Edited by
William O'Donohue, University of Nevada, Reno, USA
Eric Levensky, Univeristy of Nevada, Reno, U.S.A.
Description
Forensic psychology has mushroomed into a diverse and increasingly complex field that is equal parts law and psychology. Psychologists
act as expert witnesses in legal cases - sometimes without knowing much about the laws involved, and legal professionals rely on the
assessment of psychologists sometimes without knowing much about how such assessments are made.
The purpose of this handbook is to
provide professionals with current, practical, and empirically based information to guide their work in forensic settings, or to better
their understanding of the issues and debates in forensic psychology.
Divided into four sections, the
Handbook of Forensic
Psychology covers basic issues, assessment, mental disorders and forensic psychology, and special topics. The basic issue chapters
present a primer on law for the psychologist, a primer on psychology for attorneys, an overview of ethical issues relevant to forensic
psychology, and a chapter on forensic report writing. The assessment section discusses factors and measures relevant for assessing a
variety of behaviors, propensities, and capabilities, including dangerousness, violence, suicide, competency, substance abuse, PTSD and
neuropsychological evaluations, as well as discussing interviewing children and child custody evaluations. Additional chapters discuss
eyewitness testimony, recovered memory, polygraphs, sexual harassment, juror selection, and issues of ethnicity in forensic psychology.
Audience:
Forensic clinical psychologists looking to have a larger forensic psychology practice.
