The psychology of children who kill

Whenever there are children involved in murder, it evokes an extreme response from the public. When the child is the victim, we call for harsh sentencing and want retribution against the offender. However, when the child is the perpetrator, we label them as evil or depraved monsters without knowing the background as to how the offence came about.

In this course we examine the psychological factors that drive children to kill. Children who kill often come from difficult upbringings and have normally suffered some type of trauma. Dr Hughes discusses the biological and social factors that can lead a child to kill.

It is important to understand how and why children learn right from wrong and there is a big difference in the age of criminal responsibility across different countries. The course contains the following modules:Are children who kill victims themselves. Are they born evil.

Age of criminal responsibility. Norwegian murder of 6 year old Silje. Robert Thompson and Jon VenablesAnalysis of Thompson and VenablesAnalysis of Aaron CampbellThis course was developed by Dr Kathryn Hughes.