Do you want to understand what motivates people to commit crimes? Does the criminal justice system fascinate you? This criminology course goes through the professional and legal approaches taken to prevent and solve crimes. We begin with an overview of the major elements that define criminology and describe major legal systems found around the world. We investigate the root causes of crime and lay out the five-step process used to profile criminals.

The course then examines the classification of crimes. We outline how the police investigate violent crimes and domestic abuse and show you how they process, reconstruct and link crime scenes. We then study the tactics used to interview suspects, victims and eyewitnesses and identify the key factors that affect witness performance. The course delves into criminal psychology as one of the focal points of criminology as we research the criminal process and the mindsets that motivate criminal activity.

Forensic evidence plays a major role in crime-solving so we explain how toxicology, ballistics, anthropometry and DNA profiling work. We demonstrate how to examine and classify evidence, investigate offender signatures and generate a criminal profile. We also establish the importance of science, critical thinking, logic and metacognition in criminal profiling. This course suits anyone who wants to build a career in criminology, criminal justice, law enforcement, public safety and legal studies. Sign up to understand what motivates criminals and the processes employed to catch and prosecute them.