Law and Psychology have a very interesting intersection. This course approaches real-world legal issues exploring their social and psychological causes. The course has been designed to help connect theoretical and conceptual ideas using real-life examples and case studies. Through various theories and experiments, giving practical examples, it deals with issues of mental health, investigation and rehabilitation in the criminal justice system.

Course Details:

• Level - Beginner
• Total no. of videos - 45
• Total no. of assignments - 45

WHY TAKE THIS COURSE?

Often, due to common misconceptions, it is presumed that certain criminal tendencies such as psychopathy only arise due to mental illnesses. In many instances, lawyers may try to wrongfully prove their clients’ innocence by taking the false plea of mental illness or insanity. In other cases, the prosecution, judges and the police may not be trained and sensitised to issues of mental illness. Issues of mental illnesses are also commonly shrouded in confusion by laypeople. Further, the use of psychological methods and tools such as narco analysis is a matter of debate due to ethical issues.

Keeping this in mind, this course will try to help dissolve and resolve such confusions. It will further help sensitise people working as part of the criminal justice system to these issues. Understanding criminal psychology, why people behave the way they do, how they can be helped, what to do and not do during a criminal investigation, how to conduct yourself and deal with issues of trauma and mental stress or help victims of trauma are some of the issues dealt with.

This course will help anyone interested in pursuing a career in and working as part of the criminal justice system; be that students, law professionals, criminologists, psychologists, the police, therapists, counsellors, teachers, media persons as well as researchers.

Instructors

SRAMANA MAJUMDAR

Dr Sramana Majumdar teaches Psychology at Ashoka University. She completed her PhD from the Department of Psychology, Jamia Millia Islamia. Her expertise is in the areas of social psychology, cultural and critical psychology, intergroup relations and legal psychology. She has delivered several lectures on legal psychology, social and political psychology, peace and conflict etc. and has also headed various projects on psychometric assessments for aptitude and personality evaluation.

• 1. Introduction
  • 1.1 Welcome
  • 1.2 Introducing psychology
  • 1.3 Criminal/forensic/legal psychology: Are they the same?
  • 1.4 Exercises

2. Early theories and biological explanations of crime

• • 2.1 Introduction
  • 2.2 Early theories
  • 2.3 Biological theories of crime
  • 2.4 Exercises

3. Psychological theories

• • 3.1 Freud and the Psychoanalytic School
  • 3.2 Moral development and criminal behaviour
  • 3.3 Psychoticism and psychopathy
  • 3.4 Exercises

4. Social and social psychological explanations of criminal behaviour

• • 4.1 Introduction
  • 4.2 Social learning theory
  • 4.3 Positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and punishment
  • 4.4 Sutherland’s Theory of Differential Association
  • 4.5 Parenting and parenting styles
  • 4.6 Social-psychological processes and large-scale criminal behaviour
  • 4.7 Exercises

5. Psychological illness and criminal behaviour

• • 5.1 Mood disorders and substance abuse
  • 5.2 Sexual disorders
  • 5.3 Schizophrenia
  • 5.4 Dissociative disorders
  • 5.5 Criminal psychopathy: Sensationalism, myth and reality
  • 5.6 Exercises

6. Psychology in investigation

• • 6.1 Criminal/offender profiling
  • 6.2 Advantages and disadvantages of criminal profiling
  • 6.3 Exercise question: Criminal profiling
  • 6.4 Exercise answer: Criminal profiling
  • 6.5 Polygraph
  • 6.6 Narco analysis and brain mapping
  • 6.7 Application of narco analysis, polygraph and brain mapping in real world cases
  • 6.8 Ethical issues and controversies
  • 6.9 Special focus: Police psychology
  • 6.10 Exercises

7. Application of psychology in court proceedings

• • 7.1 Introduction
  • 7.2 Courtroom tactics of lawyers
  • 7.3 Competency to stand trial and insanity claim
  • 7.4 Exercises

8. False memory and eyewitness testimony

• • 8.1 Introduction
  • 8.2 Errors in memory
  • 8.3 Trauma and emotional influence on memories
  • 8.4 Bias
  • 8.5 Witness assistance and protection
  • 8.6 Exercises

9. Application of psychology in punishment and rehabilitation

• • 9.1 Application of psychology in punishment and rehabilitation
  • 9.2 Why rehabilitation? Debates and developments
  • 9.3 Psychological intervention in prisons and its limitations
  • 9.4 Special focus: Juvenile delinquency
  • 9.5 Psychological assistance and support to victims of crime
  • 9.6 Psychological assistance and support cases
  • 9.7 Exercises

10. Concluding thoughts

• • 10.1 Concluding thoughts