The Role of Criminal Psychology in Crime Prevention and Justice Delivery

• Author(s): Kusum Sharma; Dr. Sunil Dutt Chaturvedi
• Paper ID: 1719562
• Page: 555-568
• Published Date: 07-07-2026
• Published In: Iconic Research And Engineering Journals
• Publisher: IRE Journals
• e-ISSN: 2456-8880
• Volume/Issue: Volume 10 Issue 1 July-2026

Abstract

When it comes to the law, crime has not ever been legal. All offenses have a mind in them that thought or felt or has otherwise failed to function properly to commit the offense, and all reactions to the offense have a system of investigators and lawyers and judges and correctional officers trying to decipher that mind. The area in which criminal psychology falls lies between these two realities. It considers the nature of offending, their thinking and how to use their thinking to help prevent offending and to serve them and the wider community justice. This paper discusses the development of the discipline from the "positivist" criminology of the 19th century to the present day of neuroscience and AI-based risk assessment tools, and how these tools are applied in four areas: criminal investigation and profiling; risk assessment and prevention; courtroom and sentencing decisions; and offender rehabilitation. Recommends changing the approach to justice from one of merely "what" to "who" and "why" and cautions, yet, that criminal psychological tools are probabilistic, culturally specific, and can be misused if not used with safeguards. It concludes with an examination of the Indian criminal justice system, where forensic psychology is slowly becoming institutionalized, and suggestions for its further institutionalization, strengthening and ethical incorporation into police, judicial and corrections systems.

Keywords

Criminal Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Crime Prevention, Offender Profiling, Risk Assessment, Rehabilitation, Restorative Justice, Criminal Responsibility, Juvenile Justice, Recidivism.

Citations

IRE Journals:
Kusum Sharma, Dr. Sunil Dutt Chaturvedi "The Role of Criminal Psychology in Crime Prevention and Justice Delivery" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 10 Issue 1 2026 Page 555-568

IEEE:
Kusum Sharma, Dr. Sunil Dutt Chaturvedi "The Role of Criminal Psychology in Crime Prevention and Justice Delivery" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, vol. 10, no. 1, Jul. 2026

APA:
Kusum Sharma, Dr. Sunil Dutt Chaturvedi (2026). The Role of Criminal Psychology in Crime Prevention and Justice Delivery. Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 10(1).

MLA:
Kusum Sharma, Dr. Sunil Dutt Chaturvedi "The Role of Criminal Psychology in Crime Prevention and Justice Delivery" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, vol. 10, no. 1, Jul. 2026.

BibTeX

@article{1719562,
author = {Kusum Sharma, Dr. Sunil Dutt Chaturvedi},
title = {The Role of Criminal Psychology in Crime Prevention and Justice Delivery},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {1},
pages = {555-568},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1719562.pdf},
abstract = {When it comes to the law, crime has not ever been legal. All offenses have a mind in them that thought or felt or has otherwise failed to function properly to commit the offense, and all reactions to the offense have a system of investigators and lawyers and judges and correctional officers trying to decipher that mind. The area in which criminal psychology falls lies between these two realities. It considers the nature of offending, their thinking and how to use their thinking to help prevent offending and to serve them and the wider community justice. This paper discusses the development of the discipline from the "positivist" criminology of the 19th century to the present day of neuroscience and AI-based risk assessment tools, and how these tools are applied in four areas: criminal investigation and profiling; risk assessment and prevention; courtroom and sentencing decisions; and offender rehabilitation. Recommends changing the approach to justice from one of merely "what" to "who" and "why" and cautions, yet, that criminal psychological tools are probabilistic, culturally specific, and can be misused if not used with safeguards. It concludes with an examination of the Indian criminal justice system, where forensic psychology is slowly becoming institutionalized, and suggestions for its further institutionalization, strengthening and ethical incorporation into police, judicial and corrections systems.},
keywords = {Criminal Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Crime Prevention, Offender Profiling, Risk Assessment, Rehabilitation, Restorative Justice, Criminal Responsibility, Juvenile Justice, Recidivism.},
month = {July}
}