Straight Talk About Criminals

Is there a genetic predisposition to crime? Should mental illness be taken into account? Do family and social environments have a role? Do people become abusers because they have been abused? How can people who do terrible things consider themselves good people? What should someone involved in a relationship with a criminal know? Stanton Samenow, co-author of the widely respected three-volume study of The Criminal Personality, has collected the questions posed by audiences during his speaking engagements of the past twenty-eight years about causes, characteristics, and treatments of antisocial behavior. Now he draws on his research and clinical experience with hundreds of men, women, and children to offer no-frills answers that embody his informed perspectives on some of the toughest policy issues facing individuals, institutions, and governments today. A Jason Aronson Book

A former convict candidly discusses his criminal activities and prison life as well as the causes and prevention of crime.

A brilliant, no-nonsense profile of the criminal mind, newly updated in 2022 to include the latest research, effective methods for dealing with hardened criminals, and an urgent call to rethink criminal justice from expert witness Stanton E. Samenow, Ph.D. “Utterly compelling reading, full of raw insight into the dark mind of the criminal.”—John Douglas, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Mind Hunter Long-held myths defining the sources of and remedies for crime are shattered in this groundbreaking book—and a chilling profile of today’s criminal emerges. In 1984, Stanton Samenow changed the way we think about the workings of the criminal mind, with a revolutionary approach to “habilitation.” In 2014, armed with thirty years of additional knowledge and insight, Samenow explored the subject afresh, explaining criminals’ thought patterns in the new millennium, such as those that lead to domestic violence, internet victimization, and terrorism. Since then the arenas of criminal behavior have expanded even further, demanding this newly updated version, which includes an exploration of social media as a vehicle for criminal conduct, new pharmaceutical influences and the impact of the opioid crisis, recent genetic and biological research into whether some people are “wired” to become criminals, new findings on the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy, and a fresh take on criminal justice reform. Throughout, we learn from Samenow’s five decades of experience how truly vital it is to know who the criminals are and how they think. If equipped with that crucial understanding, we can reach reasonable, compassionate, and effective solutions. From expert witness Dr. Stanton E. Samenow, a brilliant, no-nonsense profile of the criminal mind, updated to include new influences and effective methods for dealing with hardened criminals

An interview book which discusses the information superhighway from the various perspectives of people who are influential in shaping it. The book allows readers to form their own opinions about the effects computer technology will have on the world in which we live in the very near future.

Presents advice for mothers and their daughters on taking proactive measures for protecting themselves from dangerous predators, discussing the risks of certains types of relationships, alternative lifestyles, and uses of the Internet and social media.

The "out of character" crime -- Thinking errors as a key to character -- Realities about the "out of character" crime -- Secret controllers -- Sociological and psychological determinism: road to a deadend -- Interviewing the defendant: the setting -- Homicide of a husband by his wife or alter ego? -- The defendant's view of himself or herself as a good person -- Pretensions -- The self as unique and irresistible -- "I think; therefore it is" -- The unimportance of feelings -- The defendant's use of language -- Having a thin skin: susceptibility to putdowns -- The self as the center of the universe -- Six tactics used by defendants to control interviews -- Secret controllers: several cases -- Can a person correct thinking errors? -- Epilogue.

Presents advice for mothers and their daughters on taking proactive measures for protecting themselves from dangerous predators, discussing the risks of certains types of relationships, alternative lifestyles, and uses of the Internet and social media.