Forensic Psychology: A Very Short Introduction

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.

David Canter is Professor of Psychology at The University of Liverpool. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a member of its Forensic Division and a Chartered Forensic Psychologist. He has published 20 books and over 150 papers in learned professional journals, and lectured around the world on various aspects of scientific psychology. His book, Criminal Shadows, won the Golden Dagger Award for crime non-fiction. Aside from academic achievements he has given evidence to a number of major government enquiries and has advised in response to requests from over 150 police investigations world wide. He has recently been elected an Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences.