, Quizzes and personalised Tutor Support. The course documentation for this course is detailed and easy to read. You will also be able to upload assessments online and receive online feedback. You can use the eLearning system from any computer that has internet access.

Who should complete this Criminal Psychology Course?
  • Criminology Enthusiasts: Individuals with an interest in criminology can gain valuable insights into the psychology of crime, its causes, and prevention, enhancing their understanding of criminal behaviours.
  • Law Enforcement Personnel: Members of the Gardai Siochana or similar law enforcement agencies can benefit from learning about the roles and scope of criminal psychologists, aiding in criminal investigations and understanding criminal behaviours.
  • Security and Crime Prevention Professionals: Those working in security and crime prevention can apply the knowledge gained in criminal psychology to enhance their crime prevention strategies and understand the motivations behind criminal actions.
  • Psychological Researchers: The course is beneficial for researchers interested in exploring criminal behaviours using scientific methods, ethical considerations in research, and different theories of criminality.
  • Legal Professionals: Individuals in the legal profession, including lawyers and legal consultants, can use the course to understand the psychological aspects involved in criminal behaviours, which can be useful in prosecutions and legal case formulations.
Entry Requirements / Prerequisites

How CMIT eLearning Works…

Play
Topics covered in this Criminal Psychology Course
Unit 1 Introduction
  • Course objectives
  • Definitions
  • The scope the criminal psychologist
  • Roles of the criminal psychologist
Unit 2 Researching criminal behaviours
  • Researching criminal behaviours using the scientific method
  • Ethical considerations of psychological research
  • Designing a research study/experiment
  • Reporting the results
  • The usefulness of psychological research
Unit 3 How criminal psychology can be used to understand crime
  • How criminal psychological is used to understand crime
  • The major perspectives that try to explain the causes of criminal behaviour
  • Biological/physiological theories of criminality
  • Cognitions theories of criminality
  • Behavioural theories of criminality
  • Developmental theories of criminality
Unit 4 How criminal psychology can be used in criminal investigations
  • How criminal psychological is used to investigate a crime
  • Investigating a crime
  • Reliability of the witness
  • Interviewing witnesses
  • Interviewing suspects
  • Offender-profiling
  • Geographic profiling
Unit 5 How criminal psychology can be used in prosecutions
  • Introduction
  • Courtroom procedures
  • How witnesses can affect a jury’s decision
  • How child witnesses can affect a jury’s decision
  • How expert witnesses can affect a jury’s decision
  • How the judicial system can affect a jury’s decision
  • How the juror reaches a decision
  • Research associated with group decision making
  • Group behaviour
Unit 6 How criminal psychology can be used on convicted criminals
  • Introduction
  • The history of punishments
  • The range of punishments
  • Imprisonment
  • Coping strategies
  • Support available in prisons
  • Alternatives to imprisonment
  • Rehabilitating prisoners
  • Offending behaviour programmes in the UK
  • Offending behaviour programmes in Ireland
Assessment
  • This course is assessed through a series of tutor-marked assignments. There is no exam for this course.
Accreditation
  • This course has been endorsed by ABC Awards and Certa Awards. The Quality Licence Scheme endorses high-quality, non-regulated provision and training programmes.  This course and/or training programme is not regulated by Ofqual and is not an accredited qualification. CMIT can advise you on any further recognition, for example, progression routes into further and/or higher education.
  • A QLS award at level 3 is roughly equivalent to a Level 5 on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications.
  • More information can be found on the CMIT Accreditation Details page.

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Student Reviews of this course

4.9
4.9 out of 5 stars (based on 17 reviews)
Excellent88%
Very good12%
Average0%
Poor0%
Terrible0%

No Title

May 27, 2025

Interesting topics explained in a way that makes it mostly easy to comprehend. Good explanations on feedback from my tutor regarding the assignments.

Student May 2025

I found the course very interesting.

July 25, 2024

I found the course very interesting.

Student July 2024
Verified

I found the course very interesting and learned new things

July 4, 2024

I found the course very interesting and learned new things

Student July 2024
Verified

I really enjoyed it.

February 15, 2023

I really enjoyed it.

Student February 2023
Verified

Very interesting and enjoyable

February 8, 2023

Very interesting and enjoyable

Student February 2023
Verified

Very interesting content.

December 12, 2022

Very interesting content.

Student December 2022
Verified

So far enjoying it, the staff are very helpful and the courses are very informative so I’m enjoying doing the learning.

April 22, 2022

So far enjoying it, the staff are very helpful and the courses are very informative so I’m enjoying doing the learning.

Student April 2022
Verified

The course was really good.

February 2, 2022

The course was really good.

Student February 2022
Verified

Very interesting. Easy to follow and the assessments are easy to complete

January 6, 2022

Very interesting. Easy to follow and the assessments are easy to complete

Student January 2022
Verified

Course was easy to understand

October 18, 2021

Course was easy to understand

Student September 2021
Verified

It's a brilliant course , very informative for someone who wants to learn more about this topic.

October 7, 2019

It’s a brilliant course , very informative for someone who wants to learn more about this topic.

Student October 2019
Verified

Overall the course was interesting and very informative.

September 24, 2019

Overall the course was interesting and very informative.

Student September 2019
Verified

The course was interesting and easy to understand.

May 16, 2017

The course was interesting and easy to understand.

Student May 2017
Verified

I enjoyed the course content and found the assignments very interesting.

April 16, 2017

I enjoyed the course content and found the assignments very interesting.

Student April 2017
Verified

On-line learning is appropriate for my circumstances; CMIT is an Irish organization, I believe in supporting Irish products; I enjoyed my previous course with CMIT.

February 16, 2017

On-line learning is appropriate for my circumstances; CMIT is an Irish organization, I believe in supporting Irish products; I enjoyed my previous course with CMIT.

Student February 2017
Verified

The courses appear to be versatile and interesting. The flexibility of assignments and learning at my own pace was a huge attraction, as was the competitive price point. I got two courses for a price that was still lower than other comparable institutions charge for one. It was very interesting. I commend the organisers for a varied and stimulating content.

February 16, 2017

The courses appear to be versatile and interesting. The flexibility of assignments and learning at my own pace was a huge attraction, as was the competitive price point. I got two courses for a price that was still lower than other comparable institutions charge for one. It was very interesting. I commend the organisers for a varied and stimulating content.

Student February 2017
Verified

I had a long term interest in the content and I took on the course as part of a job application. The pricing was competitive compared with elsewhere and the flexibility was essential to my needs.

December 16, 2016

I had a long term interest in the content and I took on the course as part of a job application. The pricing was competitive compared with elsewhere and the flexibility was essential to my needs.

Student December 2016
Verified

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