Forensic and Legal Psychology: An Introduction
The discipline of forensic and legal psychology sits at the intersection of psychological research and the practical application of that research within the confines of the law. Essentially, forensic and legal psychology is the integration of psychological principles with the operations of the legal system, both criminal and civil.
This area of psychology is of great importance in all jurisdictions and is of specific relevance in relation to the area of corrections, particularly the topic of risk assessment of offending behaviour. The 4th edition is of particular relevance in this area, particularly because it draws a distinction between different types of risk assessment, and how those differing types of risk assessments are to be applied, particularly in the role of sentencing decisions . Specific chapters of the book discuss the probabilities of violence, sexual offenses, and recidivism, and the applicability of these topics to particular situations. Forensic and legal psychology has developed rapidly over recent years, and the 4th edition seeks to update the reader on the current state of knowledge in this area, and to assist with the practical application of this knowledge in the courtroom, particularly, and also within clinical settings more generally. Here, the 4th edition of Forensic and legal psychology is of great relevance.
Key Highlights of the 4th Edition
Forensic and Legal Psychology 4th Edition embraces the dramatic growth in legal psychology over the past decade and presents the most current research available on the psychological aspects of civil and criminal law. As a reference, it includes more than 3500 subject entries, ranging from 50 words for Terms and Issues to 500 words for Essays, and provides readers with an extensive compilation of research findings, theories, and methods of expert opinion on all aspects of legal psychology. The 4th edition offers a completely revised and expanded version of the 3rd edition that includes a wide variety of updates. Chapters and essays have been modified to reflect new developments, including the criminal competency proceedings, eyewitness testimony, and Canadian child custody cases; and all essays have been updated. The 4th edition also includes 50% more content and an expanded glossary, a revised bibliography, and a completely revised and expanded index. New material includes in-text definitions, a detailed appendix with a glossary of key concepts, and a selected reference list of major textbooks.
Uses in Forensic Psychology
The concepts and principles set out in "Forensic and Legal Psychology 4th Edition" can help inform the work that professionals do in the legal field, providing evidence-based insights into how people respond within legal systems and how these systems can be improved. This can influence everything from interviewing techniques to jury selection, and beyond.
For example, one of the areas explored in detail in the book is the psychological aspects of criminal behavior and the motivations behind certain offenses. This information can be helpful in investigative work, helping those seeking to crack cases to read the tell-tale signs that a criminal may leave behind, and understand the more likely scenarios that could arise. This can help investigations both to stop potential crimes and to identify and prosecute those who have committed them.
The text also covers the whole spectrum of criminal justice proceedings, even examining the academic perspectives of those who have studied trials and juries. Those involved with those systems can look to the book for guidance on the kinds of things that jurors want to know and that they tend to pay attention to. This can be invaluable in the courtroom and extend all the way to charges brought by law enforcement agencies to which the same psychological principles can apply to ensure the integrity of the processes used.
Additionally, information looking at how media impacts jurors, or the ways that emotional responses can affect courtroom dynamics, can be indispensable to lawyers and investigators alike. The different ways that psychological principles can be put to use in the legal environment demonstrate the various applications that come up across professions, and the 4th edition has a lot to say with respect to these issues.
Forensic psychology is constantly being used at courts and by the legal system as a whole. The work that goes into ensuring that the most effective and scientifically valid methods of research are right there in "Forensic and Legal Psychology 4th Edition", and interdisciplinary work is always encouraged.
Significant Cases and Applications
The 4th edition of "Forensic and Legal Psychology: Psychological Science Applied to Law" incorporates many new features, including several new, updated, or expanded case studies. Let’s briefly look at one or two of these.
Dr. Williams P. McCrea’s chapter on false confessions, for instance, begins with the murder of eight-year-old Leanne Tiernan, who was abducted from her home in West Yorkshire, England. A suspect was arrested only after a witness spotted Leanne’s killer attempting to dispose of a bloody necklace belonging to the victim. That suspect confessed, claiming that he had been given information from a husband and wife who were registered on the National DNA database. However, that couple had an alibi, and were later exonerated. Further investigations revealed that McCrea’s subject had killed Leanne, but had lied about the couple’s involvement, in an attempt to obtain a reduced sentence if he cooperated with police.
McCrea then describes a very different false confession, that of Tomasz M. Szaniawski, who was charged after the death of his father and stepmother. Szaniawski confessed during a lengthy interview, after being presented with evidence that reunification with his mother (who was not satisfied with prosecutors’ behavior toward Szaniawski) could occur if he cooperated with authorities. Szaniawski later recanted.
In McCrea’s own research, he was interested in "why some false confessions develop while others do not?" His theory is that "presenting false evidence during interrogation shapes how the suspect understands his situation," and that "particular suspect characteristics or situations could increase the risk of a false confession."
There are many other such examples, each illustrating a different aspect of forensic psychology.
Impact on Legal Settings and the Justice System
The impact of reading the 4th edition of "Forensic and Legal Psychology" is profound across the individual who reads the book as well as it’s impact on the lawyer, judge or psychologist who will use it to teach, learn from or use it as a resource in the future. For instance, the lawyer who writes a brief and uses forensic psychology information that lawyer must recognize how forensic psychology might impact the facts of the case itself. The judge who reads the book will have the information to challenge the testimony of a psychological expert in the case before the Court. The judge will also understand how the forensic psychologist actually evaluated the defendant who is charged with the brutal sexual attack on the woman in case.
Lawyers are likely to appreciate an understanding of mental disease and defect, the insanity defense, the impact of bias and prejudice on police investigations and interrogations and the development of profiling techniques. All of these issues impact the individual evidence in the case , the jury what they think about the case and ultimately the outcome. For instance, how are the jury influenced by a person who testifies to being an expert in forensic psychology in the case they are trying? Do jurors understand the meaning of post-traumatic stress disorder in victim testimony? Is the jury really able to sort out the line between good science and junk science when it comes to profiling techniques in the case?
Learning about these issues helps a lawyer advocate on behalf of their client. Understanding the scientific basis of the expert testimony on the side of the lawyer is helpful to having more specific cross-examination questions during trial. More importantly, the value of learning and understanding these issues is it allows the lawyer to properly vet an expert and avoid calling an expert or having their own client testify to something which is not considered valid by the forensic community.
Reviews and Critiques
The fourth edition of the widely used reference for forensic psychologists is from its original authors, Drs. Kirk Heilbrun and Thomas Grisso, two authors with extensive experience in the field. In this new edition, they have carefully considered the many changes in the social and legal environment since the publication of the previous edition. As the editors note, "In the 26 years since the first edition of this text appeared, the field of forensic psychology has evolved in fundamental ways. The professional links to our disciplines—the law, psychology, and psychiatry—are stronger than ever before. The nature of practice in each of these three fields has diversified, and practitioners have become increasingly more specialized." (Heilbrun & Grisso, 2009).
Critical reception of the book has been generally positive. Professor and Clinical Psychologist Michael J. Marcus called the book "well organized and well written" with "well-developed" chapters. " Forensic and Legal Psychology 4th edition," he says, "provides material that all forensic psychologists should know in order to avoid incidents of mishaps or mistakes that could be detrimental to the court system. I expect students to have a very good understanding of the issues that we need to be aware of after having read this book. In addition, many of the topics covered in the book are relevant in a general clinical practice setting too." (November 13, 2010)
Reviews of the book in academic journals have also been positive. Mr. Andrew Scull, a psychologist in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin noted that "New evidence and emerging perspectives are presented. … [the book is] a skillfully edited book which contains an abundance of useful and relevant information. … This is an excellent textbook for an introduction to forensic psychology."(Scull, 2011)(Scull, 2011).
Conclusion and Outlook
The future of forensic and legal psychology is likely to evolve in ways that could have a significant impact on the next edition. Technological advancements in virtual reality, artificial intelligence (AI), and psychometrics are all areas that we can expect to see more frequent use in the criminal court system, particularly for witness preparation and jury training. The Fourth Edition notes the emergence of "sport psychology" in the UK – which offers a model for psychologists to work alongside barristers and solicitors during trial preparation. It will be interesting to assess the engagement of forensic psychologists in the family courts over the next few years, particularly the recognition of their expertise to the family courts and whether the number of forensic psychologists used in court contexts will materially change as a result.
The research conducted by the authors also indicates that the need for forensic and legal psychologists to adapt their knowledge and skills to the different realities and demands of legal systems has never been more urgent. The book provides an understanding of the law and practice in the different courts in England and Wales but as they note, the law – like psychology – is constantly evolving , and changes that occur may not yet be captured within the Fourth Edition. This is the trade-off that authors need to make. The researchers confirm that while the research for the previous three editions has allowed them to develop in-depth knowledge of current frameworks, they had to balance this with flexibility to deal with the 20% of terminology and practice that they felt would still be relevant. In short, while the Fourth Edition has attempted to remain relevant it cannot hope to capture the future of forensic and legal psychology.
What’s more the Fourth Edition, as the authors themselves note, is already dated in that it was based on foreseeing the demand for psychologists in the 2000s. So any psychologist contemplating the potential needs of the courts may choose to anticipate the needs of the 2020s, rather the next incremental changes in the next five years, but the reality is that much of what psychologists may presume to see is both constrained and contextual and subject to change.
This uncertainty might be important to any forensic psychologist with ambitions to work with legal practitioners and courts over the coming years. As this book suggests, the challenges that await us as practitioners and researchers in this field represent some of the biggest intellectual and ethical challenges of the modern age and so the questions we have to address are unlikely to reduce.