One Generic Criminality? A Psychospiritual Perspective on Free Will, Psychological Innocence, and Criminal Behavior

Thomas M. Kelley, Ph.D.

Emeritus Professor, The Emeritus Academy, Formerly, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI. 48202

Abstract

This paper considers human free will and criminal behavior from the perspective of Sydney Banks’s psychospiritual understanding of human psychological experience. Banks proposed three universal Principles—Mind, Consciousness, and Thought—as the fundamental basis through which psychological experience becomes possible. After clarifying this ontological account, the paper considers its implications for human free will, psychological innocence, and the possibility that diverse forms of criminal behavior may share a generic psychological basis. Psychological innocence, as used here, does not imply legal innocence or the absence of personal responsibility, but refers to the possibility that harmful and criminal actions may arise while individuals are unknowingly experiencing their own psychologically generated constructions as compelling realities. From this perspective, a non-retributive response to criminal behavior would seek to deepen individuals’ understanding of the source and transient nature of psychological experience rather than focusing exclusively on controlling or correcting its particular contents. The paper concludes by describing an intervention derived from Banks’s understanding and reviewing preliminary evidence concerning its application with individuals involved in the criminal justice system.

One Generic Criminality, Free Will, Human Psychospiritual System, The Power of Thought, Innate Mental Health, Psychological Innocence