SOC 3566 - Society and the Criminal Mind

This course will explore the etiology, development, and current practice of the criminal thinking approach. The course will begin with a brief overview of sociological and criminological theory as it relates to the criminal thinking perspective. The origin of this approach will be traced through the works of early contributors to the criminal thinking perspective. Specific criminal thinking patterns and errors will be discussed in accordance with the works of Samenow and Yochelson (The Criminal Personality, Vols I, II and III). More contemporary applications of the criminal thinking approach will be addressed in the context of the "Psychology of Criminal Conduct" perspective as detailed in the theories of Canadian criminologists James Bonta and Don Andrews.