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Forensic Psychology Book Of The MonthWelcome to the forensic psychology book of the month page. I decided to launch this page on the website in response to a number of e-mails I received, so many thanks to all of you who got in touch. Whether you are new to forensic psychology, currently studying the topic, or consider yourself an expert in the field, each of the books featured as a forensic psychology book of the month will have something to offer you. They will also help further your understanding of the application of psychology within the criminal justice system and/or specific areas of forensic psychology theory and practice. If you would like to be alerted as soon as new additions are added to the forensic psychology book of the month page, simply enter your details below.
The following slideshow showcases all the forensic Psychology book of the month titles to date. A detailed review of each book can be found below.
June 2009The Art and Science of Child Custody Evaluations by Jonathan W. Gould & David A. Martindale
Book Description Addressing key topics in child custody evaluation, this book provides essential knowledge for practitioners who want to meet the highest standards for both scientific validity and legal admissibility. The authors are leading experts who describe the latest data-based approaches to understanding and assessing relevant child, parent, and family factors. Going beyond the basics, the book gives in-depth attention to challenging, frequently encountered issues, such as how to evaluate allegations of domestic violence, child sexual abuse, and child alienation. Also covered are the complexities of interviewing children effectively and working in the adversarial forensic context. A user-friendly appendix contains sample letters and statements of understanding, with permission to photocopy. See following link for more details: The Art and Science of Child Custody Evaluations May 2009Principles and Practice of Trial Consultation by Stanley L. Brodsky
Book Description A pragmatic guide to a growing area of professional practice, this book describes the multiple roles of the trial consultant and provides tools for carrying them out competently and ethically. Leading authority Stanley Brodsky uses examples from actual trials and depositions to illustrate how knowledge and skills from psychology and related fields are applied in the legal context. Brodsky shows how to use scientific methods and findings to assist with jury selection, help attorneys focus their arguments, prepare witnesses for the rigors of cross-examination, and conduct change of venue evaluations. The examples are drawn from a wide range of civil and criminal cases. In addition to behavioral scientists, legal professionals also will find important insights and strategies in this book. See following link for more details: Principles and Practice of Trial Consultation April 2009Dictionary of Forensic Psychology by Graham J. Towl, David P. Farrington, David A. Crighton & Gareth Hughes
Book Description Over the past decade forensic psychology has grown rapidly as a subject, with an increasing number of forensic psychologists under training and working in demanding roles in prisons, secure training facilities, and high, medium and low security healthcare facilities as well as other parts of the criminal justice system.This "Dictionary" is part of a new series of "Dictionaries" covering key aspects of criminal justice and the criminal justice system, designed to meet the needs of both students and practitioners. It contains approximately 300 entries (of between 500 and 1500 words) on key terms and concepts arranged alphabetically. These entries are contributed by leading academic and practising forensic psychologists. It is designed to meet the needs of both students and practitioners. The entries includes summary definition, main text and key texts and sources takes full account of the criteria and syllabus for the BPS-approved Diploma in Forensic Psychology and MSc in Forensic Psychology. The book is edited by leading authorities in the forensic psychology field. See following link for more details: Dictionary of Forensic Psychology March 2009Forensic Uses of Clinical Assessment Instruments by Robert P. Archer
Book Description The purpose of this book is to provide a firm basis for psychologists to understand the appropriate uses and limitations of popular clinical assessment measures as they are applied to forensic issues. The instruments were selected because of their wide use and importance in both clinical and forensic settings. The PCL-R, the PAI, and MCMI-II, for example, are typically used with adults in criminal evaluations; the MMPI-A is often used in evaluating adolescents in detention and correctional facilities; while the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) (Achenbach, 1991), Personality Inventory for Children—Second Edition (PIC-2) (Lachar & Gruber, 2001), and Parenting Stress Index (PSI) (Abidin, 1995) are more commonly used in evaluating families involved in child protection and custody cases. Instruments such as the MMPI-2, the Rorschach, and the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery are widely used across many types of forensic evaluations, although the latter category of testing is particularly related to personal injury evaluations. The end result is a unique and indispensable reference: a comprehensive overview, within a single text, of prominent clinical assessment instruments widely used for forensic purposes and designed to facilitate the optimal use of clinical assessment instruments among psychologists who have undertaken the training necessary to understand and apply psychological principles and test findings to salient legal standards or issues. See following link for more details: Forensic Uses of Clinical Assessment Instruments February 2009Personal Construct Perspectives on Forensic Psychology by James Horley
Book Description Why do people commit violent offences? Does rehabilitation really work? Personal Construct Perspectives on Forensic Psychology provides a new approach to the three main areas of application of forensic psychology: rehabilitation of offenders, work with police, and research and consultation on legal issues and processes. Challenging the mainstream approach to viewing offenders, this book emphasizes responsibility for life choices, and eschews the biomedical view of people. Practicing psychologists share their perspectives and illustrate their discussion with case studies and personal research. Reviewing relevant literature in many substantive areas including violent, sexual, and mentally disordered offenders, working with police stress, and treating offenders in prison, these outstanding authors make a strong argument from a personal construct perspective. In an area of increasing interest Personal Construct Perspectives on Forensic Psychology provides a solid background for further growth. Forensic practitioners, theorists and researchers alike will all benefit from the books many insights and clinical tips. See following link for more details: Personal Construct Perspectives on Forensic Psychology January 2009The MMPI, MMPI-2 & MMPI-A in Court: A Practical Guide for Expert Witnesses and Attorneys by Kenneth S. Pope, James N. Butcher & Joyce Seelen
Book Description The 3rd Edition of "The MMPI, MMPI-2, and MMPI-A in Court: A Practical Guide for Expert Witnesses and Attorneys" is an updated and expanded edition of the best-selling "Pope-Butcher-Seelen" volume. Like the previous edition, this book is written in an engaging and accessible style. Reviewing the three versions of the MMPI, the empirical research identifying the MMPI's effectiveness and limitations in different kinds of civil and criminal forensic assessments and with different populations, and the courts' recognition and restriction of MMPI-based testimony, it provides comprehensive guidance to both novice and experienced professionals. The book covers the practical steps of trial preparation and courtroom work, such as choosing appropriate assessment measures, crafting an effective subpoena duces tecum, preparing for depositions, handling Daubert challenges, and communicating with the jury. It prepares expert witnesses and attorneys to address complex issues regarding validity, reliability, sensitivity, specificity, base rates, and malingering, and to avoid common psychometric, logical, and practical pitfalls. The 26 appendices gather under one cover the key resources that expert witnesses and attorneys can rely on during preparation and take with them to depositions and trial. See following link for more details: The MMPI, MMPI-2 & MMPI-A in Court: A Practical Guide for Expert Witnesses and Attorneys December 2008Trials of a Forensic Psychologist: A Casebook by Charles Patrick Ewing
Book Description A fascinating collection of ten high–profile cases illustrating the controversial, often contentious–yet essential–role of forensic psychology in the American justice system Written by psychologist and lawyer Charles Patrick Ewing, one of the country′s leading experts on forensic psychology, Trials of a Forensic Psychologist: A Casebook is a scholarly, thought–provoking collection of cases from the author′s three decades of professional experience. Bringing to life the psychological and legal details of each case as well as the personal stories involved, this volume insightfully covers those issues facing forensic psychologists, including: Ability to Waive Miranda Rights Coerced Confessions The Insanity Defense Malingering Battered Woman Syndrome Evaluating Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse The Implications of Extreme Emotional Disturbance Informative, compelling, and educational, each of the ten cases presented in Trials of a Forensic Psychologist: A Casebook offers a rare glimpse at the work of forensic psychologists, how forensic psychologists are examined in court, the ways in which their expertise is used by the legal system, and the contributions they make to the system′s ultimate goal of doing justice. See following link for more details: Trials of a Forensic Psychologist: A Casebook November 2008Forensic Psychology by Matthew T. Huss
Book Description Forensic Psychology provides students with an in-depth and insightful introduction to the clinical practice of forensic psychology. Incorporating two main themes, scope of practice and therapeutic jurisprudence, the text focuses on empirically supported clinical practice and exposes students to case law and statutory law necessary in the practice of forensic psychology. The text utilizes real world examples that help students understand the practical applications of forensic psychology. It encourages an understanding of the law as a living and breathing entity, examining its ability to be therapeutic or anti-therapeutic to the people impacted by it. Accessible and user-friendly, this text provides students with a thorough introduction to the field. See following link for more details: October 2008Evolutionary Forensic Psychology by Joshua Duntley & Todd K. Shackelford
Book Description The field of forensic psychology explores the intersection of psychology and the law. The purpose of this book is to examine topics in the field using the powerful, multidisciplinary, conceptually integrated approach that the natural sciences have embraced for decades with great success. Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is the meta-theoretical framework that unifies the field of biology. It unites research and understanding of the development, control, and organization of behavior. The study of humans, which includes all of the social sciences, is part of the field of biology. Darwin's theory provides a powerful meta-theoretical framework that can unify and energize forensic psychology, just as it has the biological sciences. Natural selection is the only known process capable of shaping complex functional mechanisms. Just as it shaped physiological adaptations with specific problem-solving functions, it also shaped our thoughts and emotions to guide behaviors toward solving recurrent problems of survival and reproduction. With this logic, we can use knowledge of ancestral problems to guide our understanding of how the mind works. Evolutionary Forensic Psychology is a necessary step toward a unified and complete understanding of psychology and the law. It recognizes that crimes such as murder, non-lethal violence, rape, and theft are manifestations of evolutionarily recurrent selection when they gave individuals an advantage in competition for resources. Each of the chapters that comprise this volume has been selected to provide the first unified examination of important research contributions and future directions of Evolutionary Forensic Psychology. See following link for more details: Evolutionary Forensic Psychology September 2008Forensic Psychology by Graham M. Davies, Clive R. Hollin & Ray Bull
Book Description Forensic psychology is one of the fastest growing areas of applied psychology. Embracing both Criminological and Legal Psychology, it is concerned not only with how and why crime is committed but also with the investigation, detection and prosecution of offenders and their punishment an rehabilitation. Forensic Psychology is both broad enough to give comprehensive coverage and detailed enough to do justice to each aspect of this evolving field. The highly experienced editors have selected a team of authors to provide a cohesive teaching resource that is up-to-date and easy to use. The text is divided into four parts: The Anatomy of Crime covers definitions and measurements as well as theories of why crime is committed. Investigating Crime includes interviewing victims, witnesses and suspects, detecting deception and identifying perpetrators. The Trial Process offers detailed coverage of judicial processes, safeguarding witnesses, evidence, and the role of experts in a number of contexts. After Sentencing includes a discussion of the role of sentencing and therapeutic work with offenders. Forensic Psychology is essential reading for all undergraduate courses in forensic psychology and an excellent introduction for more detailed postgraduate courses. See following link for more details: August 2008Principles of Geographical Offender Profiling by David Canter & Donna Youngs
Book Description Geographical Offender Profiling (GOP) is the term that has emerged for the examination of where offences take place and the use of that examination to formulate views on the nature of the offender and where s/he might be based. As such, it has become the cornerstone of 'offender profiling'. By its nature, GOP bridges psychology, geography, criminology and forensic science and is of academic interest to all those disciplines as well as practical significance to police investigators. This book brings together a cross-section of the major papers published in the field that lay out the concepts and foundations of this area - including some widely quoted but difficult to obtain 'classic' papers - with an introduction that puts the papers into an overall context and a concluding extensive bibliography of the publications relevant to this rapidly growing area. See following link for more details: Principles of Geographical Offender Profiling (Psychology, Crime and Law) July 2008Psychological Evaluations for the Courts by Gary B. Melton et al
Editorial Review by Stephen D. Hart, PhD, Dept. of Psychology, Simon Fraser University The release of the third edition of Psychological Evaluations for the Courts will ensure it remains the authoritative reference in the field for years to come. This is a truly indispensable volume that both embodies and establishes the state of the discipline. Its breadth of coverage is unmatched by any other book, and each topic is analyzed critically and in exacting detail. The quality of psycholegal scholarship is, quite simply, awesome. For educators, this book can serve as the single required text for virtually any graduate or postgraduate training program in forensic psychology. It is also an excellent practice guide for those already working in the field. See following link for more details: June 2008Psychological Injuries: Forensic Assessment, Treatment, and Law by William J. Koch et al
Book Description Human emotional suffering has been studied for centuries, but the significance of psychological injuries within legal contexts has only recently been recognized. As the public becomes increasingly aware of the ways in which mental health affects physical and financial well-being, psychological injuries comprise a rapidly growing set of personal injury insurance claims. Although the diverse range of problems that people claim to suffer from are serious and often genuine, the largely subjective and unobservable nature of psychological conditions has led to much skepticism about the authenticity of psychological injury claims. Improved assessment methods and research on the economic and physical health consequences of psychological distress has resulted in exponential growth in the litigation related to such conditions. Integrating the history of psychological injuries both from legal and mental health perspectives, this book offers compelling discussions of relevant statutory and case law. Focussing especially on posttraumatic stress disorder, it addresses the current status and empirical limitations of forensic assessments of psychological injuries and alerts readers to common vulnerabilities in expert evidence from mental health professionals. In addition, it also uses the latest empirical research to provide the best forensic methods for assessing both clinical conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder and for alternative explanations such as malingering. The authors offer state-of-the-art information on early intervention, psychological therapies, and pharmaceutical treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder and stimulating suggestions for further research into this complex phenomenon. A comprehensive guide to psychological injuries, this book will be an indispensable resource for all mental health practitioners, researchers, and legal professionals who work with psychological injuries. See following link for more details: May 2008Clinical Assessment of Malingering and Deception, Third Edition by Richard Rogers
Book Description Widely regarded as the standard reference in the field, this book, now in its third edition, provides essential tools for understanding and assessing malingering and other response styles in forensic and clinical contexts. An integrating theme for the substantially expanded third edition is the systematic application of detection strategies as conceptually grounded, empirically validated methods that bridge different measures and populations. From leading practitioners and researchers, the volume presents major theoretical, empirical, and clinical advances. Coverage of multiscale inventories and feigned cognitive impairment has been doubled, and new chapter topics include feigned medical presentations, factitious disorders, and forensic evaluations. See following link for more details: Clinical Assessment of Malingering and Deception, Third Edition April 2008Wrightsman's Psychology and the Legal System by Edith Greene, Kirk Heilbrun, William H. Fortune & Michael T. Nietzel
Book Description The author team for WRIGHTSMAN'S PSYCHOLOGY AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM, Sixth Edition combines complementary expertise, active research, writing careers, and real world experience (as consultants working within the legal system) to produce a comprehensive text that is unparalleled in scholarship and writing style. The authorship, research base and comprehensive coverage make this text popular with instructors and students. This text demonstrates the importance of psychology to understanding the legal system and the impact on individuals' everyday lives through the use of real cases and questions formed to create discussions of these cases. See following link for more details: Wrightsman's Psychology and the Legal System March 2008Insanity: Murder, Madness, and the Law by Charles Patrick Ewing
Book Description In this book, Professor Ewing tackles the most complex of all legal/psychological issues: the insanity defense. It has been employed thousands of times, but there is still little understanding by lawyers and psychologists of its proper use. By analyzing some of the most well-known insanity cases in legal history, this book sheds light on the particularities of this defense; when it is successful, and when it is a sham. The casebook is an established format in which to illuminate legal questions, and yet no such book exists yet for this topic. Professor Ewing will examine 20 of the most influential and controversial insanity cases, from the recent D.C. sniper trial to Jack Ruby's failed plea in his trial for the assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald. The cases are all carefully chosen to illuminate different ways in which the courts have handled this defense. Throughout, the author will add his own analysis of the cases and the reasons for the verdict. This book will be an excellent introduction to the subject for students of law or forensic psychology, and a concise overview of the issues at stake for professionals in the field. See following link for more details: Insanity: Murder, Madness, and the Law February 2008
Ethical Practice in Forensic Psychology: A Systematic Model for Decision Making by Shane S. Bush, Mary A. Connell & Robert L. Denney
Book Description While most psychologists working in forensic contexts aspire to practice in a manner consistent with the highest ideals of ethical practice, they face numerous and complex concerns and may be unclear about how to apply the Ethics Code and Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists to their real-world issues. In Ethical Practice in Forensic Psychology, Shane S. Bush, Mary A. Connell, and Robert L. Denney explore common ethical dilemmas forensic psychologists may encounter in procedures including referrals, evaluations, documentation of findings and opinions, and testimony and termination. The authors present and apply a practical ethical-decision making model to timely case vignettes in the areas of civil, criminal, and child/family law to demonstrate how to approach the ethical challenges faced in forensic psychology; they also offer suggestions for addressing potential ethical misconduct by colleagues. This balanced and comprehensive volume will be a valuable addition to the library of forensic psychology students and trainees, and career forensic psychologists.
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Ethical Practice in Forensic Psychology: A Systematic Model for Decision Making
Visitors From The UK Click Here January 2008
Beyond Common Sense: Psychological Science in the Courtroom Edited by Eugene Borgida & Susan T. Fiske
Book Description Beyond Common Sense addresses the many important and controversial issues that arise from the use of psychological and social science in the courtroom. Features original chapters written by some of the leading experts in the field of psychology and law including Elizabeth Loftus, Saul Kassin, Faye Crosby, Alice Eagly, Gary Wells, Louise Fitzgerald, Craig Anderson, and Phoebe Ellsworth. Each chapter identifies areas of scientific agreement and disagreement, and discusses how psychological science advances an understanding of human behavior beyond what is accessible by common sense. The issues addressed include eyewitness identification, gender stereotypes, repressed memories, Affirmative Action, and the death penalty. Commentaries written by 7 leading social science and law scholars discuss key legal and scientific themes that emerge from the science chapters and illustrate how psychological science is or can be used in the courts For more details and/or to get hold of this recommended forensic psychology book, just click on the following link. Beyond Common Sense: Psychological Science in the Courtroom December 2007
Applying Psychology to Criminal Justice by David Carson et al
Book Description This essential volume, edited by four psychologists and a lawyer, argues that psychology can, and should be, applied more widely, particularly within the criminal justice system. Psychology and Law has made enormous strides during the last three decades. It now incorporates a much wider range of topics and has seen a marked international growth in specialist journals, books and conferences. The focus, until now, has been on research and academic membership rather than on practical applications and participation by practitioners, psychologists or lawyers, something this volume aims to change. This book develops the case for successfully applying psychology to law, and criminal justice in particular, by providing a rich range of applicable examples for development, now and in the future. In Applying Psychology to Criminal Justice psychologists are encouraged to challenge the currently relatively limited ambition and imagination of psychology and law by examining, amongst other aspects: This text is an important addition to the bookshelves of forensic, legal, clinical, and occupational psychologists, students, and criminal justice personnel: police, probation, prisons. Also essential reading for investigators, lawyers, law reform agencies, and those government departments concerned with home, constitutional, law reform agendas.
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Applying Psychology to Criminal Justice
November 2007
Personality-Guided Forensic Psychology by Robert J. Craig
Book Description In Personality-Guided Forensic Psychology, Robert J. Craig discusses the hot area of forensic psychology, the crossroads of law and psychology, and illustrates how personality-guided assessment is a useful tool in the multiple arenas in which forensic psychologists are active: child custody evaluation, fitness for duty evaluations, personal injury, domestic violence, and many others. The volume begins with an overview of forensic psychology and the personality theories most relevant to forensic psychology. Chapters cover assessments ranging from relatively normal evaluations (police applicants and officers, custody and personal injury) to those in which severe pathology may come into play (domestic violence and homicide). The book offers a wealth of data on personality-test scores of chronic pain patients, patients who litigate, those who commit sexual or other physical abuse or murder, and others. Psychologists who serve as expert witnesses of friends of the court in legal proceedings, those choosing candidates for intervention programs, and students of forensic psychology will find this book indispensable. Volumes in the Personality-Guided Psychology series demonstrate the utility and relevance of assessing personality variables in an array of matters of interest to psychologists. Each book illustrates how a clinical syndrome or behavior can be understood in the context of the patient's unique pattern of overall trait dynamics. For more details and/or to get hold of this recommended forensic psychology book, just click on the following link. Personality-Guided Forensic Psychology (Personality Guided Psychology) October 2007
Psychology and Law: An Empirical Perspective by Neil Brewer & Kipling D. Williams
Book Description From the initial investigation of a crime to the sentencing of an offender, many everyday practices within the criminal justice system involve complex psychological processes. This volume analyzes the processes involved in such tasks as interviewing witnesses, detecting deception, and eliciting eyewitness reports and identification from adults and children. Factors that influence decision making by jurors and judges are examined as well. Throughout, findings from experimental research are translated into clear recommendations for improving the quality of evidence and the fairness of investigative and legal proceedings. The book also addresses salient methodological questions and identifies key directions for future investigation. See following link for full details.
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Psychology and Law: An Empirical Perspective
Visitors From The UK Click Here September 2007
Forensic Psychology: Emerging Topics and Expanding Roles by Alan M. Goldstein
Book Description Forensic Psychology: Emerging Topics and Expanding Roles is designed to present the current state of the field, in terms of law, ethics, research and practice. Reflecting the efforts of almost 50 expert contributors, this comprehensive reference provides a basis for conducting forensic mental health assessments consistent with the state of the field as it currently exists and the standard of care that is emerging. This must-have resource contains a coverage of: mainstream topics such as civil commitment, termination of parental rights, and federal sentencing evaluations, psycho-legal topics such as clergy and teacher sexual abuse, elder abuse, and end of life issues; the appropriate application of instruments frequently used in clinical psychology to address psycho-legal issues. Ideal for forensic mental health professionals, civil and criminal attorneys, and advanced students, "Forensic Psychology: Emerging Topics and Expanding Roles" is the definitive comprehensive reference in the field. "Alan Goldstein has his finger on the pulse of forensic psychology. He and his A-list contributors showcase a striking array of classic conundrums and budding courtroom controversies. Remarkably, their analysis is as deep as their coverage is broad. There are two or three works that simply have to be on the shelf of every forensic psychologist. This book is one of them."
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Forensic Psychology: Emerging Topics and Expanding Roles
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August 2007Adoption: Uncharted Waters by by David Kirschner
Book Description & Excerpt In Adoption: Uncharted Waters, renowned psychologist David Kirschner, Ph.D., opens his case files showing the connection between adoption and murder. Kirschner has prepared psychological evaluations of numerous murderers, including "Casino Killer" Jeremy Strohmeyer, serial wife-and-mother poisoner Steve Catlin, and New York's most prolific serial killer, Joel Rifkin. There's also an in-depth chapter on adoptee and multiple murderer David Berkowitz -- the infamous "Son of Sam." The author takes no prisoners in telling his side of these famous cases. He rips into Dr. Barbara Kirwin, the defense witness who botched the Rifkin case, and slams famous attorney Alan Dershowitz, whose book "The Abuse Excuse" attacked Kirschner's "Adopted Child Syndrome." "Adoption is a lifelong process, not a one-time event," says the author, a staunch advocate of opening birth records, which he sees as a human and civil right of adoptees. Kirschner shows how secrecy, lies, and sealed records can lead adoptees into a fantasy life that sometimes explodes in deadly rage. The excerpt below describes the author's first encounter with Joel Rifkin, New York's most prolific serial killer. My First Encounter With Serial Killer Joel Rifkin by David Kirschner, Ph.D. With [Joel] Rifkin in custody and the number of murders he confessed to mounting [17 in all], the police knew that a media circus was in the offing when the doors were flung open to the press. It was not often that they had in tow a suspect who was confessing to crimes faster than they could count them, and so they were eager to keep the press at bay for as long as possible. However, Jeanne Rifkin, [Joel's adoptive mother], knew that something was amiss when she arrived home at around three o'clock that afternoon and found policemen swarming all over her yard and around her house. When she learned the reason for their presence, she phoned her estate lawyer, who then called Robert Sale, a highly regarded defense attorney. Sale notified the police and the district attorney's office that he was representing Rifkin and that all questioning was to cease immediately. He advised Jeanne that police would soon be arriving with a search warrant and she would have to let them look for evidence in any area of the house that was used or shared by Joel. He told his client that Joel was scheduled for an arraignment the following morning in Hempstead District Court. He would be charged with the second-degree murder of Tiffany Bresciani. Other charges would follow in Suffolk County and in other jurisdictions. Rifkin was finally paraded before the press that night when he was led from the station house to his jail cell. More than one reporter would note that he looked none the part of a maniacal serial killer. He did not have the crazed look in his eye of the Unabomber or Oklahoma City bombers or the overgrown beard and unruly mane of a Charles Manson. Even in his hooded jump suit, wearing chains on his feet and his hands manacled, Joel Rifkin looked like a shy, tight lipped accountant with his neat little mustache and broad, gold rimmed glasses. At the same time, police who were searching the Rifkin home turned up a large collection of mementos he had assembled to commemorate his conquests, items such as lace panties, pantyhose, lipstick containers, bracelets, and necklaces that were taken from the bodies of his victims. Not surprisingly, given his confession and the abundance of physical evidence that had been collected, Rifkin's attorney decided to go for an insanity defense. With his down-home kind of country style and low-key manner, Sale had been there before. He had won an acquittal by reason of insanity of a man who had killed and dismembered his wife and three children with a bayonet. He had also won a number of other difficult cases, including a successful entrapment defense for a New York City police officer and his brother who were caught as they tried to pull off an armed robbery, and the dismissal of armed robbery charges for Malcolm X's bodyguards. Sale had spent eight years at the Legal Aid Society in Nassau County, during which time he put together a string of sixteen straight trial victories, a feat that has never been equaled, according to a senior trial lawyer with the society. He was elevated to bureau chief in charge of felony cases at Legal Aid before entering private practice. He would need all of that and a bit more in defense of Rifkin, however, for no serial killer had ever been found not guilty by reason of insanity. Preparing Rifkin's Insanity Defense I first read about the Rifkin case while I was on vacation in Sante Fe. It captured my attention because Rifkin was precisely the type of subject -- an adoptee killer -- I had been studying and he came from my immediate Long Island neighborhood. Soon after I returned from Sante Fe, Sale contacted me, told me of his plans to mount an insanity defense, and gave me psychological reports from Joel's childhood and teenage years in East Meadow. Early in my career I had worked in the East Meadow school district, and two of the reports Sale gave me were written by close friends and school psychologists I had worked with -- Edna Dublirer in the junior high school and Norm Pollens in the high school. I was especially interested to note that both reports stated that Joel had been troubled by memory problems, a finding that could be crucial to an insanity defense based on dissociative identity disorder, commonly referred to as multiple personality. During my discussions with Sale, I also discovered that I knew the psychotherapist, Joseph Nemovicher, who had treated Joel in twenty-five sessions from May 1977 to January 1979. As it developed, Nemovicher had documented Joel's learning difficulties and memory problems but had never considered the effects of adoption on his psychological profile. In my first face-to-face meeting with Sale (which, as it turned out, would also be my last) I told him that the reports from Joel's school psychologist would be valuable in supporting his defense strategy since they documented a pre-existing childhood history of emotional disturbance, mental illness, and severe memory loss. I also suggested getting additional reports from neurologists that might reveal some organic brain condition that could contribute to a mental-status defense. Most critically I recommended that we begin a search for his birth mother immediately. A genetic predisposition toward violence has been documented with growing authority by a number of researchers, most notably Dr. Sarnoff Mednick, who has been studying the relationship between adoption, genetics, criminality, and violence in Denmark, where precise and thorough adoption records are kept. I made arrangements to meet with Joel and do a thorough psychological evaluation. Over the course of the next twenty months we met for more than 110 hours, and the result was perhaps the most complete psychological profile of a serial killer ever developed. My First Meeting With Rifkin My first meeting with Joel took place on September 9, 1993, just over two months after his arrest. His recollection of events and how he felt was still fresh at that time, uncolored by subsequent tellings and retellings, by accounts rendered by others involved in the case, and perhaps by suggestions of how to frame his story for the optimum legal effect. I met with him in the Nassau County Correctional Center (NCCC) just a few blocks from his alma mater, East Meadow High School. Coincidentally, East Meadow High is the school district where I had worked as a young psychologist. A maximum security institution, NCCC was a forbidding granite structure that had recently been enlarged, renovated and modernized so that it now looked like a high tech control center with banks of TV monitors and video cameras recording every move in every corridor. When I walked through the thick steel front door, I was asked to present my credentials and authorization letter from an attorney. The correction officers on duty had me empty my pockets, searched me with metal detectors, and finally led me through a maze of corridors. As each metal door clanged shut behind me I felt a sense of foreboding that it might be easier to enter than it would be to exit. My destination was a small cubicle, eight-by-eight feet, that was glass enclosed and looked out onto a large, central visitors' area where prisoners met with their families. I waited for about ten minutes, seated at a small metal table, with a writing pad open to take notes as we talked. Finally Rifkin was brought in. Rifkin initially appeared to be timid, passive, and somewhat distracted as he sat across from me, looking down or off into space, rarely making eye contact. He was, however, not at all shy about talking. It was apparent that he enjoyed being the center of attention, people hanging on his every word. In fact, Rifkin's problem was not talking, but listening. As our sessions continued, I would often say to him, "Joel, shut up and listen for a change." What struck me most about him in that first meeting was the *duality* of his nature, abruptly shifting from a timid, passive, nonagressive type to an assertive, egocentric, grandiose personality. I was also interested to note his failure to display any real emotion. He never came across as angry or hostile, and certainly not as violent. Even when he described the seventeen gory "events," as he referred to them, he showed no emotion -- neither rage nor regret nor remorse. It was as if he were describing acts committed by someone other than himself. Copyright ©2007 by David Kirschner. All Rights Reserved. See following link for more details: Visitors From The UK Click Here
July 2007
The Criminal Mind: A Writer's Guide to Forensic Psychology by Katherine Ramsland
Editorial Review by David Pitt From Booklist An extremely informative, very useful guide to understanding and writing about forensic psychology. Many writers, the author suggests, write about forensic psychologists without really appreciating what they do or how they do it. The author cites numerous examples from fiction to illustrate her points, showing how Thomas Harris made things seem a little too slick in The Silence of the Lambs or how James Patterson misunderstood some fundamentals in Along Came a Spider. She also uses several well known cases histories; Charles Starkweather, Lizzie Borden, Dan White, to illustrate various psychological disorders and their diagnoses. Aspiring thriller writers should pay particular attention to the discussion of the relationship between psychology and the law, including the nature of insanity defenses and the treatment of offenders. Ramsland's mixture of fact and fiction is extremely helpful: she begins a discussion with something we recognize, like an episode from Law & Order, and then segues gently into more unfamiliar territory. The book gives budding writers, and anyone else with an interest in this subject, a solid grounding in the history, terminology, and techniques of forensic psychology.
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The Criminal Mind: A Writer's Guide to Forensic Psychology Visitors From The UK Click Here
June 2007
Evaluating Competencies: Forensic Assessments & Instruments by Thomas Grisso
Book Description This book offers a conceptual model for understanding the nature of legal competencies. The model is interpreted to assist mental health professionals in designing and performing assessments for legal competencies defined in criminal and civil law, and to guide research that will improve the practice of evaluations for legal competencies. A special feature is the book's evaluative review of specialized forensic assessment instruments. Application of the assessment model and reviews of instruments are provided for six areas of legal competence:
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Evaluating Competencies: Forensic Assessments and Instruments (Perspectives in Law & Psychology)
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May 2007
Geographic Profiling by Kim Rossmo
Book Description As any police officer who has ever walked a beat or worked a crime scene knows, the street has its hot spots, patterns, and rhythms: drug dealers work their markets, prostitutes stroll their favorite corners, and burglars hit their favorite neighborhoods. But putting all the geographic information together in cases of serial violent crime (murder, rape, arson, bombing, and robbery) is highly challenging. Just ask the homicide detectives of the Los Angeles Police Department who hunted the Hillside Stranglers, or law enforcement officers in Louisiana who tracked the brutal South Side rapist. Geographic Profiling introduces and explains this cutting-edge investigative methodology in-depth. Used to analyze the locations of a connected series of crimes to determine the most likely area of offender residence, geographic profiling allows investigators and law enforcement officers to more effectively manage information and focus their investigations. This extensive and exhaustive work explains geographic profiling theories and principles, and includes an extensive review of the literature and research in the areas of criminal profiling, forensic behavioral science, serial violent crime, environmental criminology, and the geography of crime. For investigators and police officers deployed in the field, as well as criminal analysts, Geographic Profiling is a "must have" reference.
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April 2007
Adult Eyewitness Testimony by D.F Ross, J.D Read & M.P Toglia
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