Psychology and Law: Research and Practice / Edition 1

by Curtis R. Bartol, Anne M. Bartol

Overview

Psychology and Law offers the definitive perspective on the practical application of psychological research to the law. Authors Curt R. Bartol and Anne M. Bartol emphasize the various roles psychologists and other mental health professionals can play throughout the text. Insight is offered into the application of psychology in criminal and non-criminal matters. Topics such as family law, insanity, police interrogation, jury selection and decision making, involuntary civil commitment, and various civil capacities are included. This comprehensive text examines complex material in detail and explains it in an easy-to-read way. The authors emphasize the major contributions psychological research has made to the law, and encourage critical analysis through examples of court cases, high-profile current events, and research.

“The writing is concise and student-friendly. . . . The text incorporates contemporary cases and information and maintains a good balance between the important issues in psychology and law.”

—Barbara Abbott, New England College

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452258911
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	03/25/2014
Pages:	520
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Curt R. Bartol was a college professor for more than 30 years, teaching a wide variety of both undergraduate and graduate courses, including Biopsychology, Criminal Behavior, Juvenile Delinquency, Introduction to Forensic Psychology, Social Psychology, and Psychology and Law. He earned his PhD in personality/social psychology from Northern Illinois University in 1972. He was instrumental in creating and launching Castleton State College’s graduate program in forensic psychology and served as its director for 6 years. As a licensed clinical psychologist, he has been a consulting police psychologist to local, municipal, state, and federal law enforcement agencies for over 25 years. In addition to editing Current Perspectives, he has written Introduction to Forensic Psychology (forthcoming in its 4th edition), Criminal Behavior: A Psychosocial Approach (now in its 10th ed.), Juvenile Delinquency and Antisocial Behavior: A Developmental Perspective (3rd ed.), Criminal and Behavioral Profiling, and Psychology and Law (4th ed.).

Anne M. Bartol earned an MA and a PhD in criminal justice from State University of New York at Albany. She also holds an MA in journalism from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She taught criminal justice, sociology, and journalism courses over a 20-year college teaching career and has worked as a journalist and a social worker in child and adolescent protective services In addition to editing Current Perspectives, she has co-authored Introduction to Forensic Psychology, Juvenile Delinquency, Psychology and Law, and Criminal Behavior. She has served as book review editor and managing editor of Criminal Justice and Behavior and has published articles on women and criminal justice, rural courts, and the history of forensic psychology.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction
Psychology and Law: Three Approaches
Ways of Knowing and the Methods of Science
Courts and the Method of Science
Psychology and the Law: A Challenging Alliance
Defining and Classifying Law
Psychology and Law: Some Differences
Chapter 2: Psychology and the Courts: An Overview
Organization of the Courts
The Judicial Process
The Psychologist as an Expert Witness
Chapter 3: The Investigative Process
Legal Background
Detection of Deception
Forensic Interrogation
The Psychology of False Confessions
The Polygraph
Chapter 4: Competencies and Criminal Responsibility
Competency to Stand Trial
Insanity
Special Conditions and Unique Defenses
Chapter 5: Eyewitness Evidence
Human Perception and Memory
Estimator and System Variables
Eyewitness Estimator Variables
System Variables in Eyewitness Testimony
Children as Witnesses
Elderly Witnesses
Pretrial Identification Methods
Chapter 6: The Trial Jury
Overview of the Jury
Jury Research
Jury Selection
Jury Size and Decision Rule
Jury Instructions
Death Sentencing
The Death Qualification Process
Death Qualified Excludables
Clinical and Statistical Prediction in Capital Cases
Capital Sentencing Instructions
Jury Nullification
Chapter 7: Jury and Judicial Decision Making
The Jury Decision Making Process
Judicial Decision Making
Chapter 8: Controversial Psychological Topics in The Courtroom
Overview of Profiling
Criminal Scene Profiling
The CSI Effect: Fact or Fiction?
Paths to Admission of Evidence
Standards for Admission of Profiling Testimony
Profiling as Expert Evidence
The Psychological Autopsy
Forensic Hypothesis
Chapter 9: Psychology and the Family Court
The Modern Family Court
Changes in Family Court in Recent Years
Divorce and Child Custody
Psychological Effects of Divorce and Custodial Arrangements
Roles of Mental Health Profession in Child Custody Matters
Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR)
Contemporary Special Issues in Custody Decision Making
Chapter 10: Involuntary Civil Commitment
A Brief History
Modern Commitment Statutes
Civil Commitment Proceedings
Duty to Warn and/or Protect
Research on Dangerousness
Involuntary Outpatient Commitments
Voluntary Commitments
Informed Consent and the Right to Refuse Treatment
Civil Commitment of Sex Offenders
Chapter 11: Psychology of Civil Litigation
Civil Capacities
End of Life Issues
Psychology in the Employment Sphere
Wrongful Death and Personal Injury Suits
Psychology in the Educational Sphere
Chapter 12: Psychological Assessement and the Law
Forensic Classifications of Assessment and Testing
Clinical Measures and Assessment Techniques
Forensically Relevant Instruments
Forensic Assessment Instruments
Forensic Evaluations in Delinquency Cases

Editorial Reviews

The writing is concise and student-friendly. . . . The text incorporates contemporary cases and information and maintains a good balance between the important issues in psychology and law.

Barbara Abbott