Inside the Criminal Mind

Inside the Criminal Mind is a masterpiece from world renowned psychologist Stanton Samenow. The book is a chilling profile of the criminal mind, shattering the long-held view about the causes and possible cures of crime. The book gives a different angle to all sorts of crime, ranging from domestic violence, stalking to white collar crime and political terrorism.

Basing on his three-decade experience of working with criminals, Dr Samenow explains that it is not factors such as media violence, poverty, broken homes and the community that lead to criminality. He argues that all criminals have a common mindset that is evident from childhood.

Like all aspects of life, crime keeps evolving. The criminal mind is always at work, inventing new crime. The approach to redeeming communities of such criminals has always been the same, taking them to correctional facilities and sometimes out of communities for life.

But, the author presents a view that there has been an age-long myth that society is to blame for criminals. He explains the criminal mind, not just as a way of clarifying it for the average reader, but in a way to help policymakers, psychologists and societies to rethink the way they deal with criminals.
Through interaction with both active and reforming criminals, the author suggests that it’s time that societies understand the criminal mind and why criminals act the way they do.

He says: “The criminal chooses crime; he chooses to reject society long before society rejects him. The criminal values people only to the extent that he can use them for his own self-serving ends; he does not justify his actions to himself. It is vital that we know who the criminal is and how and why he acts differently from responsible citizens. From that understanding can come reasonable, compassionate, and effective solutions.”

The author does exonerate environment as being responsible for creating the criminals. He says criminals cause crime, not bad neighbourhoods, inadequate parents, television, schools, drugs, or unemployment.

“Crime resides within the minds of human beings and is not caused by social conditions. Once we as a society recognise this simple fact, we shall take measures radically different from current ones,” he writes.
“Behaviour is largely a product of thinking. Everything we do is preceded, accompanied and followed by thinking. The criminal must learn to identify and then abandon thinking patterns that have guided his behaviour for years. He must be taught new thinking patterns that are self-evident and automatic for responsible people but are totally foreign to him. Short of this occurring, he will continue to commit crimes.”

The book is based on a series of case studies and stories from different criminals from different backgrounds, gender and colour. Most of all, the author presents his findings in a way that is easy to understand for those not from the same field as him.

The 242-page book is a publication of New York-based Crown Publishers. Though not readily available in the local bookstores, it can be purchased online at $24.45 (Shs88,000), excluding shipping.

Book review
Book title: Inside the Criminal Mind
Author: Dr Stanton Samenow
Publisher: Crown Publishers
Available at: Online
Price: Shs88,000
Reviewed by: Henry Lubega