Behind the Crime

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Factual: Crime & Justice

Is it possible to prevent crime by understanding the root causes of offending behaviour?

Two forensic psychologists talk to people who have received court sentences for their crimes to understand what drove them to offend, and crucially, what might help them change.

As a society, we send close to 100,000 people to prison each year. Criminal behaviour costs the country around £60 billion every year, according to Home Office research. 

Is it possible to prevent crime by understanding the root causes of offending behaviour?

Sally Tilt and Dr Kerensa Hocken are forensic psychologists who work in prisons.

Their role is to help people in prison to look at the harm they've caused to other people, understand why it happened and work out how to make changes to prevent further harm after they've been released.

In Behind the Crime, they take the time to understand the life of someone whose crimes have led to harm and, in some cases, imprisonment.

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Behind the Crime: Behind the Crime: Chris

Behind the Crime: Chris

BBC Radio 4 - Behind the Crime, Behind the Crime: Chris

Two forensic psychologists interview Chris about his life and the crimes he committed.

Sally Tilt and Dr Kerensa Hocken are forensic psychologists working in prisons. They interview people who have committed offences to understand their lives and the causes of crime.

As a society, we send close to 100,000 people to prison each year. Criminal behaviour costs the country around £60 billion every year, according to Home Office research. 

Is it possible to prevent crime by understanding the root causes of offending behaviour?

Sally Tilt and Dr Kerensa Hocken are forensic psychologists who work in prisons.

Their role is to help people in prison to look at the harm they’ve caused to other people, understand why it happened and work out how to make changes to prevent further harm after they’ve been released.

In Behind the Crime, they take the time to understand the life of someone whose crimes have led to harm and, in some cases, imprisonment.

In this opening episode they talk to Chris, who received a prison sentence for a reckless arson. He was released in 2017.

On the face of it, Chris was a drug abuser with a track record of violent offences and robberies. In this remarkable interview, he describes himself as a ‘one-man crime wave’.

The job of the forensic psychologists is to dig deep into Chris’s story, to understand the sequence of external influences that got Chris to the point where he was causing harm to himself, to others and to society as a whole.

Today, Chris has built a career for himself as a printer and a poet. He works for The Archer Project, a charity that supports homeless people in Sheffield.

For details of organisations that can provide help and support, visit bbc.co.uk/actionline

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