JCS – Criminal Psychology
| JCS – Criminal Psychology | |
|---|---|
 Logo of JCS | |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Also known as | Jim Can't Swim |
| Years active | 2017-present |
| Genre(s) | True crime, criminology |
| Subscribers | 5.55 million[1] |
| Views | 440 million[1] |
JCS – Criminal Psychology, also known as Jim Can't Swim, is a true crime YouTube channel that is known to upload long and in-depth video analyses of police interrogations and criminal cases.
JCS is considered by sources like Vice magazine and Screen Rant to be one of the best and most popular channels in terms of true crime content on the internet. The channel has 5.5 million subscribers since its creation in 2017 and uploads 1-2 videos a year.
History
[edit]The channel of JCS was registered in 2017, it was mostly inactive, and only appeared on Patreon. Two years later, on 2019, the channel began being active again. The identity of the person who runs the channel is unknown.[2][3]
In 2019, the channel uploaded video analyses of several cases, like Watts family murders and Russel Williams case.[4][5] The channel uploaded its first popular video on May 26, 2021, titled “What pretending to be crazy looks like”. The video was an hour long and explained the psychology of Nicolas Cruz, perpetrator of Parkland high school shooting.[6][7] The video had received over 42 million views and became the biggest video on the channel. Some experts from Vice magazine said it was boosted by YouTube's algorithm due to its length and quality. Later, the video became a meme, after various social media users started asking why they were recommended it.[6][2]
Shortly after uploading the video, JCS rose in popularity, gaining over 3.64 million subscribers and over 210 million views.[8] JCS was considered to be one of the most popular true crime channels on the internet, with streamers like Valkyrae, xQc, Hasan Piker and others co-streaming JCS's videos.[9][10]
On January 2022, many JCS videos were taken down for "violent and graphic content", and the channel also received a strike. Despite requests from his community, JCS never reinstated the removed videos.[11][12] Later, the channel announced plans to abandon YouTube and move to a different platform. However, on January 19, 2022, a group of four YouTube moderators reviewed the videos and reinstated them. JCS thanked them and confirmed the channel would continue using YouTube.[11][13]
On April 2025, after a long break from uploading videos, JCS uploaded a new video, titled: "Newlyweds tell on each other". The video was heavily criticized by the community for its low quality, with some accusing it of using AI narration instead of Kizzume's voice, Kizzume is a YouTuber that narrated JCS's videos. Some members of the community suspected that the channel of JCS was sold to a new team.[14]
Content
[edit]JCS's videos mostly consist of explaining interrogation techniques, body language cues, and psychological torture used by law enforcement against the suspects. During the videos, he adds his own commentary about interrogated suspect's mental conditions. JCS also adds his own opinions and jokes in the videos. Reportedly, videos of JCS has inspired "a movement" within YouTube's true crime genre, with many other true crime channels copying his techniques.[15][16][6]
The voice-over in JCS's videos is narrated by Kizzume, a YouTuber whose voice was described as "soothing but compelling" by Vice magazine staff.[2] JCS takes long breaks between the videos, uploading approximately 2 videos a year, the average length of the videos is approximately 13 minutes to around two hours.[17][18] The videos were described by a critic as high quality and well researched.[19][20]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "About JCS — Criminal Psychology". YouTube.
- ^ a b c Gopinathan, Sharanya (October 5, 2021). "True Crime Fans Are Obsessed With This Forensic Psychology YouTube Channel". VICE.
- ^ "JCS Criminal Psychology: The Rise, Fall, and Impact of a YouTube Phenomenon". NeuroLaunch. September 14, 2024.
- ^ "Jim Can't Swim: Online Criminal Psychology Analyzer". Off-Topic News. December 19, 2019.
- ^ Tumbleson, Connor (June 14, 2021). "The Absence of Truth". CT Ramblings.
- ^ a b c "JCS – Criminal Psychology: Fascinating True Crime Series". Professional Moron. July 14, 2021.
- ^ Schimkowitz, Matt (June 11, 2021). "Why is "What Pretending To Be Crazy Looks Like" flooding YouTube recommendations?". AV Club.
- ^ Sprangler, Zach (June 24, 2021). "The Channel JCS – Criminal Psychology Was Blessed by the YouTube Algorithm". Study Breaks Magazine.
- ^ Erskine, Dovonan (September 25, 2021). "How creators are reshaping the True Crime experience for Twitch and YouTube". Shack News.
- ^ Stephens, Ashleigh (August 23, 2022). "10 True Crime YouTubers Just As Good As Any Docuseries". Screen Rant.
- ^ a b Relojo-Howell, Dennis (February 13, 2023). "JCS: The True Crime YouTube Channel Analysing Criminal Minds". Psychreg Magazine.
- ^ Dodd, Samantha (January 28, 2022). "YouTube is putting an end to true crime". Cherokee High News.
- ^ Harper, Cindy (January 14, 2022). "Popular true crime channel JCS – Criminal Psychology quits YouTube over constant censorship". Reclaim the Net.
- ^ Philipson, Diasy (April 11, 2025). "Why did JCS apologize? True crime AI controversy explained". Dexerto.
- ^ Philipson, Diasy (April 8, 2024). "Netflix fans should watch this before the Jennifer Pan documentary". Dexerto.
- ^ Dela, Mylene (August 27, 2024). "Interested in mysteries? Check out these 10 best true crime YouTube channels". Vidpros.
- ^ Philipson, Daisy (April 11, 2025). "Why did JCS apologize? True crime AI controversy explained". Dexerto.
- ^ "Become an armchair detective with JCS - Criminal Psychology". The Enterprise. February 8, 2024.
- ^ Brayan, Nicola (September 30, 2022). "YouDunnit: Interrogating an Internet phenomenon". Pulp Magazine.
- ^ Loesch, Callin (May 22, 2021). "Matt Orchard on 'JCS – Criminal Psychology Genre,' Covering True Crime Fairly". Double Talk.