Psychology of Crime Investigation

Abstract

The paper defines criminal acts as behaviors that violate norms, to which the law attaches punishments as deterrents. It explains that psychologists as human behavior experts apply
knowledge accruing form general and applied psychology to explain biological and environmental motivations of crime, and the relationship between personality factors and
criminal behavior. It holds that in contemporary society, most criminal activities can be explained by the economic model of crime which it considers an offshoot of the social
cognitive theory, and the rational choice theory, although a few cases of crime are consequences of poor mental health (biological factors). The paper opines that crime
investigation which main goal is identification of perpetrators of crime involves analyses of these factors alongside physical evidence at the crime scene and vital aspects of crime analyses. It recommends massive involvement of qualified psychologist in the fight against crime in Nigeria.