Criminal Behavior Overview
Criminal Behavior Certificate Overview
The online Criminal Behavior Certificate program from Portland State University gives students a unique look at criminal justice and criminology by focusing on the sociological factors that influence crime and criminal behavior. This online certificate program is offered by the College of Urban and Public Affairs and presents students with a fresh perspective on the causes of crime and the criminal mind. Courses in this program are taught by knowledgeable and industry experienced criminal justice faculty.
The online Criminal Behavior Certificate program begins with an examination of crime and criminal behavior throughout history. Students will use a theoretical approach to provide explanations for what causes crime. You will learn to identify the social, psychological, and economic factors related to individual criminality and the places where crime happens. The importance of science, measurement, and empirical precision in theory development will be explored. This topic concludes with a discussion of how the causes of crime are important to policy developments as well as the control and prevention of crime.
The rest of the criminal behavior curriculum explores the sociological factors that influence crime in various demographics and criminal subsets. The role of women in the world of crime is explored, focusing on women involved in crime as criminals, victims, and as professionals in the criminal justice system. Subjects covered include: girls in gangs, female police officers, mothers behind bars, domestic violence, pregnancy and drug use.
Juvenile offenders are another segment of the criminal world with unique behavior. The treatment and management of juvenile offenders, as well as delinquency theories, drugs, school violence, the concept of “adultification,” race, gender, and the prevention of juvenile delinquency are examined. Students will examine research, mental health and intelligence records, environmental and socioeconomic factors as they relate to juvenile justice.
Focusing on crimes committed by traditionally respectable people with high social status, the history and current state of white collar crime is explored. Students compare this unique type of criminal activity to other facets of crime and take an in-depth look at corporate, governmental, occupational, and professional/organized criminal behavior. Finance crimes, corporate abuses of power, fraud and economic exploitation are studied to determine the causes and motivation for white collar crime.
Finally, students will use their accumulated knowledge gained during the program to examine criminal behavior in detail. Examining factors like community, culture, poverty, race, history, family, personality, mental illness, psychopathy, biological factors, and more to gain perspective on how criminals think, behave, why they do what they do.
