Product Description
In recent years, the public has become increasingly fascinated with the criminal mind.Television series centered on courtroom trials, criminal investigations, and forensic psychology are more popular than ever.More and more people are interested in the American system of justice and the individuals who experience it firsthand.

Minds on Trial: Great Cases in Law and Psychology gives you an inside view of 20 of the highest profile legal cases of the last 50 years.Drs. Ewing and McCann take you "behind the scenes" of each of these cases, some involving celebrities like Woody Allen, Mike Tyson, and Patty Hearst, and explain the impact they had on the fields of psychology and the law.Many of the cases in this book, whether involving a celebrity client or an ordinary person in an extraordinary circumstance, were determined in part by the expert testimony of a psychologist or other mental health professional. Psychology has always played a vital role in so many aspects of the American legal system, and these fascinating trials offer insight into many intriguing psychological issues.In addition to expert testimony, some of the issues discussed in this entertaining and educational book include the insanity defense, brainwashing, criminal profiling, capital punishment, child custody, juvenile delinquency, and false confessions.

In Minds on Trial, the authors skillfully convey the psychological and legal drama of each case, while providing important and fresh professional insights.

Mental health and legal professionals, as well as others with an interest in psychology and the law will have a hard time putting this scholarly, yet readable book down. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Educational and entertaining
The authors provide a scholarly yet entertaining look behind the scenes to the expert psychological evidence in 20 renowned cases. Some of the cases involve household names - Lee Harvey Oswald, Patricia Hearst, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Hinckley Jr., Dan White, Judas Priest, Woody Allen, Mike Tyson. Others are seminal cases in which the names are less well known - the fascinating 1956 case of "mad bomber" George Metesky, credited with initiating the field of criminal profiling, the Guildford Four IRA bombing case in 1974 that led to psychological interest in false confessions (and Icelandic psychologist Gisli Gudjonsson's development of an instrument to measure interrogative suggestibility), and the case of Daryl Atkins, in which the U.S. Supreme Court abolished the death penalty for the mentally retarded.

This book is appropriate for both professionals in forensic psychology and law and also for laypeople who enjoy fact-based accounts of true crime. I assign my graduate students several chapters as examples of forensic topics. In particular, the chapter on the USS Iowa explosion, which catalogues the failure of the "equivocal death analysis" technique, is a great example of the shortcomings of forensic profiling. And the chapter on Colin Ferguson provides a vivid example of the whittling down of competency jurisprudence in the wake of the 1993 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Godinez v. Moran.

Minds on Trial is well-written, factually accurate, and educational. Yet it still works as entertaining bedtime reading. I recommend it highly.

An Accessible Treasure
In "Minds on Trial," the authors, Charles Patrick Ewing and Joseph McCann select 20 cases from roughly the past 50 years in which there is a fascinating intersection between law and psychology. The work initially looks like a book the casual reader may have some difficulty getting through. Such is not the case as each of the 20 cases are broken down into manageable chapters and are written in such a way so as to engage even the casual reader.

The cases that are the most fascinating include, George Metesky and the work of the psychological profiler; The Guildford Four which shows the danger of involuntary confessions; Prosenjit Poddar and Tatiana Tarasoff and the development of the requirement now known as a "Tarasoff Letter;" John Demjanjuk and vicisitude of identification testimony conducted over several year; and the USS Iowa and the failure of equivocal death analysis.

In many cases, the case comes down to a "battle of the experts" which illustrates just how important expert testimony has become in our legal system. The authors' only apparent bias aoppears to lie against those expert witnesses whose opinion is bought and sold by fee. In many of the cases, such biased experts take the hardest falls. ... Read more

Product Description
Known for its emphasis on research and its extensive integration of current cases and law, Curt and Anne Bartol's PSYCHOLOGY AND LAW offers balanced coverage the ways that psychology interacts with the legal system. The authors instill in students a critical understanding not only of psychological research within the context of law, but also a working knowledge of the legal system. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Psychology and Law for Dummies
This book really helps the Psychology student gain a better understanding of what is needed to navigate within the judicial system. It is clear and concise, the format is beneficial and the summary at the end of each chapter proved an excellent study guide for quizzes and exams. I would recommend this to any Law or Psychology student to gain a better insight of how the two fields work together.

Psychology and the Law - used
I love this book!Great resource for any cop on the job who goes to court a lot.Great things to know to keep in the back of your mind.Great research tool.

The only problem is that I hate it when someone selling something used states, "minimum highlighting/marking, etc." and I get it is full of god awful colored blue or orange or pink highlighter that highlights things that makes no sense!?And the fact that it is messy highlighting.Please if you highlight, use a pleasant color and don't be messy about it!

Good but some issues
When I was first asked to teach a class in Psychology and Law, I chose this book (after some deliberation).I've been using it for my class this semester and have to say I am somewhat disappointed.There are many typos in the book.Most are inconsequential, but a few involved the mixing up of different terms, which confused me for a second (and then I figured it out) but posed a great problem for my students (who don't have as much of a background in this field).

In addition, the organization within the chapters does not always make sense to me; sometimes, they'll mention something at one point and then come back to it later on in the chapter, bringing up newer information and research, when it seems it would have been easier to cover all the information related to that specific topic at once.In many chapters, they cover the history of a topic (sometimes too much history, such as in the chapter on Family Law) but fail to even offer a basic history of the field of psychology and law itself.They quote Munsterberg (considered by many, including myself, to be the father of psychology and law) once, and even then, they quote him from a secondary source.

Another issue (and this is not something the authors could necessarily control) is how much the field of psychology and law changes and it is difficult for books to keep up with this information.For that reason, I think textbook companies should consider creating websites that offer such updated information, or even, publishing textbooks electronically, allowing for more frequent updates (but that's an issue that, I think, involves textbooks in many fields, so this isn't as much a criticism of this book as it is a criticism of the industry iteself).

Finally, this textbook is not always written in a manner that is interesting and engaging to students.I don't think we should be trying to entertain students (they need to learn that sometimes topics can be boring) but we need textbooks that are accessible to students.I have a difficult enough time getting my students to actually read and understand their textbook as it is.

Overall, I think this book is accurate in it's information (more than I can say for some textbooks) but has so many issues that I have decided not to continue using this book in my class.

Happy with my purchase.
I ordered this book used and it was like new.Im very happy with it.
Thanks ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent overview of a difficult and very relevant subject
There are other books of interest on forensic and psychology of the law, but I was most impressed with this newly published text.If I were teaching this subject, I would assign this book for the class.I was particularly interested in the chapter on interviewing techniques, although, I think the authors missed an opportunity to integrate the techniques utilized by Alfred Kadushin (see, The Social Work Interview).

The text fully covers the field of jury analysis and witness testimony including the controversial subject of false memories.The chapters on trial tactics would be particular use for attorneys.The only shortcoming with this book and all others of this topic is the lack of discussion about the police interviewing known as the Reid Technique.There are critical books on this subject, but the books that devote themselves to psychology and the law seem to not directly address themselves to police interviewing.Probably all of the studies on interviewing skills are from clinical interviewing styles.In fact, most interviews that are part of criminal investigations are performed by police or those trained in police methods.The Reid technique is the leading method of police interviewing, but it is highly flawed.

In sum, as an attorney and a professional in the field of child abuse/neglect, I hope that students and professionals invest in this book for education in the field of forensic psychology/social work.
... Read more

Product Description
Courts are constantly required to know how people think. They may have to decide what a specific person was thinking on a past occasion; how others would have reacted to a particular situation; or whether a witness is telling the truth. Be they judges, jurors or magistrates, the law demands they penetrate human consciousness. This book questions whether the `arm-chair psychology’ operated by fact-finders, and indeed the law itself, in its treatment of the fact-finders, bears any resemblance to the knowledge derived from psychological research. Comparing psychological theory with court verdicts in both civil and criminal contexts, it assesses where the separation between law and science is most acute, and most dangerous. ... Read more

Product Description
The Handbook of Women, Psychology, and the Law is a groundbreaking book that presents legal and psychological perspectives on how society has responded to the most vital (and often controversial) contemporary women's issues. The Handbook covers such important topics as abortion, rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, employment discrimination, divorce, poverty, welfare, and mental health. Written by experts in the fields of jurisprudence, clinical psychology, feminist psychology, ethics, and public policy, this essential volume shows how crucial social issues have effected civil and criminal law. This comprehensive resource

• Describes the evolution of gender-related legal decisions
• Explores sexual harassment in the workplace from both the individual’s and the organization’s viewpoints
• Explains the “invisible” aspect of women’s contributions to the workplace
• Describes the ambivalence of the courts in cases involving pregnant employees
• Presents an update of the psychological and legal sides of abortion
• Reports on the gender gap in health insurance coverage
• Offers a cross-cultural overview of women and depression
• Explores recent legal interventions for incarcerated women who killed their batterers
• Gives an analysis of rape from an international perspective and explores the use of rape as a weapon of war
• Presents particular issues affecting women from places such as southern Africa, Uganda, and China

Product Description
Fully revised and expanded, the third edition of Psychology and Law: A Critical Introduction is an up-to-date discussion of contemporary debates at the interface between psychology and criminal law. Features new sections on restorative justice, police prejudice and discrimination, terrorism and profiling offenders. Other topics include critiques of eyewitness testimony, the role of the jury, sentencing as a human process, the psychologist as expert witness, persuasion in the courtroom, detecting deception, and psychology and the police. Each chapter is supported by case studies and further reading. Andreas Kapardis draws on sources from Europe, North America and Australia to provide an expert investigation of the subjectivity and human fallibility inherent in our systems of justice. He suggests ways for minimising undesirable influences on crucial judicial decision-making. International and broad-ranging, this book is the authoritative work on psycho-legal enquiry for students and professionals in psychology, law, criminology, social work and law enforcement. ... Read more

Product Description
The first book to interweave clinical and legal perspectives on such recently formulated diagnoses as rape trauma syndrome and battered woman syndrome, this up-to-date resource helps mental health clinicians better understand their role in criminal or civil proceedings related to sexualized violence against women and children. Foundational knowledge is provided on the nature, prevalence, and psychological consequences of a variety of crimes, including rape, spousal abuse, stalking, sexual harassment, and child sexual abuse. The ways victims and perpetrators are dealt with in the legal system are critically examined, and important recent reforms discussed. Presenting guidelines and findings that will improve forensic assessment, this is a vital sourcebook for those called on to serve as expert witnesses and an invaluable student text.
... Read more

Product Description

This text provides a complete overview of the applications of psychology to the law. Incorporating the contributions of social and clinical psychology, this new text presents the material with an objective view towards the complete scope of the subject matter. In its clear coverage of the fundamentals of this field, it is an invaluable introduction for students, as well as a reference for practitioners.

Customer Reviews (1)

Excerpt of review from Doody's Book Review Service
"The authors have compiled one of the most comprehensive introductory texts to forensic psychology.Undoubtedly a worthwhile contribution to the field of psychology this year.This is a must-have for clinicians involved in forensic psychology or for those interested in this exciting specialty."
Nicholas Greco IV MS
Abbott Laboratories ... Read more

Product Description

The Encyclopedia of Psychology and Law addresses the interface of psychology and law and draws from the related discipline of criminal justice. These two volumes represent an outstanding collection of entries describing a wide array of contemporary and historical psychology and law topics. With more than 400 entries, this comprehensive resource is perfect to fill the substantial gap in the holdings of academic, professional, and personal libraries on this topic.

Key Themes

• Criminal Competencies
• Criminal Responsibility
• Death Penalty
• Education and Professional Development
• Forensic Assessment in Civil and Criminal Cases
• Juvenile Offenders
• Mental Health Law
• Police and Investigative Psychology
• Psychological and Forensic Assessment Instruments
• Psychology of Criminal Behavior
• Sentencing and Incarceration
• Symptoms and Disorders Relevant to Forensic Assessment
• Trial Processes
• Violence Risk Assessment

The Encyclopedia of Psychology and Law allows individual students, scientists, and practitioners to keep abreast of the growing knowledge base outside their individual areas of expertise, making it a must-have resource for any academic library.

Product Description

"[T]he best and most useful social science text I have read in a decade .It is comprehensive in its research and scope, clearly written and uses excellent case studies and examples to illustrate in simple terms what might otherwise be complex phenomena."

--Dr. Tom Altobelli
Federal Magistrate, Family Law Courts
Sydney, Australia

The goal of every family law professional and mental health practitioner is to improve family court outcomes in the best interests of the child. This book will assist readers in meeting this critical goal. Developmental Psychology for Family Law Professionals serves as a practical application of developmental theory to the practice of family law.

This book helps family law and mental health professionals gain a broader understanding of each child's unique needs when in the midst of family crisis. It presents developmental theories with which professionals might better assess the developmental needs, synchronies, and trajectories of a given child. Ultimately, this book presents guidelines for making appropriate legal decisions and recommendations for children who have experienced crises such as abuse, neglect, relocation, divorce, and much more.

Key topics include:

• Custodial schedules
• Foster and adoptive care
• Post-divorce disputes
• Termination of parental rights
• Psychological assessment and diagnosis
• Incarcerated parents and visitation rights
• Relocation and "distance parenting"
• Visitation resistance and refusal/reunification
• Parental Alienation/alignment and estrangement
• Theories of cognitive, language, and social development

Product Description
Psychological data have now become central in many areas of legal practice including criminal, health care, and child custody domains. Unfortunately, the professional and empirical literature has not kept pace with this proliferation.

Forensic Psychology: From Classroom to Courtroom fills this void, synthesizing the contributing authors' expertise into a versatile, authoritative, and empirically-derived delineation of the current status of psychological practice in each topic area, relative strengths and weaknesses of current behavioral evidence of forming legal/forensic opinions, and recommendations for future work. The book includes a discussion of the propagation of forensic psychology as a field of specialization, professional preparation issues for training as a forensic psychologist, unique ethical concerns, and an authoritative discussion of issues in several prominent areas of forensic psychology practice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Review from Choice Magazine
'Covering the history of forensic psychology up to the present, van Dorsten discusses everything from ethics and standards to courtroom application and tips for testifying. He looks at different types of psychological tests and at their application to forensic matters (versus in standard psychological evaluation). Specific detailed sections treat the use of forensic assessment in the areas of malingering, competency in criminal proceedings, court-ordered mental health treatment, child custody and child abuse cases, and sexual offenses. Also covered are forensic neuropsychology (i.e., evaluation of brain injuries) and forensic psychological evaluations in personal injury civil lawsuits. Excellent examples are used to clarify points. Summing up: Recommended. Collections supporting study of this specialized area of psychology; upper-division undergraduates and above.' J. A. Brown, Kaplan Choice Magazine May 2003 Vol. 40 No. 09

Excellent survey for both experienced clinicians or students
Though this collection of essays is primarily addressed to graduate students in psychology studying forensic mental health, it provides much sophistication in all the areas it covers. The articles are well written, and cover the field well. A very useful general reference of value to both students and experienced forensic mental health clinicians. ... Read more

Product Description

- Represents the latest advances of the role of psychological factors in inducing potentially unreliable self-incriminating behavior

- Chapters are authored by a diverse group psychologists, criminologists, and legal scholars who have contributed significantly to the collective understanding of the pressures that insidiously operate when the goal of law enforcement is to elicit self-incriminating behavior from suspected criminals

- Reviews and analyzes the extant literature in this area as well as discussing how this knowledge can be used to help bring about needed changes in the legal system

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent, scholarly work.
Each chapter of this book is well written and greatly informative.The book concentrates on false confessions, but there is an interesting chapter on entrapment.A must-read for forensic psychologists, defense attorneys, and police detectives who are dealing with confession evidence. ... Read more

Product Description
Unlike most of the literature in forensic mental health assessment, which is organized around specific legal issues, this book posits the existence of broad principles of forensic assessment that are applicable across different legal issues and are derived from and supported by sources of authority in ethics, law, science, and professional practice. The author describes and analyzes twenty-nine broad principles of forensic mental health assessment within this framework. ... Read more

Product Description

Forensic psychologists and psychiatrists are increasingly asked to provide expertise to courts and attorneys in the criminal justice system. To do so effectively, they must stay abreast of important advances in the understanding of legal standards as well as new developments in sophisticated measures and the methods for their assessment. Fundamentals of Forensic Practice is designed to address the critical issues that are faced by mental health experts in their role of conducting assessments, presenting findings, and preparing for challenges to admissibility and credibility.

Uniquely practical and comprehensive, this volume operationalizes legal standards and describes empirically validated methods for their evaluation. Not only is this essential for mental health professionals, but it is equally valuable to criminal attorneys. Lawyers require both clinical knowledge and understanding of legal standards in order to prepare their own experts and to challenge those on the opposing side. For both clinical and legal experts Fundamentals of Forensic Practice offers a full view of all phases of criminal proceedings:

- Pretrial—diversion, determinations of bail, waivers of Miranda rights, and the capacity to consent to searches.

- Trial—competency to stand trial and criminal responsibility. Beyond insanity, the latter addresses mens rea, automatism, and psychological context evidence, such as battered-woman syndrome.

- Post-trial—sentencing, capital sentencing, competency to be executed, and other post-conviction issues.

Other key features include:

- Chapters on specific criminal issues in a consistent format, with comprehensive coverage of legal standards and relevant clinical methods

- Guidelines for conducting more effective forensic evaluations

- In-depth coverage of specialized assessments, eg. malingering, sexual predator cases, and the insanity defense.

- A detailed overview of direct and cross-examination strategies

This book is the second collaboration between Rogers and Shuman. As individual authors, each received the American Psychiatric Association’s prestigious Guttmacher Award for their outstanding contributions to forensic psychiatry.

Customer Reviews (2)

Fundamental of Forensic Practice:Mental Health and Criminal Law
While being a very scholarly yet easy to read book, the authors take an interesting position between law and psychology.They seem to implicitly favor "technique" in forensic evaluations complete with methods used by lawyers to tear psychologists down.And while there may be psychologists who do not adhere to the best practices, which needs to be pointed out, the authors completely ignore the sleazy tactics used by attorneys who use whatever they can find to discredit a witness, and/or confuse the testimony, all for the sake of winning.The authors unwittingly or unknowingly fail to address this issue.The tactics are emphasized without sufficient reference to factual accuracy.An example of this would be attorneys who use the authors referenced tactics to confuse testimony by psychologists and keep jurors confused, thus weakening the opponents case.What would have been preferred was methods to help reduce and or eliminate such attempts by attorneys along with some real psychological tactics for psychologist to use to make evident to jurors, that the lawyer is attempting to confuse the facts and move away from a genuine (and truthful) understanding of the matter at hand.
In that attorneys are generally regarded as one of the least admired professions in various surveys and psychologists are more highly rated, let's not do anything as psychologists to narrow that gap.
Thomas M. Kozak, Ph.D.

indispensible for criminal trial lawyers
Richard Rogers, Ph.D., has long been recognized as perhaps the leading expert on malingering in the United States.He and a law school professor, Daniel Shuman, have co-authored a great book on forensic mental health issues which has just been released:Fundamentals of Forensic Practice:Mental Health and Criminal Law (Springer Publications, 2005) by Richard Rogers and Daniel W. Shuman.The book covers the major issues addressed by mental health experts in criminal cases (e.g., insanity, competency, responsibility, penalty phase aggravation and
mitigation, risk assessment), as well as the different stages of
proceedings (e.g., diversion, bail motions, trial, sentencing, civil commitments, competency to be executed).As one might expect, it details how a forensic mental health expert should go about performing a reliable evaluation, including addressing the various issues that are inherent in mental health evaluations (e.g., malingering).However, of perhaps even greater benefit to trial attorneys who practice criminal law, the book includes
suggested cross examination questions in many areas which are crucial to evaluating the credibility and reliability of the mental health expert's testimony.Indeed, the suggested cross examination questions--which are simply excellent--can be used by both prosecution and defense attorneys to expose unreliable aspects of the expert's conclusions.At the same time, by becoming familiar with the book's recommended approach
and suggested cross-examination, trial lawyers can go a long ways towards producing testimony by mental health experts which is credible, reliable and persuasive, and will stand up to cross-examination.

I strongly recommend this book to any attorney who is presenting or confronting testimony by any mental health expert. ... Read more

Product Description
This new textbook provides students with the basic principles and practice standards of forensic victimology-the scientific study of victims for the purposes of addressing investigative and forensic issues.It provides case-based coverage with original insights into the role that victimology plays in the justice system, moving beyond the traditional theoretical approaches already available. The purpose of this textbook is to distinguish the investigative and forensic aspects of victim study as a necessary adjunct to the field of victimology. It identifies forensic victimologists in the investigative and forensic communities and provides them with methods and standards of practice needed to be of service.

This book is intended to educate students on the means and rationale for performing victimological assessments with a scientific mindset. Forensic Victimology is designed specifically for teaching the practical aspects of this topic, with "hands on" real-life case examples and an extensive online Instructor's manual featuring summaries, key terms, and test questions for every chapter.

* Applied victimology for students and caseworkers performing objective examinations as opposed to theoretical victimology that studies victim groups and crime statistics.
* First ever textbook detailing a mandate, scope and methods for forensic victimologist practitioners.
* Provides a critical / scientific counterbalance to existing mainstream texts approaching general victimology with a pro-victim bias.
* Written by practitioners of forensic victimology in the investigative, forensic, mental health, and academic communities. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Must have for anyone studying criminology or forensics!
Great book on Forensic victimology. Many people underestimate the usefulness of victimology. Definitely worth a read, very reliable for research.

Excelente texto para el Investigador Criminal
En mi caso personal, me dedico a la enseñanza universitaria de posgrado y a la práctica de la Psiquiatría Forense, del Perfilado Criminal y Geográfico y de la Victimología; el libro de Turvey me ha servido para actualizar mis conocimientos y hacer mas efectivo mi trabajo como catedrático e investigador.

A Sad Day for Victims and Victimology
Victimology is a sub-specialty in forensics that focuses on the victim of a crime or accident etc. There aren't a lot of affordable textbooks on the subject. When I saw this one and read a bit about it. I decided to give it a go. It was mainly the price that did it for me. I'm not particularly a fan of so called "profiler and forensic scientist" Brent Turvey. I was concerned that he was straying a little out of his territory. I've read his work before and am certainly aware that he has an infallible ego. He enjoys taking potshots at his peers and likes to blow his own horn in general. He seems to write on every aspect of forensics known to man. I would call him a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. I came to find out that what he really has no clue on is victimology - but I'll get back to that. Nevertheless, I decided to give him one more chance and was determined to keep an open mind. This mistake was a colossal one for me. Let me explain. I am a student of the forensic sciences/behavioral sciences and they encompass a large portion of my waking hours. Usually I'm reading about it, studying, researching, etc. I was also, at several points in my life, a victim. I was car-jacked, pistol whipped, kidnapped and severely beaten. I have also had two other brushes with death. I am now at the point where I would consider myself a survivor. Mr Turvey would have you believe that I am at fault for my victimization because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time or for any one of a myriad of other reasons.

The book begins with a preface that devotes itself to why and how victims are at fault for their own victimization and that researchers on the subject are just to scared to acknowledge this because it isn't politically correct. While he, on the other hand, is fearlessly going ahead and reporting "The Truth". He lists one anecdotal story after another of people who lie, cheat and take advantage of the system to gain monetary compensation or to have an excuse to shirk their responsibilities. Part of me felt like the stories were simply made up to illustrate his point. After I was finished with the preface, I was shocked. There was no mention of anyone who used the system because they genuinely needed or deserved it. I kept waiting for the other side of the picture, only it never came. No stories of victims who beat the odds, used the system to get back on their feet etc. I was so dumbfounded by this I had to put the book down and walk away. It was the next day when I found myself feeling terribly upset, though I didn't understand why. A friend called and after a half hour of tearful confusion she said, "It sounds like you're being awfully hard on yourself." Suddenly, I realized that after reading Turvey's book, I felt like all the tragedy in my life was all my fault! My friend suggested I burn the book. Now that I had a clearer perspective on things, I wanted to see if the preface was just bad or if now that he'd gotten this out of his system, the book would take an even handed approach. I'm sure by now you can guess how things turned out. Let me summarize: Victims are bad people, Turvey is a brilliant pioneer in the field.

I believe Mr Turvey has spent too much time with hard core criminals. He has transferred that criminal attitude onto victims and the study of victimology. Yes, people lie, cheat, steal and do any number of bad things. This occurs everywhere including with people who have been victimized or claim they have been. This little fact could have been covered in one paragraph. An entire book is just ridiculous. To take an entire group of people and tell them it's their fault for being raped, shot, stabbed, etc. is just simply wrong! I could not and will not read any more of this book. It is filled with what Turvey thinks but no where was I able to find a shred of empirical evidence that substantiated his horrible claims. I say this again with the caveat that I did not read every page of the book. I refuse to. Just because Turvey says it does not make it so and I think he has forgotten this or thinks that people should just believe him.

This book does great injustice to an important field and even more so is a further abuse to people everywhere who have been victimized. ... Read more

Product Description

Despite the notable Canadian presence in the field of psychology and law, there is currently no comprehensive Canadian textbook on the subject. While a few U.S. textbooks cover the field, they give little or no attention to Canadian law and research. In recognition of this problem, editors Regina Schuller and James Ogloff have put together an authoritative introduction to law and psychology for a Canadian audience. Within the fifteen chapters that comprise the book, leading Canadian scholars cover a wide range of topics spanning the applications of psychology - clinical, social, cognitive, developmental, experimental - in both criminal and civil areas of law. These include memory and eyewitness testimony, the jury, sentencing, competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, and many others. The legal system in Canada serves as the backdrop for each of the chapters, which begin with an interesting case or anecdote that introduces the reader to some of the major issues facing psychologists and lawyers in this country.

The book offers a compelling introduction to the field and a unique perspective to Canadian readers, especially students in psychology, criminology, and other disciplines in social science and law. ... Read more

Product Description
Lie detection, offender profiling, jury selection, insanity in the law, predicting the risk of re-offending , the minds of serial killers, and many other topics that fill news and fiction are all aspects of the rapidly developing area of scientific psychology broadly known as Forensic Psychology. This fascinating Very Short Introduction discusses all the aspects of psychology that are relevant to the legal and criminal process as a whole. It includes explanations of criminal behavior and criminality, including the role of mental disorder in crime, and it reveals how forensic psychology contributes to helping investigate the crime and catching the perpetrators. David Canter also explains how psychologists provide guidance to all those involved in civil and criminal court proceedings, including both the police and the accused, and what expert testimony can be provided by a psychologist about the offender at the trial. Finally, Canter describes how forensic psychology is used, particularly in prisons, to help in the management, treatment and rehabilitation of offenders, once they have been convicted. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An accessible and relevant introduction to forensic psychology
Forensic psychology is a fascinating branch of psychology in its own right. However, much of what most people imagine this field to be comes from crime novels, movies and TV shows, and for most part these fictional accounts are far removed from the actual real-world discipline. This very short introduction aims to dispel most of the myths and misconceptions that surround forensic psychology, and introduce the reader to this intriguing field in an accessible and readable manner.

The book is written from the point of view of forensic psychology as practiced in the UK, although most of the material is relevant for the US and other settings. The author is in fact credited for bringing forensic psychology to the UK, and has extensive knowledge of its practices and applications.

It is important to distinguish forensic psychology from two other fields with which it's often confused: forensic science and criminology. The former deals primarily with the physical aspect of crime, while the latter is interested in the societal aspects of criminal activity. As the author of this book puts it, forensic psychology deals with criminals, while these other fields deal with crime.

In the past there has been a great effort in trying to classify criminality as some sort of personality trait or psychological disease. These attempts have seen their heyday in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Most experts today, however, agree that there is no single "criminal mind" that all criminals share. There are many circumstances that lead to any given crime, and although some sort of psychological predisposition may be at play, it is certainly not the only or even the dominant feature.

Forensic psychology has evolved over the years, and today it already consists of several different subdivisions. There are forensic psychologists who specialize in being courtroom expert witnesses, there are those who work alongside the police in trying to solve crimes (profilers), some work with attorneys in preparing the witnesses and choosing the jury, but the vast majority work with criminals who have already been incarcerated. The rehabilitation process is very tricky, and we still don't have a sliver bullet that can help all criminals emerge from prison completely ready to join the society. This continues to be an active area of research, with forensic psychologists leading the way.

The book concludes with musings on the future of forensic psychology and all the outstanding prelims and issues where it will play a role. The book provides the reader with a very good sense of what this field is all about and what kind of developments are expected in the future. ... Read more