Criminal Psychology and its application; The role to be Played!!

Nowadays, the lowering graph of crimes has brought down the threatening situation to an extent across the country. According to the latest report by NCRB, the country has shown a welcoming switch by reducing the number of registered crimes up to 7.6% over last year. The police and other machineries should have been praised for their efforts taken to make out such an appreciable result. On the contrary, some studies still remain threatening where the state should interfere to overcome a greater cause.

Generally, It is very easy to blame the police over the frightening amount of crime rates without even trying to find out if the person who commits a crime may have many complexities including psychological disorders. We cannot deny the humanistic perspective studies that have been demanding to look into such matters along with above survey results in order to wash out the “very cause” of actions.

There may be multiple causes behind a crime scene that cannot be found out by the police or a common. Sometimes we will need expert opinions to get to the conclusion. When it comes to finding the psychological aspects, crimes cannot be categorized as small or big, even the smallest too should be counted.

Everyone is unique and special with their own flaws. The “thought process” that developed from childhood has been helping an individual to put up a personality in society. It may comprise of individuals with “Distorted Cognisance” which has become very common nowadays, who could develop a mindset to normalize small crimes such as consumption of alcohol and smoking in public spaces, violation of traffic rules etc. They will not have any regret and they will not even find the criminality inside the action. Usually they will find reasons to normalize their crime and gradually they will create an anti-social mentality with an introverted soul. This combination of nature may encourage a person to be involved in big crimes. The studies conducted by AIESEC also give some concerning remarks about this silently evolving phenomena in young minds across the world which have a strong root towards their childhood.

Both Alfred Adler and Carl Roger, renowned psychologists have admitted the psychological distinctive nature of mankind who will have some kind of inferiority and introvertness from time to time. On the same note, both of them are suggesting to divert the mind over other things to compensate for the situation. If someone could not divert their mind over other things, would fall into a trauma stage which could be a “distorted mind” that needs a crime or such action to get cooled off. The cases of Joffrey Dhamer the necrophile, Albert Fish the cannibal, Charles Shobaraj the notorious bikini killer and Raman Raghav the Bambay serial killer etc, can be taken as a sample for study purposes.

What would have been the psychological approach? According to Essi Vidding, a psychologist who interviewed many culprits including serial killers have found that most of the culprits could not even realize the human emotions when he/she commits the crimes.

Based on her studies, she has marked two types of personalities: Psychotics and Psychopaths. Both the terms are different and have broader meanings. We can track out and cure psychotics. but it’s very difficult to find out the “genetic disorders” that create a “psychopath” and cannot treat them from the beginning. Because mostly, the disorder cannot be found or shown in their face or behavior unless it’s discovered through his/her actions, which does not have any cure yet!!

The writings could have ended in a question, what should be prevailed, the law or the science.!!? And it’s a bit difficult to answer. Most of the above mentioned culprits were hanged or killed by any other means by the governments except Charles Shobaraj who’s in Nepal jail. Those judgments will not be questioned because the Justice should prevail as we cannot uphold the exemption of insanity to veil someone’s crime. But on the contrary, it is necessary to look into the other causes. So we could propose a mixed approach from the side of the Responsible state and the Judiciary.

Any human being’s character is defined, largely by his/her childhood. Most of the scientific studies have proved the same and found out these reasons that caused gradual psychic changes in culprits.

1. Absence of infant bonding.
2. Lonely childhood.
3. Disruptive family.
4. Childhood trauma.
5. Substance abuse. (physically or mentally) etc.

Even though we cannot classify all these concerns as an accurate/ultimate reason behind a crime, rather we have to consider them as “contributing factors”.

But a responsible government should start from here and should take initiatives to provide proper “parenting” as a state sponsored compulsory parental classes at district or lower level. It may lead to molding a group of parents who teach social values including love, care and empathy to their children rather than “protecting” them from petty crimes!!

The honorable Judges should use their discretionary power to get to know the expert’s opinion if needed, and encourage the lower courts to use the same. It may help the Judge to provide a better judgment with special mention of the “mental condition” of the culprit whenever it is necessary. So the concerned jail supervisor can treat the culprit according to their needs with the help of psychiatrists over the supervision of the government at district level.

Above all, nothing mentioned here is not meant to justify any crimes or any such acts that can lead to a crime, but to resolve the ultimate cause. Insanity of mind should not have been a reason to break out from the law, same as the “cause” of action too should not be disregarded in the name of justice, if any. We cannot think of an utopian state where there are no crimes and culprits. But we can try for a better state which helps to change at least one who could not find his way out!!