Books in the American Psychology-Law Society Series series

Examining the mistreatment of persons with mental disabilities around the world, Michael Perlin identifies universal factors that contaminate mental disability law, including lack of comprehensive legislation and of independent counsel; inadequate care; poor or nonexistent community programming; and inhumane forensic systems.

The Science and Law of School Segregation and Diversity examines the sources of the disconnect between scientific findings on school segregation and how the U.S. legal system addresses it; evaluates these sources' empirical and legal foundations; explains why they persist; and reveals what can be done about them.

International Perspectives on Violence Risk Assessment includes chapters by leading risk assessment scholars in more than 15 countries and explores the topic from a truly international outlook.

Eyewitness research has focused mainly on stranger identification, but identification is also critical for the "familiar stranger." Understanding how variability in an eyewitness's familiarity with the perpetrator may influence recall and recognition accuracy will facilitate swifter and more just resolutions to crime. Familiarity and Conviction in the Criminal Justice System explores the concept of familiarity, ranging from complete unfamiliarity (as with atotal stranger) to very familiar other (friends and family).

Psychological research has much to offer the criminal justice system. One of the first to recognize this was the German-American psychologist Hugo M¿nsterberg in the early 20th century. The issues M¿nsterberg raised, such as eyewitness misidentification and false confessions, continue to be of paramount importance in the 21st century. The present book reintroduces M¿nsterberg's work to a modern audience, using contemporary research and cases to showhow far we have come-and how far we still have to go-in applying psychological research to the courts.

Criminal Juries in the 21st Century explores the increasingly wide gulf between criminal trial law, procedures, and policy, and what scientific findings have revealed about the human experience of serving as a juror. Readers will contemplate myriad legal issues that arise when jurors decide criminal cases as well as cutting-edge psychological research that can be used to not only understand the performance and experience of the contemporary criminal jury,but also to improve it

The Ethical Practice of Forensic Psychology highlights the ethical standards and guidelines set forth by the American Psychological Association's (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (EPPCC) and the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology (SGFP). This Casebook provides readers with a practical review of these ethical standards and professional guidelines in the context of forensic case vignettes withcorresponding commentary by leaders in the field.

Rational Suicide, Irrational Laws argues that laws aimed at preventing suicide and laws aimed at facilitating it co-exist because they are based on two radically disparate conceptions of the would-be suicide. This is the first book that unifies policies and laws toward people who want to end their lives.

The Jury Under Fire reviews a number of controversial beliefs about juries that have persisted in recent years as well as the implications of these views for jury reform efforts. Each chapter focuses on a mistaken assumption or myth about jurors or juries, critiques the myth, and then uses social science research findings to suggest appropriate reforms.

Unique in its angle and in thebreadth of social issues it covers, Psychology, Law, and the Wellbeing of Children brings together new research and analyses to address how legal actions affect children's wellbeing.

Stress, Trauma, and Wellbeing in the Legal System presents theory, research, and scholarship from a variety of social scientific disciplines and offers suggestions for those interested in exploring and improving the wellbeing of those who are voluntarily or involuntarily drawn into the legal system.

This book presents a review of all current knowledge about the developmental effects of media on adolescents, from television and movies to magazines and advertising. Legal restrictions and less formal regulatory bodies are reviewed to present a full picture of the ways in which media is constrained to protect adolescents' development.

Social science research needs to expand beyond the courtroom and the jury room to address the multitude of factors involved in plea decisions and the influences at work on the various legal system players (e.g., defendants, defense attorneys, prosecutors, etc.). This work is both a culmination of the current state of plea bargaining research and a call to action for future researchers. All of the areas addressed - from innocents pleading guilty to prosecutor chargingdecisions to mass incarceration and felon disenfranchisement - merge to create a picture of our current criminal justice system as it really is, and how social science can move forward within it.

Children Who Resist Post-Separation Parental Contact is a critical, empirically based review of parental alienation that integrates the best research evidence with clinical insight from interviews with leading scholars and practitioners.

Bringing together experts in the fields of social science, forensic psychology and criminal justice, Using Social Science to Reduce Violent Offending addresses what truly works in reducing violent offending, promoting an approach to correctional policy grounded in an evidence-based and nuanced understanding of human behaviour.

In this book, Slobogin and Fondacaro present their vision for a new juvenile justice system, founded on the evidence at hand and promoting the principles of rehabilitation and reintegration into society. The authors develop their juvenile justice policy proposals effectively by carefully addressing the problems with past policy approches and recent theoretical contributions.

Murder in the Courtroom presents a comprehensive and detailed analysis of issues most relevant to answering questions regarding the link between cognitive functioning and violence.

Eyewitness testimony is highly compelling in a criminal trial, and can have an indelible impact on jurors. However, two decades of research on the subject have shown us that eyewitnesses are sometimes wrong, even when they are highly confident that they are making correct identifications. This book brings together an impressive group of researchers and practicing attorneys to provide current overviews and critiques of key topics in eyewitness testimony.

It is nearly impossible to carry out open, honest discussion of the death penalty because of the clouded discourses that are used to describe it. In this book, Craig Haney presents empirical data collected in over 25 years of research to draw light to the social and psychological realities behind the death penalty.

This volume describes the law related to, forensic assessment of, and treatment for psychological injuries, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder. Special attention is given to the empirical limits of forensic assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder, vulnerabilities in expert evidence, and empirically supported treatments.

Examining the psychology of Supreme Court decision-making, this book seeks to understand almost all aspects of the Supreme Court's functioning from a psychological perspective. It addresses many factors of influence, including the background of the justices, how they are nominated and appointed, the role of their law clerks, and more.

Explores the pressures on emergency departments and identifies the burdens and conflicts that undermine their efforts to provide compassionate care to people in psychiatric crisis. This book is for those working in a hospital emergency department, as well as health care policy makers and advocates for people with psychiatric disabilities.

Trial Consulting provides an in-depth examination of the primary activities of trial consultants, including discussion of the empirical support for those activities and ethical issues raised by them. The book also discusses the growth of the profession and consequent growing pains it has undergone, and recommends reforms that might move trial consulting forward as a respected profession.

The Behavioral Science of Firearms focuses on applying behavioral science principles and knowledge to inform and improve firearm-related policy, practice, and research. The authors provide comprehensive coverage of relevant case law and legal statutes, as well as issues pertaining to violence, suicide, and gun safety. Additional topics include civilian firearm ownership suitability; considerations for relevant professions (such as the military, lawenforcement, and corrections); self-care; and more.

Richly interdisciplinary in orientation, this insightful volume in the American Psychology-Law Society Series series explores the phenomena of captivity and risk management, guided and informed by the theory, method, and policy of psychological jurisprudence.