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Craig Bennell

Professor Craig

Professor

Biography

Craig Bennell is the Director of the Police Research Lab. Craig received his B.Sc. in Psychology from the University of Alberta (Canada) and his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Liverpool (UK), where he studied under the supervision of Professor David Canter. Craig is currently a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University with a cross-appointment to the School of Linguistics and Language Studies. In addition, he is a member of the Forensic Psychology Research Centre. He is a previous President of the Society for Police and Criminal Psychology and a previous Editor of the Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. He is also a founding member of the Crime Linkage International Network based out of Birmingham, UK, and a partner in the Canadian Society of Evidence Based Policing.

Research Interests

Together with a great group of graduate and honours students, Craig studies three primary issues: (1) police use of force, (2) the reliability, validity, and usefulness of psychologically-based investigative techniques, and (3) evidence-based policing. The construction of the PRL was made possible through funds from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, the Ontario Research Fund, and Carleton University. Craig’s research has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Police Research Centre, Correctional Service Canada, and Carleton University.

Selected Publications

Khanizadeh, A., McGale, H., & Bennell, C. (2026). Improving understanding of police use of force. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 58, 45-56. https://doi.org/10.1037/cbs0000447

MacIsaac, A., Baldwin, S., Semple, T., & Bennell, C. (2025). Exploring the relationship between officer safety and de-escalation in a simulated crisis encounter. Police Quarterly, 28, 371-399. https://doi.org/10.1177/10986111241289885

Semple, T., Jenkins, B., Siamro, J., Brook, G., Didayula, S., Bordeleau, E., Bussey, O., MacIsaac, A., & Bennell, C. (2025). Injuries and death proximate to conducted energy weapon use: A systematic review. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 40, 816-831. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-025-09750-w

Jenkins, B., Semple, T., Suss, J. & Bennell, C. (2024) Primed to use force? A systematic review examining the relationship between tactical experience and use of force. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 39, 509–526. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-024-09647-0

Sheppard, J., Ariane-Jade Khanizadeh, Baldwin, S., & Bennell, C. (2024). A comparison of police use of force by male and female officers in Canada: Rates, Modalities, Effectiveness, and Injuries. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 51(5). https://doi.org/10.1177/00938548241227551

Longridge, R., Chapman, B., Bennell, C., Clarke, D. D., & Keatley, D. (2020). Behaviour sequence analysis of police body-worn camera footage. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 38(2), 255–262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-020-09393-z

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