Crime in a Psychological Context
From Career Criminals to Criminal Careers
- Glenn D. Walters - Kutztown University, USA
• Begins with a clinical case study that is periodically referenced throughout the chapter to illustrate and illuminate the context being discussed
• examines the latent structure of crime-related constructs such as psychopathy, antisocial personality disorder, and criminal lifestyle
• explores evidence-based interventions that could prevent further crime
• offers a view of the phenomenological world of the criminal offender to help students further understand the nature of crime.
The book is well structured to provide the reader with illustrative examples of the application of psychological theory to the field of psychology and law and clear intersects the two disciplines.
A bit too narrow for my course.
An excellent resource
I personally felt that this book attempted to cover too much ground, and as a result was lacking in depth and clarity on a lot of the topics covered. As a result, I felt that it was limited as a text for a post-graduate level course. I would suggest that it may be more appropriate for readers wishing to obtain a general overview of the area...
The sub-title of this book really sums up its underlying aim, which is to examine the possibility of a rapprochement of the two constructs of a career criminal and a criminal career.
Each chapter builds on those preceding and leads us from the layman's condemnation of the criminal as 'crazy' or 'evil' towards an understanding of criminal behaviour, within the important context of understanding being entirely separate from acceptance or forgiveness.
Each of the ten chapters opens with a case study that informs and contextualises the theories that follow, which lead us to question the response that we have almost invariably had to the reading of the case-study.
This challenges the reader's judgmental stance and makes for a powerful learning experience.
Excellent text providing a logical structure and a wide range of topics.
An informative and comprehensive textbook. I particularly like the use of chapter opening cases
It contains a lot of useful and relevant information, and I highly recommend it to both my 2nd and 3rd year undergraduates.
I have used this book myself whilst completing the 3rd year of a BA (Hons) in Criminal Justice Studies and found it very beneficial. It would be a good 'added extra' for students reading lists.
This is a very easy to read book and the students all found it useful.
An overall excellent book, and a perfect complement for this course. In-depth and comprehensive, yet accessible for undergraduate students, it allows for a better understanding of criminal careers, and criminal behavior in general.
