1.

The Criminal Mind

Learning Intention: To understand crime and
deviancy.

Success Criteria:
• Identify prior knowledge
• Define crime and deviancy
Why did you
choose
The Criminal
Mind?
 What to Expect:
Unit 1:
Nature vs Nurture
Week 1: Crime and deviancy.
Week 2: Nature vs nurture.
Week 3: The morality of crime.
Week 4: Risk and protective factors.
Unit 3:
Inequalities of Criminal Justice
Week 9: Limitations of criminal justice.
Week 10: Intergenerational trauma.
Week 11: Youth crime.
Week 12: Moral panic and the media.
Unit 2:
Crime and Punishment
Week 5: Crime and punishment.
Week 6: Prisons.
Week 7: Crime prevention.
Week 8: Alternatives to sentencing.
Unit 4:
Personal Inquiry
Weeks 13 – 16: Personal Inquiry.
(Demonstrate your knowledge of crime and
criminal justice by creating an authentic
policy report on an issue of your choice).
What do you already know?

Your task: Illicit drugs

Let’s see what you know about crime and Street crime
criminal justice. Write down your thoughts about
the following concepts in your book.
Crime
HINT: Use definitions, examples, related words or
other things that come to mind. Organised Behaviour
crime that is
against the
Theft, law
assault,
smuggling
 Share
What did you already know?
What is crime?
Crime: Although there is no single agreed upon definition of crime, crime typically refers to
behaviour that has been deemed by society to be dangerous or harmful and which is
punished under criminal law.

Behaviours that are seen as socially unacceptable but not illegal (against the law) are
refer to as deviant rather than criminal as these ‘deviate’ from social norms.

Key Terms
When you see a Key Term, add a description in your
writing book. Make sure to paraphrase and add
examples where possible.
Crime or Not?

Criminal Behaviour Deviant Behaviour

Examples of criminal behaviour: Examples of deviant behaviour:
 Exit Ticket
Learning Intention: To understand crime and deviancy.

Success Criteria:
• Identify prior knowledge.
• Define crime and deviancy.

Task: to complete the lesson, respond to one of the questions below.

1. Prior Knowledge 2. Something New 3. Apply

What did you already know What is one new thing that you Why do you think deviant
about the topic? learned today? behaviours are not illegal?
2. Theories of Crime and Deviancy
Learning Intention: To understand theories of
crime and deviancy.

Success Criteria:
• Identify and describe theories of crime.
• Explain the purpose of theory.
 What causes
people to
commit crime?
 Key Term

Theories of Crime
Criminological theories attempt to understand, explain and predict criminal behaviour. By
understanding why people commit crimes, we can better respond to and prevent behaviour
that causes harm. There are three main branches of criminological theory:

Biological Theories Sociological Theories Psychological Theories

Crime is caused by the body’s Crime is normal response to Crime is the result of a
physical features. the social structure of society person’s personality and the
interaction between biology
and experience.
 Key Term
Biological Theories
One of the earliest biological explanations of criminal behaviour came from an Italian criminologist
by the name of Cesare Lombroso. Lombroso proposed that criminal behaviour was inherited and
that ‘born criminals’ could be identified by their physical
features.

For example, a thief could be identified by their small hands

and wandering eyes, whilst a murderer was likely to have a
hooked nose and a cold stare.

Criminals possess ‘atavistic’ or primitive features and were

believed to be less evolved that ordinary law-abiding people.

Task: Take note of the key terms and try and list several
other atavistic features.
Any lefthanders in the
room?
What are your thoughts regarding the born criminal?
The Usefulness of Theory
Lombroso found evidence for his theory of born criminal by studying the
physical features (including the shape of the skull) of over 4,000 living
and deceased offenders.

Although his theory is highly problematic today, he is considered the

father of modern criminology due to his scientific study of criminal
behaviour.

Lombroso rejected the established beliefs that criminal behaviour was

simply human nature or the work of the Gods, but a rational thing that
could be studied, understood and prevented.
 Critiquing Theory
Task: Demonstrate your understanding by answering the following questions.

1. What does Lombroso mean by a ‘born criminal’?

2. Does Lombroso’s theory take into consideration individual differences and free will? Why?

3. Why is Lombroso considered the father of Criminology?

EXTENSION:
4. Why do you think Lombroso’s theory is highly problematic today?
 Exit Ticket
Learning Intention: To understand theories of crime and deviancy.

Success Criteria:
• Identify and describe theories of crime.
• Explain the purpose of theory.

Task: to complete the lesson, respond to one of the questions below.

1. Prior Knowledge 2. Something New 3. Apply

Have you heard of these What surprised you in today’s How would people react today
theories before? lesson? if atavism was proposed?
3. Sociological Theories
Learning Intention: To understand theories of
crime and deviancy.

Success Criteria:
• Describe sociological theories of crime.
• Identify and describe anomie, neutralisation and differential association.
What is society?
And what does it have to do
with crime?
 Key Term
Sociological Theories
Sociological theories of crime propose that crime is a normal response to the social structure of
society. Societal conditions, such as inequality, socio-economic status, living conditions and the
people you associate with all contribute to criminal behaviour.
Sociological Theories
Here are just three sociological theories of crime that we will explore this lesson. Make sure to stay
critical as we learn about this explanations of criminal behaviour and human nature.

Anomie
People resort to crime when they cannot achieve
their goals through socially acceptable means.

Deferential association
Criminal behaviour is a learned behaviour and is
influenced by others.

Neutralisation theory
People believe in societal values and law but
justify their behaviour to make it acceptable.
 Key Term
Task: Expert Groups
Your task for the remainder of the lesson will be to work in small groups to research one of
the following sociological explanations of crime. You will need to:
1. Group up with up to four people.
2. Select a theory to research.
3. Record your findings and describe the theory.
4. Report your findings and explain the theory to the other groups.
5. Record and describe the other two theories by listening to the other groups.

Differential
Anomie Association Neutralisation
Crime to achieve goals. Crime is learned. Crime is justified.
Expert Groups
Share your findings
Learn from your classmates
Take notes
Which theory is best?
Task: Although we have only scratched the surface biological and sociological theories,
respond to the following questions about criminological theories.

1. Theories are always being developed, refined and replaced. Why is that?

2. Of the theories covered so far, which best fits your understanding of crime and deviancy?
Why?

3. What are the limitations of your theory (what is it missing)?

 Exit Ticket
Learning Intention: To understand theories of crime and deviancy.

Success Criteria:
• Describe psychological theories of crime.
• Identify and apply psychodynamic and behaviourist theories of crime

Task: to complete the lesson, respond to one of the questions below.

1. Prior Knowledge 2. Something New 3. Apply

What did you already know What key term did you learn? Do you belive that people have
about these theories? free will?
4. Psychological Theories
Learning Intention: To understand theories of
crime and deviancy.

Success Criteria:
• Describe psychological theories of crime.
• Identify and apply psychodynamic theory
 What is
personality?
 Key Term
Psychological Theories
Psychological theories are a blend of biological and sociological perspectives that propose
that crime is the result of a person’s personality.

Personality refers to a person’s unique way of thinking and distinct character. Personality
develops over time due to the interaction of both biology and social experiences.
 Key Term
Psychodynamic Theory
Psychodynamic theory was proposed by Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939). Freud argued that
people are driven by primal desires and unconscious urges. These are represented by three
driving forces with competing priorities.

id ego super ego

The need for gratification The rational part of The need to conform to
(satisfaction). personality that tries to moral and ethical codes
achive balance between taught by parents and
the id and super ego. society.
 Key Term
Unconscious Desires.
According to psychoanalytic theory, much
of our behaviour is driven by unconscious
urges.

Unlike the preconscious, which we use to

access memories, the unconscious
cannot be accessed, but can still affect
our emotions and behaviour.

Although the desires of the id are

unconscious, they drive behaviour through
strong emotions and desires.
 The Psychoanalytic Theory of Crime?
According to Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, criminal behaviour would be the consequence of
conflict between the id’s need of gratification and the super ego’s need to obey the rules. The ego
could resolve this conflict by turning to crime.

Freud believed that childhood experiences

were key to the development of these driving
forces as early issues could disrupt personality
development and disrupt the balance.

For example, children with neglectful parents

may fail to develop a sense of right and wrong
or suppress an unconscious urge to hurt others
if hurt themselves.
“The ego is not master in
its own house.”
What is meant by this quote by Sigmund Freud?
Check Your Understanding
TASK: Your task is to write down and explain the Psychoanalytic theory of crime. Your
explanation must include the following key terms:
● Id
● Ego
● Super Ego
● Unconscious

Extension:
● Explain why someone might resort to stealing according to psychoanalytic theory.
 Exit Ticket
Learning Intention: To understand theories of crime and deviancy.

Success Criteria:
• Describe psychological theories of crime.
• Describe and apply psychoanalytic theory.

Task: to complete the lesson, respond to one of the questions below.

1. Prior Knowledge 2. Something New 3. Apply

Did you already know any key What is something interesting Is this theory a good
terms? you learned today? explaination of all crimes?
5. Psychological Theories
Learning Intention: To understand theories of
crime and deviancy.

Success Criteria:
• Describe psychological theories of crime.
• Identify and apply behaviourist theory.
 How does this
sound make you
feel?
 Key Term
Behaviourism
Behaviourism was coined by B.F. Skinner (1904- 1990), who believed that all human
behaviour is caused by the environment and could be explained in terms of:

• Antecedents: environmental factor or stimulus that leads to behaviours.

• Behaviours: action performed by the individual.
• Consequences: reinforcement or punishment following the behaviour.

Skinner simplified human behaviour by focusing only on what he could observe, not the inner
workings of the mind or the genetic make-up of a person.

TASK: Describe behaviourism and prepare

to apply it to the clip on the following
slide.
“The ego is not master in
its own house.”
What is meant by this quote by Sigmund Freud?
 What is the
similarity
between a
pigeon and a
gambler?
 TASK: The ABCs of Crime
There has been an armed robbery at a
convenience store.
A: It was 2am in the morning, dark, isolated and
only one person working.
B: A person demanded money from the cashier
and threatened with a weapon.
C: They narrowly escaped after the cashier
refused and set off the alarm.
Would this increase or decrease the behaviour?
TASK: Read the example provided and work with a
partner to:
1. Create a scenario where a person has
committed a crime (Behaviour).
2. Describe what lead up to the crime
(Antecedents).
3. Explain the effects of the crime
(consequences) and how this influences the
behaviour.
Extension:
4. According to Behaviourism, how could this
crime affect the behaviour of others? This
could be the victim, witnesses, policy,
justice system…
 Exit Ticket
Learning Intention: To understand theories of crime and deviancy.

Success Criteria:
• Describe psychological theories of crime.
• Identify and apply behaviourist theory.

Task: to complete the lesson, respond to one of the questions below.

1. Prior Knowledge 2. Something New 3. Be Critical

Have you heard about What key term did you learn? Can you see any limitations of
conditioning before? behaviourist theory?