This book aims to serve as a comprehensive resource for a myriad of crime and mental health topics and issues in the African criminal justice system from a psycho-criminological perspective. Crime, Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System in Africa: A Psycho-Criminological Perspective is an ideal primary text for courses in criminology, criminal justice, and forensic psychology, as well as asource of reference for practitioners who deal with offenders or victims. “For a long time, African historiography has been viewed and interpreted from Eurocentric perspectives. This book is a timely contribution towards infusing Afrocentric perspectives in African scholarship by indigenous scholars. The authors’ interdisciplinary topical approach, covering a gamut of topics ranging from African criminology, through mental health and psychology, to criminal justice systems, has lent a decolonizing voice toward African literary pursuit and thereby laid a solid foundation for further research by other scholars. I highly recommend it to readers, academic institutions and researchers on Africa.” – Emmanuel Onyeozili, Ph.D., Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, USA “This edited volume by an array of experts from West and Southern Africa has given a refreshing voice to psycho-criminological narratives in the continent. In a region of the world in which there is insufficient documentation of the patterns, determinants and outcomes of criminal behaviour, this book offers a culturally competent and contemporary flavour to an ancient discourse. Its focus on new areas of concern such as online dating scams, kidnapping and the mental health of officials in the criminal justice system compellingly captures the potential reader and gives good value for time. It is warmly recommended for its breadth of coverage, the authority of its claims and the multi-disciplinary outlook of its authors.” – Adegboyega Ogunwale, MBBS, FWACP, Consultant Psychiatrist, Forensic Unit, Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Ogun State, Nigeria “This collection represents a significant step in the study of mental health, crime and criminal justice in sub-Saharan Africa. The breadth of topics covered is impressive, with each contribution based on methodologically-sound empirical analyses. It deserves to become a key reference for students, researchers and policy makers interested in suicide, drug use, violence, the work of prison officers, criminal investigations, and police-community interactions.” – Justice Tankebe, Ph.D., Lecturer, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, UK “Mental health and criminal justice issues are growing problems facing the world today. Questions about whether mental health affects crime or whether involvement in the criminal justice system affects an individual’s health have become part of national policy discussion. This nicely written book brings together eminent scholars and experts with extensive experience in their various fields to address these and other questions related to crime, mental health, and criminal justice in Africa. The editors did well to coordinate the efforts of the contributors into a valuable pierce. I highly recommend it for all who are interested in the nexus between crime, mental health, and criminal justice systems.” – Francis D. Boateng, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies, University of Mississippi, USA

This book offers both theoretical and practical examinations of the psycho-criminology of criminal justice in Asia, with particular emphasis on the Hong Kong and Singapore contexts. It is designed to present the current state of the field, which addresses key topics in three major sub-areas – policing and legal system, offender rehabilitation and treatment, and research and future directions. Written by academics with extensive research experience in their respective topics and senior ranking practitioners in their fields, topics include psychologists’ involvement in different aspects of forensic investigation, police emotional reactions to major incidents, the application of psychological approaches in developing offender rehabilitation and treatment modules to address different offender’s criminogenic needs, and legal issues related to the insanity defence, fitness to plead, the jury system, and the procedural justice and legitimacy. An important reference for post-graduate courses, this book will be of special interest to criminologists and psychologists working in forensic settings, mental health professionals, policy-makers, police personnel, prison officials, and legal executives. Chapters include: 1. Youth gang offenders in Singapore 2. Offender rehabilitation: the Hong Kong Correctional Services Department 3. Juries as decision makers in East Asian judicial systems: Hong Kong, the Mainland China, South Korea, and Japan 4. The psychology of violent extremism: what we know and what else we need to do

Criminal psychology is the application of the principles of normal and abnormal psychology to the understanding, prediction, and control of criminal behavior. Criminal Psychology: Nature, Nurture, Culture provides an in-depth yet readable introduction to the foundations of criminal psychology as it is understood and practiced from the classroom to the courtroom. The book is organized into five sections. Part I examines the nature and origins of criminal behavior. These chapters outline the role of psychology in the criminal justice system, and review the biology, psychology, and sociology of crime to develop a naturalistic model of criminal behavior that can guide theory and practice in law enforcement, criminal justice, and forensic evaluation. Part II examines the major classes of mental disorder that may be associated with criminal behavior, including psychotic disorders, mood disorders, organic brain syndromes, substance abuse, and personality disorders. Each chapter consists of a description of the syndrome, followed by applications to law enforcement, criminal justice, and forensic mental health issues of competency, sanity, and criminal culpability. Part III deals with death. Topics include homicide, serial murder, mass homicide, workplace and school violence, and terrorism. Part IV covers sexual offenses and crimes within the family, including rape and sexual assault, sex crimes against children, child battery, domestic violence, and family homicide. Part V discusses the psychological dynamics of a variety of common crimes, such as stalking and harassment, theft and robbery, gang violence, organized crime, arson, hate crimes, victimology, the psychology of corrections, and the death penalty. Each chapter contains explanatory tables and sidebars that illustrate the chapter’s main topic with examples from real-life cases and the media, and explore controversies surrounding particular issues in criminal psychology, such as criminal profiling, sexual predator laws, dealing with children who kill, psychotherapy with incarcerated offenders, and the use of “designer defenses” in court. Grounded in thorough scholarship and written in a crisp, engaging style, this volume is the definitive handbook and reference source for forensic psychologists, mental health practitioners, attorneys, judges, law enforcement professionals, and military personnel. It will also serve as an authoritative core text for courses in forensic psychology, criminology, and criminal justice practice.

Psychological jurisprudence—or the use of psychology in the legal realm—relies on theories and methods of criminal justice and mental health to make decisions about intervention, policy, and programming. While the intentions behind the law-psychology field are humane, the results often are not. This book provides a "radical" agenda for psychological jurisprudence, one that relies on the insights of literary criticism, psychoanalysis, feminist theory, political economy analysis, postmodernism, and related strains of critical thought. Contributors reveal the roots of psycholegal logic and demonstrate how citizen justice and structural reform are displaced by so-called science and facts. A number of complex issues in the law-psychology field are addressed, including forensic mental health decision-making, parricide, competency to stand trial, adolescent identity development, penal punitiveness, and offender rehabilitation. In exploring how the current resolution to these and related controversies fail to promote the dignity or empowerment of persons with mental illness, this book suggests how the law-psychology field can meaningfully contribute to advancing the goals of justice and humanism in psycholegal theory, research, and policy.

"Favored by instructors and students for its real-world focus and engaging style, this authoritative text on the interface of psychology and law has now been revised and expanded. Each chapter provides an overview of case law on an important topic and explores selected cases in depth. Coverage includes psychological and mental health issues in criminal and civil proceedings; the role of practitioners as expert witnesses and forensic consultants; and legal concerns in general clinical practice. Salient legal processes and decisions are summarized and implications for today's clinical and forensic practitioners highlighted. Instructors who request a desk copy receive a supplemental Test Bank with questions keyed to each chapter. Students can access a downloadable Study Guide. New to This Edition *Updated throughout with current research and substantive changes in mental health law. *Chapter on competency in juvenile justice. *Citations of 115 new legal cases. *Conclusion identifying urgent social challenges facing the field. Subject areas/key words: forensic psychology, mental health law, psychology and law, law and behavioral science, legal cases, expert testimony, expert witnesses, case law, legal precedents, forensic mental health, forensic psychological assessments, forensic assessments, forensic psychological evaluations, psychiatric examination, juvenile justice, psychopathy, liability, malpractice, textbooks, casebooks, texts Audience: Students and practitioners in clinical and forensic psychology, psychiatry, and social work; also of interest in criminal justice and criminology"--

This textbook provides an overview for students in Criminology and Criminal Justice about the overlap between the criminal justice system and mental health. It provides an accessible overview of basic signs and symptoms of major mental illnesses and size of scope of justice-involved individuals with mental illness. In the United States, the criminal justice system is often the first public service to be in contact with individuals suffering from mental illness or in mental distress. Those with untreated mental illnesses are often at higher risk for committing criminal acts, yet research on this population continues to shed light on common myths – such a prevailing assumption that those with mental illness tend to commit more violent crimes. Law enforcement agents may be called in as first responders for cases of mental distress; and due to a lack of mental health facilities, resources, and pervasive misconceptions about this population, those with mental illness often end up in the corrections system. In this environment, students in Criminology and Criminal Justice are likely to encounter those with mental illness in their future career paths, and need to be prepared for this reality. This timely work covers the roles of each part of the criminal justice system interacting with mentally ill individuals, from law enforcement and first responders, social services, public health services, sentencing and corrections, to release and re-entry. It also covers the crucial topic of mental health for criminal justice professionals, who suffer from high rates of job stress, PTSD, and other mental health issues. The final section of the book includes suggestions for future research. This work will be of interest to students of criminology and criminal justice with an interest in working in the professional sector, as well as those in related fields of sociology, psychology, and public health. It will also be of interest to policy-makers and practitioners already working in the field. The overall goal of this work is to inform, educate, and inspire change.