Sam Allen, a graduate in Criminology, continues our Northern Review series by setting out what he considers to be the best books for anyone interested in this broad subject. They cover the challenging themes of criminal behaviour, tyrannical systems, self-defence, terrorism and other related subjects.

(Disclaimer: Some of the themes covered by these books can be very dark, and readers should approach the material with this in mind.)    

 

Inside the Criminal Mind

Stanton E Samenow (2014)

This was a controversial book when it was first published and remains so today. Samenow, a criminal psychologist, states that he was an ardent believer that criminal behaviour was due to social and economic factors. His experience interviewing career criminals changed his opinion dramatically. His new conclusion was that those who consistently engage in criminal activity do so because they choose to. Put simply, it boils down to their inherent character.

Samenow begins by refuting what he sees as the “myths” about criminals and scrutinises the rationalisations that are often made to explain criminal behaviour. He believes that attempts to blame bad parenting, peer pressure, lack of economic opportunity, despair and a host of other factors are not only inaccurate but also fail to address the source of the problem; the criminal.

The author also details the behaviour and worldview of the criminally minded individual in a variety of settings such as school, work and, unsurprisingly, prison. Finally, he puts forward a rehabilitation system that he believes will produce real positive change. In his view, the only real path to reform is to directly challenge the thinking of the individual.

The most startling observation in the book was that those described in his book, serial offenders with callously self-centred criminal mind-sets, all view themselves as essentially good people. While it’s often believed that offenders have low self-esteem, Samenow states that they in fact have a high opinion of themselves.

What adds significant weight behind the argument of this book is the fact it was endorsed by Rory Miller (below) as the “best introduction to hard-core criminal thinking I’ve read.” The similarities at times between the two authors’ observations are uncanny.

 

Meditations on Violence and Facing Violence

Rory Miller (2009; 2011)

Two books by the same author; they can be seen as part one and two of a connected piece of work. Miller is a retired corrections officer who worked in the US prison system for 17 years. He is also an extremely well trained and experienced martial arts instructor.

These books are a combination of criminology resource and self-defence manual. They have several themes throughout: analysis of martial arts training, self-defence preparation, how criminals operate and the nature of violence itself. There is only one or two illustrated martial arts techniques featured across the two books as Miller focuses on foundational principles and epistemology of physical violence. For example, he spends a great deal of time demonstrating the difference between a fight and an assault, something many self-defence teachers do not take into account. Additionally he details the potential problems regarding the aftermath of violence, such as legal charges or emotional trauma – another aspect of self-defence that often goes overlooked.

Miller also provides an analysis on the different types of criminals, based on what he encountered whilst working as a corrections officer. In particular he describes in chilling detail the mentality of “predators” and highlights how foreign it is to that of a “normal” person. This insight is an unsettling but indispensable reality check reminding the reader that there are indeed very bad people who exist in the world.

Miller does not approach these subjects from an academic angle. His work has the tone of hard-learned first-hand experience and practical wisdom rather than distant scientific analysis. One of the best things about Miller’s work is that he shows how violence, whilst simple at first glance, is very complicated. Or, more accurately, the motives that fuel violence and the different contexts in which it occurs are very complicated. Yet his writing presents this complexity in a no-nonsense, easy to understand manner. I have yet to come across another book on violence/self-defence that does this as well as Miller.

Anyone generally interested in self-defence or criminal psychology should read these books, but those who are considering a career in the police or prison service should especially read Miller’s work (and basically anything else he’s written).

 

The Way of the Strangers

Graeme Wood (2016)

Wood is an American journalist at The Atlantic, who wrote the most read article in the outlet’s history; ‘What ISIS really wants’. Following the success of this article he expanded his findings into this book.

The book showcases the power of ideology and how a grand sense of meaning can capture people’s minds. Moreover it highlights how unrelenting conviction can lead to conflict. Not only does this book provide extensive knowledge of radical Islamic history and beliefs, it is also a useful resource for anyone studying the nature of cults.

As with the original article, Wood interviews numerous supporters and thought leaders of the Jihadist group but goes into much more depth regarding the ideological and theological roots of the movement. He also focuses on the personalities and backgrounds of those who are drawn to this group. Many had troubled pasts and could be described in their youths as “lost.” Islamic fundamentalism provided them not only with answers to life’s hard questions but also purpose. From there we can trace the underlying reasoning and justification of the atrocities carried out in the name of the Caliphate.

One of the highlights of the book was Wood’s profile of John Georgelas (now “Yahya”), the most prominent American member of IS. What makes this case particularly unique is the fact that John’s father Timothy is a retired US Army Colonel from Texas. His life is a fascinating yet tragic story of a bright but aimless youth looking for meaning and eventually finding it as a zealous spokesman for global Jihad.

 

Dangerous Personalities

Joe Navarro (2014)

Navarro was an FBI agent for 25 years and specialised in profiling criminals. His book shares the four main personality types that, in his experience, correlated the most with destructive behaviour. The first four chapters each detail a specific personality disorder: the narcissist, the emotionally unstable, the paranoid and the predator. The final chapters detail individuals who have a catastrophic combination of these temperaments and what readers can do defend themselves from those who embody them.

The book could be described as a psychological self-defence guide. It provides the information necessary to identify people with malicious or volatile characters. Navarro makes it clear that this work isn’t about identifying ultra-violent serial killers (though this is touched upon in the extreme examples); it’s mainly about avoiding people who just make life miserable for others.

In-depth case studies and detailed descriptions of the characteristics of each disorder provide the reader with an insightful guide to “toxic” individuals. What’s even more helpful is that the author provides collections of descriptive words (mean, creepy etc.) used by those he interviewed, who knew a dangerous personality. These honest descriptions help remove any cryptic vibe surrounding the problem by putting it in everyday language. Navarro openly states that the book throughout is deliberately lacking in psychological jargon in order to keep it as accessible as possible – it is meant to be practical advice.

What may be the most valuable feature is the checklist at the end of each of the first four chapters. These extensive checklists present statements describing a behaviour, attitude or demeanour that manifests in a harmful personality. For example in the narcissist section: “Only ever wants to talk about themselves.” There are 130 such statements and a scoring system to measure how pronounced the disorder is. This allows readers to actively determine whether someone in their own lives is indeed a drain on their well-being, or even a serious threat.

 

The Better Angels of Our Nature

Steven Pinker (2012)

An uplifting recommendation on which to end. In his 2011 bestseller, Harvard cognitive scientist Steven Pinker makes the bold and even somewhat controversial argument that across human civilisation, violence has measurably declined. From murder, war, torture and even animal cruelty, the rates of various types of violence have gone down.

Pinker firstly shows how much more violent the past was compared to today, and then details the reasons why this decline has occurred. Throughout this massive piece of work there are case studies and statistics backing up the book’s central claim as well as in-depth examination of the philosophies on the human condition. The explanations for the decline include the rise of the nation state, the spread of free market capitalism and what Pinker calls the “Rights Revolution.” The latter half of the book also presents the aspects of human nature that lead to violence, such as sadism, and the aspects that temper our worst impulses, such as empathy.

Despite the serious subject matter this is an incredibly positive book. Not only does Pinker lay out the causes of violent behaviour and explain methods of mitigating these problems, he demonstrates something arguably even more important: that the world is getting better. It is easy to slip into a “tragedy fatigue” if you regularly watch the news or even potentially become apathetic if you believe the world cannot improve.

Not only is Pinker’s work an excellent criminology resource; it will leave you with an optimistic outlook.