This thoroughly updated and revised new edition provides an essential overview of a full range of psychological contributions to the understanding of crime and the processes of dealing with offenders and helping their victims. From the cognitive, developmental and social processes that influence a diverse range of crimes, including burglary, fraud, rape and murder, to the challenges faced by the police and courts in investigating crime or securing reliable testimony, the text is packed with pedagogical features that bring this fascinating subject to life. These include boxes highlighting key topics or issues around research methods, further reading and suggested essay titles. Also including chapters on rehabilitation in prisons and the psychology of victims, the text examines hot topics such as gang membership and terrorism, as well as discussing how psychology may better understand criminals and criminal behaviour in the future. It builds to a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the field. It will be ideal for students across psychology, criminology and socio-legal studies and law.
Applied Criminal Psychology provides the reader with a comprehensive and practical guide to psychological research and techniques. It is introductory and wide-ranging and covers important forensic aspects of psychology, psychiatry, and behavioral sciences. Many key forensic issues are covered, including personality disorders, risk assessment, the forensic psychologist as an expert witness, detecting deception, eyewitness memory, cognitive interviewing, forensic hypnosis, false confessions, criminal profiling, and crisis negotiation. With this new edition and starting with the first two chapters, significant focus has been placed upon Psychopathy and the closely associated DSM category of Anti-Social Personality Disorder. Another new chapter has also been included dedicated to the principles of law associated with an accused person's mental status. The book is international and interdisciplinary in its scope and focus. Many of the contributors to this book are well known scholars and/or practitioners. It will be of great interest to psychologists, psychiatrists, criminologists, legal professionals, law enforcement personnel and students who are planning careers in forensic psychology, criminology, and policing.
Topics in Applied Psychology offers a range of accessible, integrated texts ideal for courses in applied psychology. The books are written by leading figures in their field and provide a comprehensive academic and professional insight into each topic. They incorporate a range of features to bring psychology to life including case histories, research methods, ethical debate and learner activities. Each chapter opens with learning objectives to consolidate key points. A reading list and sample essay questions at the end of chapters enable further independent study. The series also offers an appreciation of multiple perspectives, examines the relationship between psychology and other cognate disciplines and discusses recent developments in each field. Topics in Applied Psychology will provide you with the tools you need to engage with, enjoy and understand your applied psychology discipline, ultimately ensuring confidence and success in exams as well as a comprehensive grounding in the profession. Criminal Psychology examines the contributions that psychology is making to our understanding of criminals, the investigation of their crimes, processes in court and the management and treatment of offenders in prison. The psychological contributions to investigations are assessed with regard to interviewing and detecting deception as well as examining the nature and meaning of offender profiling. The role of psychologists as experts in court is reviewed followed by a look at how psychologists work with prisoners. The psychology of the victim is also examined. The book concludes with a discussion of the future of crime and the growing contribution that psychology is making to understanding criminals and reducing their activities. The integrated and interactive approach, combined with the comprehensive coverage, makes this book the ideal companion for courses in applied criminal psychology. Other books in this series include: Clinical Psychology, Educational Psychology, Health Psychology, Organizational and Work Psychology and Sport and Exercise Psychology.
Few things should go together better than psychology and law - and few things are getting together less successfully. Edited by four psychologists and a lawyer, and drawing on contributions from Europe, the USA and Australia, Applying Psychology to Criminal Justice argues that psychology should be applied more widely within the criminal justice system. Contributors develop the case for successfully applying psychology to justice by providing a rich range of applicable examples for development now and in the future. Readers are encouraged to challenge the limited ambition and imagination of psychology and law by examining how insights in areas such as offender cognition and decision-making under pressure might inform future investigation and analysis.
Criminal psychology is the application of the principles of normal and abnormal psychology to the understanding, prediction, and control of criminal behavior. Criminal Psychology: Nature, Nurture, Culture provides an in-depth yet readable introduction to the foundations of criminal psychology as it is understood and practiced from the classroom to the courtroom. The book is organized into five sections. Part I examines the nature and origins of criminal behavior. These chapters outline the role of psychology in the criminal justice system, and review the biology, psychology, and sociology of crime to develop a naturalistic model of criminal behavior that can guide theory and practice in law enforcement, criminal justice, and forensic evaluation. Part II examines the major classes of mental disorder that may be associated with criminal behavior, including psychotic disorders, mood disorders, organic brain syndromes, substance abuse, and personality disorders. Each chapter consists of a description of the syndrome, followed by applications to law enforcement, criminal justice, and forensic mental health issues of competency, sanity, and criminal culpability. Part III deals with death. Topics include homicide, serial murder, mass homicide, workplace and school violence, and terrorism. Part IV covers sexual offenses and crimes within the family, including rape and sexual assault, sex crimes against children, child battery, domestic violence, and family homicide. Part V discusses the psychological dynamics of a variety of common crimes, such as stalking and harassment, theft and robbery, gang violence, organized crime, arson, hate crimes, victimology, the psychology of corrections, and the death penalty. Each chapter contains explanatory tables and sidebars that illustrate the chapter’s main topic with examples from real-life cases and the media, and explore controversies surrounding particular issues in criminal psychology, such as criminal profiling, sexual predator laws, dealing with children who kill, psychotherapy with incarcerated offenders, and the use of “designer defenses” in court. Grounded in thorough scholarship and written in a crisp, engaging style, this volume is the definitive handbook and reference source for forensic psychologists, mental health practitioners, attorneys, judges, law enforcement professionals, and military personnel. It will also serve as an authoritative core text for courses in forensic psychology, criminology, and criminal justice practice.
This ground-breaking text is the first to provide a detailed overview of Investigative Psychology, from the earliest work through to recent studies, including descriptions of previously unpublished internal reports. Crucially it provides a framework for students to explore this exciting terrain, combining Narrative Theory and an Action Systems framework. It includes empirically tested models for Offender Profiling and guidance for investigations, as well as an agenda for research in Investigative Psychology. Investigative Psychology features: The full range of crimes from fraud to terrorism, including burglary, serial killing, arson, rape, and organised crime Important methodologies including multi-dimensional scaling and the Radex approach as well as Social Network Analysis Geographical Offender Profiling, supported by detailed analysis of the underlying psychological processes that make this such a valuable investigative decision support tool The full range of investigative activities, including effective information collection, detecting deception and the development of decision support systems. In effect, this text introduces an exciting new paradigm for a wide range of psychological contributions to all forms of investigation within and outside of law enforcement. Each chapter has actual cases and quotations from offenders and ends with questions for discussion and research, making this a valuable text for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Applied and Forensic Psychology, Criminology, Socio-Legal Studies and related disciplines.
Drawing on psychological theory and research, this text outlines the core roles of the forensic psychology profession, providing students with a broad overview of the field and bringing to life the work of the forensic psychologists. Written by leading UK practitioners and researchers working in a range of contexts, it invites students to reflect on how psychological literature helps us to understand people in contact with the justice system. Forensic psychology is continually evolving as a discipline and profession, shaping and responding to changes in legal processes, policies and provision. This book highlights the work of forensic psychologists, which covers a range of areas including assessment and intervention, applied research, consultancy and the training and development of staff working in forensic services such as secure services or community settings. Case studies are used to link psychological theory to practice, showcasing the latest developments in the field, and providing students with insights into best practice. The book further challenges myths in the field, encouraging students to humanise human harm and to apply compassion in their understanding of offending behaviour. Each chapter includes tasks and scenarios to promote critical thinking around theory and practice in what is an exciting time to work in this evolving field. As a field of study and a profession within the systems for criminal and civil justice, forensic psychology overlaps and interacts with many other areas within and outside of psychology. As such, this volume details the contribution of forensic psychology to a range of presentations and organisational and professional issues, and is an ideal resource for courses in forensic psychology.
Forensic psychology has developed and extended from an original, narrow focus on presenting evidence to the courts to a wider application across the whole span of civil and criminal justice, which includes dealing with suspects, offenders, victims, witnesses, defendants, litigants and justice professionals. This Handbook provides an encyclopedic-style source regarding the major concerns in forensic psychology. It is an invaluable reference text for practitioners within community, special hospital, secure unit, prison, probation and law enforcement forensic settings, as well as being appropriate for trainees and students in these areas. It will also serve as a companion text for lawyers and psychiatric and law enforcement professionals who wish to be apprised of forensic psychology coverage. Each entry provides a succinct outline of the topic, describes current thinking, identifies relevant consensual or contested aspects and alternative positions. Readers are presented with key issues and directed towards specialized sources for further reference.
`This is a competently edited, reader-friendly publication which fills a previously empty niche in the market. Every applied psychologist should have a copy well within arm's length' - British Journal of Educational Psychology Applied Psychology: Current Issues and New Directions is an exciting new textbook and a perfect resource for students taking either a focussed degree in applied psychology or a module as part of a wider psychology degree program. Given its breadth of coverage it should also be essential background reading on courses looking in depth at one of the many areas of professional psychological practice. The book is divided into two parts. In Part One, the book reviews the traditional branches of applied psychology (i.e. clinical, educational and occupational psychology); some relative newcomers (counselling psychology, forensic and health psychology); and some less obvious areas (careers guidance, counselling, academia) addressing such issues as training, future trends and developments within each field. Part Two offers discussion of more generic issues facing professional psychologists including the role of research and evidence-based practice in everyday work; trends in higher education; and continuing professional development. The book concludes with a `Round-Table' discussion involving leading psychologists commenting on trends and new directions in their respective fields. Key features of this book: - Consistently pedagogical throughout - chapter summaries, questions for reflection and discussion and annotated further reading in every chapter - Comprehensive coverage - all areas of applied psychology included - Related to the `real world' - by reviewing the issues and offering practical advice, this text should help prospective applied psychologists make informed decisions about their careers.
This is the first comprehensive guide to the range of research methods available to applied psychologists. Ideally suited to students and researchers alike, and covering both quantitative and qualitative techniques, the book takes readers on a journey from research design to final reporting. The book is divided into four sections, with chapters written by leading international researchers working in a range of applied settings: Getting Started Data Collection Data Analysis Research Dissemination With coverage of sampling and ethical issues, and chapters on everything from experimental and quasi-experimental designs to longitudinal data collection and focus groups, the book provides a concise overview not only of the options available for applied research, but also of how to make sense of the data produced. It includes chapters on organizational interventions and the use of digital technologies, and concludes with chapters on how to publish your research, whether it’s a thesis, journal article or organisational report. This is a must-have book for anyone conducting psychological research in an applied setting.
