07
Crime, Emotion and Mental Health: Integrating Criminal Psychology, Emotional Intelligence and Law
Understanding behavior without stigma: prevention, rehabilitation and safer communities.
Why this theme matters
Human behavior, crime and mental health are deeply interconnected, but this relationship requires careful, evidence-based and ethical understanding. Crime should never be simplistically explained as a consequence of mental illness. Most people experiencing mental health conditions are not violent and should not be stigmatized.
However, certain psychological, emotional, social, developmental and environmental factors may influence aggressive behavior, impulsivity, repeated offending, interpersonal violence and criminal decision-making.
This thematic area will explore how criminal psychology, emotional regulation, mental health, rehabilitation and legal systems can work together to better understand and prevent harmful behavior. Particular attention will be given to emotional intelligence and emotional regulation as potential protective factors.
The theme will also examine the psychological consequences of crime for victims, offenders, families, law-enforcement personnel and communities.
The goal is not to stigmatize individuals with mental illness, but to better understand how emotional, psychological, social and legal factors interact in human behavior and how prevention, rehabilitation and psychological intervention can contribute to safer communities.
Key discussion areas
- Criminal psychology and behavioral understanding
- Emotion regulation and aggressive behavior
- Emotional intelligence and crime prevention
- Mental health assessment in legal settings
- Violence and psychosocial risk factors
- Trauma and criminal behavior
- Juvenile offending and rehabilitation
- Psychological support for victims
- Mental health of prison populations
- Rehabilitation and reintegration
- Anger, revenge and impulsivity
- Restorative approaches
- Psychology and law
- Forensic mental health
- Mental health of police and law-enforcement personnel
- Ethical considerations in criminal psychology
- Prevention-oriented approaches to crime and violence
This theme in the program
Sessions at InMHC 2027 connected to this thematic area:
- Parallel Sessions · Day 3 · 10:15
Parallel Sessions: Crime, Emotion & Law
- Panel · Day 3 · 14:45
Roundtable · Psychology, Law & Rehabilitation: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue
Choose this theme when you register your interest and we will match you to its sessions.