STUDENTS have been looking into the minds of violent offenders after being given an insight into the origins of evil by an eminent American professor.
President of the Academy of Experimental Criminology, and one of the founders of the new field of neuro-criminology, Professor Adrian Raine spoke about his work at the University of Pennsylvania to students at Barnard Castle School.
By coincidence Mr Raine used to live opposite the school’s head of psychology Jamie Sinar in Abbey Road, Darlington, and was back in his hometown visiting family.
Psychology and biology students were able to attend his talk in which he highlighted his work in US prisons studying serial killers, murderers, paedophiles and rapists.
He spoke about the anatomy of violence and whether killers were born murders or became that way.
Mr Sinar said: “He really is a leading authority on the subject, has made many documentaries and written books, even securing a film rights deal.
“A level students study his work and it’s an amazing coincidence that he is originally from Darlington and used to live opposite my old home – in fact there’s a good chance he lived there while my family did and his sister is still on Abbey Road.
“Professor Raine went to the US to do his research and has done a lot of work in prisons with murderers, rapists and paedophiles, as well as interview murderers who have been released. He has looked at what makes a killer and what we can do as a society to help prevent murders.
“It was a great opportunity for the students, who study his various theories, to see how their learning can be applied to real life.”
Categories: Barnard Castle School School News
