As law is instituted by society to serve society, there can be no
question that psychology plays an important and inevitable role in the
legal process, clarifying or complicating legal issues. In this
enlightening text, Roesch, Hart, Ogloff, and the contributors review all
the key areas of the use of psychological expertise in civil, criminal,
and family law. An impressive selection of academic scholars and legal
professionals discusses the contributions that psychology brings to the
legal arena.
Topics examined in this insightful text include:
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juries and the current empirical literature
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witnesses and the validity of reports
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preventing mistaken convictions in eyewitness identification trials
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forensic assessment and treatment
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predicting violence in mentally and personality disordered individuals
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employment and discrimination
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new `best interests' standards for children in courts
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education and training in psychology and law, and
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ethical and legal contours of forensic psychology.
The volume also features a noteworthy appendix on specialty guidelines
for forensic psychologists.
Psychology and Law collects a range of expert testimony in its
thorough examination of the legal process, affording readers a unique
survey of contemporary knowledge.