NCJ Number
154435
Editor(s)
N K Clark,
G M Stephenson
Date Published
1994
Length
113 pages
Annotation
Seventeen papers on the application of forensic psychology consider the criminal justice context in which forensic psychologists conduct their work and the problems of risk assessment.
Abstract
Seven papers in Part I identify and discuss issues of rights and risks in the application of forensic psychology in investigative procedures and sentencing philosophy. Regarding sentencing philosophy, one study shows that public perceptions of the relative seriousness of crimes change over time and space, such that any effort to establish sentences based on a public consensus of comparative offense severity is a difficult task. Another paper traces the origin of miscarriages of justice from court decisionmaking back to police investigations. Other papers in Part I consider issues in the validity of confessions, a job and training needs analysis for detectives, meeting inmate needs at the beginning of their sentence, and the implications of the British 1991 Criminal Justice Act for offender rehabilitation. In the 10 papers of Part II, forensic psychologists indicate how in practice judgments are made about the likely future conduct of offenders. Papers address the general task of behavioral risk assessment and the assessment of particular types of offenders, namely, juvenile sex offenders, sex offenders in general, and the adolescent firesetter.