Criminal Psychology: The Roots of Criminal Behavior

• Compare major psychological, biological, developmental, and social theories of criminal behavior

• Investigate a fictional crime scene using witness statements and behavioral evidence

• Analyze cognitive distortions, environmental risks, violence, and substance-related crime

• Map crime patterns and distinguish modus operandi from signature behavior

• Develop an offender profile with prevention or intervention recommendations

• Create and present an evidence-based Criminal Psychology Case File

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Compare psychological, biological, social, and environmental explanations for criminal behavior

• Interpret case evidence and behavioral patterns to develop a supported criminal profile

• Create and present a case file with evidence-based prevention or intervention recommendations

Students leave with a completed Criminal Psychology Case File, stronger investigative and presentation skills, and clearer direction toward further study in psychology, criminal justice, law, or behavioral science.

Criminal psychology requires students to resist simple explanations. Comparing psychodynamic, biological, cognitive, developmental, social-learning, and sociological theories teaches them to ask what each framework explains, where it falls short, and how multiple influences may interact.

Case analysis turns that comparison into disciplined reasoning. Students must separate evidence from assumption, identify behavioral patterns, and justify a profile without claiming more certainty than the information supports. Developing prevention or intervention recommendations adds practical purpose. These habits strengthen critical thinking, media literacy, research, and evidence-based communication in psychology, criminal justice, law, and many other fields.

This course is for high school students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and want to examine criminal behavior through psychology, evidence, and hands-on investigation. It fits interests in psychology, criminal justice, law, behavioral science, forensic investigation, or public safety.

Participants should be ready to discuss violence, aggression, substance-related crime, and other sensitive subjects in a mature academic setting. They will work with fictional evidence, compare competing theories, participate in simulations, collaborate on case analysis, and present supported conclusions. Students who enjoy solving complex problems and testing ideas against evidence will be especially well matched.

Based on students surveyed in Summer Discovery’s 2026 UCLA high school program.

UCLA gives high-school students the opportunity to explore an academic interest while experiencing university life in Los Angeles, a city where entertainment, technology, business, science, and culture constantly intersect. The campus has its own community and rhythm while connecting students to a wider environment built around creativity and new ideas.

Students learn alongside peers, navigate a large campus, and gain independence through everyday choices and responsibilities. Time outside class expands the experience through friendships, campus life, and opportunities to notice which subjects and settings hold their attention. For families, UCLA offers a valuable combination of substantive academics, personal growth, and clearer direction about what a student may want to study, experience more deeply, or pursue next.

Criminal psychologists, forensic psychologists, behavioral analysts, crime scene investigators, probation officers, researchers, and attorneys approach criminal behavior from different professional perspectives. Their work may involve reviewing evidence, assessing risk factors, interviewing people, analyzing patterns, preparing reports, or explaining conclusions to courts and agencies.

Students sample that process through crime-scene investigation, witness interviews, theory-alignment stations, geographic crime mapping, profiling challenges, and a Behavioral Analysis Unit simulation. The capstone brings those experiences together in a case file and presentation, offering a practical view of pathways in psychology, criminal justice, law, behavioral science, and forensic investigation.