Forensic Psychology

This book is written for undergraduate students of psychology and covers all the main topics in the forensic field, from the committing of the crime, through arrests, the trial process and what happens after sentencing. It is both broad enough to give a comprehensive coverage, and detailed enough to do justice to each aspect. Arranged in four parts, leading experts in the research field have commissioned experienced teachers to provide a teaching resource that is up to date and easy to use on courses. In Part 1, The Anatomy of Crime, definitions and measurements as well as theories of why crime is committed are covered; in Part 2, Investigating Crime, interviewing victims, witnesses and suspects, detecting deception and identifying perpetrators are included; Part 3, The Trial Process includes detailed coverage of judicial processes, safeguarding witnesses, evidence, and the role of experts in a number of contexts. A final part, After Sentencing, includes a discussion of the role of sentencing and working with offenders.

Graham M. Davies is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Leicester, UK and holds Honorary Professorships at the Universities of Birmingham and Coventry. He has published extensively on eyewitness testimony in children and adults and the support of vulnerable witnesses at court, and appears regularly as an expert witness. He is a former president of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition and of the European Association for Psychology and Law, and he also sits as a Magistrate on the Melton, Belvoir and Rutland bench.

Clive R. Hollin is Professor of Criminological Psychology in the School of Psychology at the University of Leicester, UK. Alongside his various university appointments, he has worked as a psychologist in prisons, special hospitals and regional secure units. In 1998 he received the Senior Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Field of Legal, Criminological and Forensic Psychology from the British Psychological Society.

Ray Bull is Professor of Forensic Psychology at the University of Leicester. His main research interest lies in investigative interviewing, on which he has published extensively and presented invited lectures in many parts of the world and acts regularly as an expert witness. In 2006, Ray was invited by the Association of chief Police Officers of England and Wales to be a member of the Approval Panel for Selecting Regional Interview Advisors (experienced police officers who advise others on how to conduct interviews in serious cases).