Position: Associate Professor
Scientific Field: Criminalistic Tactics, Methodology, and Operations
Office: 14
Email: zana.vrucinic@fbn.unibl.org
Phone: 051/333-643
Courses:
First Cycle Academic Studies (Undergraduate):
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Criminalistic Psychology 1
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Criminalistic Psychology 2
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Juvenile Delinquency
Second Cycle Academic Studies (Master’s):
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Criminalistic-Psychological Profiling
Biography:
Žana Vrućinić (née Žikić) was born on May 18, 1976, in Banja Luka, where she currently resides. She completed elementary school and gymnasium in Banja Luka. She graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy – Department of Psychology in Banja Luka in January 2002. After completing her internship at the Psychiatric Clinic in Banja Luka, she passed the professional exam for psychologists in May 2003.
She enrolled in postgraduate master’s studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Banja Luka (Department of Psychology) in 2007, and defended her master’s thesis titled “Correlation of Personality Characteristics with Stress Manifestation and Coping Styles” in December 2011.
From June 1, 2007, she was employed at the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Srpska – Police Training Administration, performing duties as an associate for the courses: Police and Criminalistic Psychology, Forensic Medicine, and Juvenile Delinquency. She was elected to the title of Lecturer for the subject of Police Psychology in April 2013.
She defended her doctoral dissertation titled “Correlation of Internal Resilience Resources and Social Support with the Mental Health Quality of Police Officers” at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of East Sarajevo, in December 2015. In February 2018, she was elected to the title of Assistant Professor (Docent) at the Faculty of Security Sciences, University of Banja Luka, for the courses Criminalistic Psychology and Juvenile Delinquency. She was elected to the title of Associate Professor in December 2022.
Projects: The most significant scientific-research projects in which she participated include:
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Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education: “Development of master curricula for natural disasters risk management in Western Balkan countries – Nat Risk” (2019).
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“Legal Socialization and Juvenile Crime Prevention in Republika Srpska (PSP)”, implemented by PH International in Republika Srpska with grant funds from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) (2021–2022).
Publications and Personal: She has published a significant number of scientific papers in the fields of criminalistic psychology and juvenile delinquency, as well as a university textbook and two monographs. She is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Security and Criminalistics. She is married and a mother of two children.
