Criminal Psychology

• Course Fee: €455 (total cost including all fees)
• 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
• Click here to Enrol for this course online now
• Click here to Request a Prospectus

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?

• Anyone interested in criminology and learning more about crime and its causes.
• Members of the Gardai Siochana or support services.
• People who work in the security and crime prevention industry.
• Those involved in working with young people in supporting youth crime prevention.

Entry Requirements / Prerequisites

• None.
• For technical requirements required to access CMIT eLearning click here>
• For more details on the suitability of this course click here>

How CMIT eLearning Works…

Topics covered in this Criminal Psychology Course

Unit 1 Introduction

• Course objectives
• 2 Definitions
• 3 The scope the criminal psychologist
• 4 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.
• Click here for Accreditation Details

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