Introduction to Forensic Psychology

This book is a broad introduction to the field of forensic psychology. While students most often associate forensic psychology with criminal profiling, crime-scene investigations, and serial murder, this text covers the many other areas where psychology has played a significant role in providing research knowledge to the civil and criminal justice systems. The book is a readable summary of contemporary research and practice across a broad spectrum of topics. Practical applications are discussed where pertinent, and case law discussions are found throughout the text. This book is designed for undergraduate and graduate students studying forensic psychology in psychology, criminal justice, and criminology courses. This book will also be of interest to mental health professionals and anyone looking for a basic overview of the field. New to the Third Edition: - more real-life cases, new guest essays, and 2-3 new photos per chapter involve students in the 'human side' of forensic psychology - new information on timely topics - such as relationships between mental disorders and crime and violence, sexual deviance, death penalty mitigation, restorative justice initiatives, arson and typologies of juvenille offenders, sexual harassment, and criminal sentencing - new focus boxes cover drug courts, doctoral programs in forensic psychology, the 'choking game', the Innocence Project, bias crime, and many others - a greater emphasis on clinical psychology throughout - thoroughly revised coverage of police psychology - substantially re-organized material on profiling - revised and expanded lecturer resources and student study site Key Features of the Third Edition: - broad coverage makes the text ideal for undergraduate and postgraduate students of both criminology and psychology - exposes readers to the many careers related to forensic psychology - concentrates on the application side of the field, focusing on research-based forensic practice to emphasize the use of psychological knowledge, concepts, and principles - emphasises the multicultural perspective that is an integral part of the day-to-day work of all practicing and research psychologists - in-text learning aids include chapter-opening learning objectives, chapter-ending review questions, chapter summaries, and a glossary of key terms.