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The Criminal Mind

What's it all about?

The criminal mind is a combination of psychology and law that focuses on the nature of crime and why it occurs, how it is perceived and how the criminal justice system and society responds to crime and deviancy.

What type of things will I do?

During this elective, you will:

  • Examine interesting case studies.

  • Critique approaches to understanding criminal behaviour..

  • Explore contemporary global and national issues.

  • Analyse the criminal justice system.

  • Compare responses to crime across time and place.

  • Create a policy brief about an authentic issue of your choosing.

What will I learn?

Students will learn about:

  • Theories of crime and deviancy.

  • The biology of the brain.

  • The interaction between biology and the environment.

  • How the criminal justice system responds to crime.

  • Inequalities in criminal justice and the media.

  • How to critically interpret crime data and statistics.

TOPIC 1

Nature vs Nurture.

  • Why do people commit crimes?

  • Biology of the brain.

  • Sociopaths and empathy.

  • Moral development.

TOPIC 2

Punishment and Policing

  • Responses to crime.

  • Purposes of sentencing.

  • Institutionalization and recidivism.

  • Punishment vs Rehabilitation.

TOPIC 3

Social Factors

  • Institutionalised racism and vulnerable groups.

  • Youth crime and delinquency

  • Intergenerational trauma.

TOPIC 4

Personal Inquiry

  • Personal inquiry into a criminological issue.

  • Students will research a topic and create a policy brief that will outline a problem, critique current approaches/policy and recommend evidence based solutions to the issue.

What can this lead to?

University and TAFE courses in:Criminology, Policing, Surveillance, Corrections, Social work, Law, Psychology, Forensics and Biology.

POSSIBLE PATHWAY 

YEAR                               COURSES OFFERED 

YEAR 10                            The Criminal Mind

YEAR 11         Legal studies, Psychology, Biology. 

YEAR 12              Legal studies, Psychology, Biology. 


Why choose this subject?

Choose this subject if you are interested in learning about:

  • Authentic real-world issues.

  • The criminal justice system.

  • Psychology.

  • Human nature.

  • Biology.

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