Book Description

"In the Oxford Handbook of Developmental Psychology and the Law, eminent scholars from varied disciplines detail how developmental science and the law shape one another across the lifespan. The chapters address fundamental questions about how human development influences laws and practices in the legal system and how the law and its practices influence development. The chapters, as well, reveal how the potential for, and consequences of, victimization and perpetration-whether they be criminal or civil acts-are impacted by and impact development. The diversity of topics, range of influences across the lifespan, and complexities of developmental and legal influences are on display throughout the volume. In Section I, which spanned Infancy and Childhood to Adolescence, authors covered such topics as prenatal and infant abuse; the development of antisocial behavior in children and adolescents; questioning of minor victims, witnesses, and suspects; treatment of youth in juvenile, criminal, and specialty courts but also in immigration, custody, and adoption hearings, and finally in schools and prisons. In Section II, which spanned Adulthood to Aging, authors addressed some of the same topics, but here from the perspective of younger and older adults. These include antisocial behavior in adults, the experiences of elder adults as victim/witnesses, and experiences in prison, especially among parents and the elderly. Other topics were covered as well, including persons with developmental disabilities involvement in the courts, reentry transitions after incarceration, and reproductive and end-of-life legal rights. Across this comprehensive volume, authors demonstrate the immense value of research for policy and practice and viewing legal involvement through the lens of lifespan development"--