The much-anticipated Second Edition of "Psychological Problems, Social Issues, and Law" offers updated research, legal cases, and new examples. The text uses historical and systems perspectives to examine the interaction between the social science community and the law. Each chapter contains a historical or a philosophical introduction to a problem, followed by discussion of the major legal issues and reviews of a wide range of research, including experimental literature. In addition to addressing many topics typically covered in psychology and law texts, Levine emphasizes social problems, dealing with issues such as abortion, intimate partner violence, divorce and custody, child protection, and more."

This introductory text introduces a historical and systems perspective to the interaction between the social science community and the law by discussing history, due process, civil law, and much more. With unique chapters that introduce the reader to the American legal system and to the relationship between the law and the social sciences, the reader will come away from the text with an appreciation of the intimate interrelationships between the field of psychology and law.

The Third Edition of Psychological Problems, Social Issues and the Law offers updated research, legal cases, and new examples. The text uses historical and systems perspectives to illustrate how Psychology and other social sciences interact with the law. Chapters contain an introduction to an important social problem, followed by discussion of the major legal issues and a review of relevant social science research, including experimental literature and ethical considerations. The text emphasizes a wide range of social problems, including abortion, intimate partner violence, divorce, custody, child protection, competence of minors, sexual harassment, and much more. The goal is to offer readers a broad perspective to view the work of social scientists and lawyers, clinicians and judges in the larger context of the systems of which they are a part. New material points readers to resources to learn more about the topics or opportunities for further study and research.

Psychological research can provide constructive explanations of key problems in the criminal justice system--and can help generate solutions. This state-of-the-art text dissects the psychological processes associated with fundamental legal questions: Is a suspect lying? Will an incarcerated individual be dangerous in the future? Is an eyewitness accurate? How can false memories be implanted? How do juries, experts, forensic examiners, and judges make decisions, and how can racial and other forms of bias be minimized? Chapters offer up-to-date reviews of relevant theory, experimental methods, and empirical findings. Specific recommendations are made for improving the quality of evidence and preserving the integrity of investigative and legal proceedings.

Much legal research undertaken by psychologists has had a minimal impact upon law and public policy in the United States. This book diagnoses and offers a blueprint for correcting this fundamental problem.

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

Lie detection, offender profiling, jury selection, insanity in the law, predicting the risk of re-offending , the minds of serial killers and many other topics that fill news and fiction are all aspects of the rapidly developing area of scientific psychology broadly known as Forensic Psychology. Forensic Psychology: A Very Short Introduction discusses all the aspects of psychology that are relevant to the legal and criminal process as a whole. It includes explanations of criminal behaviour and criminality, including the role of mental disorder in crime, and discusses how forensic psychology contributes to helping investigate the crime and catching the perpetrators. It also explains how psychologists provide guidance to all those involved in civil and criminal court proceedings, including both the police and the accused, and what expert testimony can be provided by a psychologist about the offender at the trial. Finally, David Canter examines how forensic psychology is used, particularly in prisons, to help in the management, treatment and rehabilitation of offenders, once they have been convicted. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.