From the initial investigation of a crime to the sentencing of an offender, many everyday practices within the criminal justice system involve complex psychological processes. This volume analyzes the processes involved in such tasks as interviewing witnesses, detecting deception, and eliciting eyewitness reports and identification from adults and children. Factors that influence decision making by jurors and judges are examined as well. Throughout, findings from experimental research are translated into clear recommendations for improving the quality of evidence and the fairness of investigative and legal proceedings. The book also addresses salient methodological questions and identifies key directions for future investigation.
Shari Seidman Diamond Scholars interested in psychology and law are fond of c1aiming origins for psycholegal research that date back four score and three years ago to Hugo von Munsterberg's On the Witness Stand, published in 1908. These early roots can mislead the casual observer about the history of psychology and law. Vigorous and sustained research in the field is a recent phenomenon. It is only 15 years since the first review of psy chology and law appeared in the Annual Review of Psychology (Tapp, 1976). The following year saw the first issue of Law and Human Behavior, the official publication of the American Psychology-Law Society and now the journal of the American Psychological Associ ation's Division of Psychology and Law. Few psychology departments offered even a single course in psychology and law before 1973, while by 1982 1/4 of psychology graduate programs had at least one course, and a number had begun to offer forensic minors and/or joint J. D. / Ph. D. programs (Freeman & Roesch, see Chapter 28). Yet this short period of less than 20 years has seen a dramatic level of activity. Its strengths and weaknesses, excitements and disappointments, are aII captured in the collection of chapters published in this first Handbook of Psychology and Law. In describing what we have learned ab out psychology and law, the works included here also reveal the questions we have yet to answer and thus offer a blueprint for activities in the next 20 years.
The Routledge International Handbook of Legal and Investigative Psychology explores contemporary topics in psychological science, applying them to investigative and legal procedures. Written by recognized scholars from around the globe, this book brings together current research, emerging trends, and cutting-edge debates in a single comprehensive and authoritative volume. Drawing from both research and practice, this handbook highlights many important issues such as: how to investigate and prosecute rape; the value of emotional affect in homicide investigations; and factors affecting jurors’ and suspects’ decision making. By considering current research, the authors inform both legal and investigative professionals of findings that are of direct relevance to them, and the steps that can be taken to improve efficiency. This collection will inform investigative and legal professionals, advanced psychology students, academics, researchers, and policy makers. It will also be of great interest to researchers from other disciplines, including criminology, policing, and law.
"The Roots of Modern Psychology and Law: A Narrative History reveals how the field of psychology and law developed during the first decade following the founding of the American Psychology-Law Society"--
Praise for Forensic Psychology and Law "In Forensic Psychology and Law, three internationally known experts provide exceptional coverage of a wide array of topics that address both the clinical applications of forensic psychology and the role of psychological science in understanding and evaluating legal assumptions and processes." —Norman Poythress, PhD, Research Director and Professor, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, Dept. of Mental Health Law and Policy "Forensic Psychology and Law is a major contribution to the teaching of law and psychology. Roesch, Zapf, and Hart offer a timely, comprehensive, and succinct overview of the field that will offer widespread appeal to those interested in this vibrant and growing area. Outstanding." —Kirk Heilbrun, PhD, Professor and Head, Department of Psychology, Drexel University "In this volume, three noted experts have managed to capture the basic elements of forensic psychology. It is clearly written, well organized, and provides real world examples to hold the interest of any reader. While clarifying complex issues, the authors also present a very balanced discussion of a number of the most hotly debated topics." —Mary Alice Conroy, PhD, ABPP, Psychological Services Center, Sam Houston State University A Comprehensive, Up-to-Date Discussion of the Interface Between Forensic Psychology and Law Forensic Psychology and Law covers the latest theory, research, and practice in the field and provides thought-provoking discussion of topics with chapters on: Forensic assessment in criminal and civil domains Eyewitness identification Police investigations, interrogations, and confessions Correctional psychology Psychology, law, and public policy Ethics and professional issues
This first volume of an exciting annual series presents important new developments in the psychology behind issues in the law and its applications. Psychological theory is used to explore why many current legal policies and procedures can be ineffective or counterproductive, with special emphasis on new findings on how witnesses, jurors, and suspects may be influenced, sometimes leading to injustice. Expert scholars make recommendations for improvements, suggesting both future directions for research inquiries on topics and needed policy changes. Topics included in this initial offering have rarely been considered in such an in-depth fashion or are in need of serious re-thinking: Interrogation of minority suspects: pathways to true and false confessions. A comprehensive evaluation of showups. The weapon focus effect for person identifications and descriptions. The psychology of criminal jury instructions. Structured risk assessment and legal decision making. Children’s participation in legal proceedings: stress, coping, and consequences. Sex offender policy and prevention. The psychology of tort law. Demonstrating the scope and rigor that will characterize the series, Volume 1 of Advances in Psychology and Law will interest psychology and legal experts as well as practicing psychologists, and will inspire fresh thinking as the two fields continue to interact.
Offers psychological insights into how people perceive, respond to, value, and make decisions about the environment Environmental law may seem a strange space to seek insights from psychology. Psychology, after all, seeks to illuminate the interior of the human mind, while environmental law is fundamentally concerned with the exterior surroundings—the environment—in which people live. Yet psychology is a crucial, undervalued factor in how laws shape people’s interactions with the environment. Psychology can offer environmental law a rich, empirically informed account of why, when, and how people act in ways that affect the environment—which can then be used to more effectively pursue specific policy goals. When environmental law fails to incorporate insights from psychology, it risks misunderstanding and mispredicting human behaviors that may injure or otherwise affect the environment, and misprescribing legal tools to shape or mitigate those behaviors. The Psychology of Environmental Law provides key insights regarding how psychology can inform, explain, and improve how environmental law operates. It offers concrete analyses of the theoretical and practical payoffs in pollution control, ecosystem management, and climate change law and policy when psychological insights are taken into account.
This definitive work--now extensively revised with virtually all new chapters--has introduced generations of researchers to the psychological processes that underlie social behavior. What sets the book apart is its unique focus on the basic principles that guide theory building and research. Since work in the field increasingly transcends such boundaries as biological versus cultural or cognitive versus motivational systems, the third edition has a new organizational framework. Leading scholars identify and explain the principles that govern intrapersonal, interpersonal, intragroup, and intergroup processes, in chapters that range over multiple levels of analysis. The book's concluding section illustrates how social psychology principles come into play in specific contexts, including politics, organizational life, the legal arena, sports, and negotiation. New to This Edition *Most of the book is entirely new. *Stronger emphasis on the contextual factors that influence how and why the basic principles work as they do. *Incorporates up-to-date findings and promising research programs. *Integrates key advances in such areas as evolutionary theory and neuroscience.
A two-volume handbook that explores the theories and practice of correctional psychology With contributions from an international panel of experts in the field, The Wiley International Handbook of Correctional Psychology offers a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the most relevant topics concerning the practice of psychology in correctional systems. The contributors explore the theoretical, professional and practical issues that are pertinent to correctional psychologists and other professionals in relevant fields. The Handbook explores the foundations of correctional psychology and contains information on the history of the profession, the roles of psychology in a correctional setting and examines the implementation and evaluation of various interventions. It also covers a range of topics including psychological assessment in prisons, specific treatments and modalities as well as community interventions. This important handbook: Offers the most comprehensive coverage on the topic of correctional psychology Contains contributions from leading experts from New Zealand, Australia, Europe, and North America Includes information on interventions and assessments in both community and imprisonment settings Presents chapters that explore contemporary issues and recent developments in the field Written for correctional psychologists, academics and students in correctional psychology and members of allied professional disciplines, The Wiley International Handbook of Correctional Psychology provides in-depth coverage of the most important elements of the field.
