Criminal Mind: A Forensic Psychiatrist on Maniacs, Psychopaths, Killers and the Nature of Violence

Taj Nеitan, a forensic psychiatrist who spent many years working in the British prison system. Ten stories from his practice are ten fates of people who found themselves in circumstances that led to crimes.

Telling about his heroes, the author asks questions far broader than what his professional duties require. What drives a person to commit a crime? Can it be prevented? Can a criminal’s psychology be changed?

A thoughtful and engaging investigation lets the reader not only step into hospital wards, high-security prisons, and the halls of court hearings. Deeply sympathizing with his patients, Neitan offers a different way to look at people hidden behind the labels “psychopath,” “serial killer,” “sexual offender.”

The psyche is not formed on its own. Mental processes are influenced by how a person reacts at the individual, institutional, and social levels. That determines how their aggressiveness will manifest. No matter where a person’s tendency toward violence comes from, their interactions with others constantly change.

“We must show genuine interest in the person.” In the author’s view, this is the responsibility of society and of other people around us.