The Psychology of Criminal Conduct: Theory, Research, and Implications

This event will be recorded and the link will be sent to all registrants afterwards. It will be available for three weeks only. Please note that all registrations have to be paid in full before the event takes place.

In 1994 the first edition of The Psychology of Criminal Conduct (PCC) was published. In the book, Andrews and Bonta argued for a psychology of human behaviour to be at the forefront of criminological thinking. The book and subsequent editions have had an enormous impact on our understanding and approach to criminal behaviour. A General Personality and Cognitive Social Learning (GPCSL) theory underlies many of the ideas in PCC and the theory sets it apart from more traditional criminological and clinical perspectives of criminal conduct. The empirical research supporting GPCSL outstrips any alternative understanding of the people who are in conflict with the law. The influence of PCC is seen in the assessment and rehabilitation of those in conflict with the law. The presentation will outline the key features of GPCSL and the research that supports the generality of the theory. Turning to application, the expanded Risk-Need-Responsivity model is summarized. Critics of PCC argue that the RNR model is inadequate in the development of assessments and treatments while conveniently ignoring recent developments. Finally, theory and research will be linked to the development of risk/needs instruments (i.e., LS/CMI) and practical, real-world treatment (i.e., STICS).  

Presenter: JAMES BONTA

Jim Bonta received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Ottawa in 1979. Upon graduating, Dr. Bonta was the Chief Psychologist at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, a maximum-security facility for adults and young offenders. During his 14 years at the Detention Centre, he established the first full-time psychology department in a jail setting in Canada.

In 1990 Dr. Bonta joined Public Safety Canada where he was Director of Corrections Research until his retirement in 2015. Throughout his career, Dr. Bonta has held various academic appointments, professional posts, and he was a member of the Editorial Advisory Boards for the Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Criminal Justice and Behavior. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association, a recipient of the Criminal Justice Section’s Career Contribution Award for 2009, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2012, the Maud Booth Correctional Services Award (2015) and the 2015 Community Corrections Award, International Corrections and Prisons Association.

Dr. Bonta has published extensively in the areas of risk assessment and rehabilitation. His latest publications include a book co-authored with the late D. A. Andrews entitled The Psychology of Criminal Conduct now in its seventh edition (with translations in Arabic, French, Japanese, Spanish, and Taiwanese). He is also a co-author of the Level of Service risk-need classification instruments which have been translated into seven languages and are used by correctional systems throughout the world.