Offenders' Memories of Violent Crimes


Book Description

Violent offenders often claim amnesia in order to avoid punishment. It is important for investigators and juries to ascertain whether such amnesia is genuine or feigned - an offender with amnesia is not able to enter a plea, and issues of automatism are raised.




MEMORY ENHANCING TECHNIQUES FOR INVESTIGATIVE INTERVIEWING


Book Description

Despite the obvious importance of eyewitness information in criminal investigation, police receive surprisingly little instruction on how to conduct an effective interview with a cooperative eyewitness. More than half of police departments have no formal training whatsoever for newly appointed investigators. Most texts in police science either completely omit the issue of effective interviewing techniques or provide only superficial coverage. This manual provides guiding principles to effective interviewing, with specific techniques to be used and others to be avoided. There are principles of memory retrieval so that the reader will understand why to employ specific techniques -- for example, when to use open-ended versus direct short-answer questions, effective use of pauses, asking follow-up questions, cues to name and number recall, etc. There is the strategy of interview sequential structure -- that is, what to probe for at the beginning, middle, and end of the interview. Also included are practical exercises and real-world experiences. The book will also be helpful for attorneys in conducting investigative interviews.




Applied Issues in Investigative Interviewing, Eyewitness Memory, and Credibility Assessment


Book Description

Contingent on funding being available, a Festschrift will be held in honor of Dr. John Yuille’s career as a Forensic Psychologist. He has become one of the most visible and respected Canadian psychologists worldwide. In light of his upcoming retirement in December 2006, the Festschrift will recognize Dr. Yuille’s achievements in the areas of eyewitness memory research (i.e., pioneering a new research paradigm that grants better validity), investigative interviewing (i.e., the development and use of the Step Wise Interview Protocol), and credibility assessment (i.e., introducing Statement Validity Analysis to North America). New directions for future work will be explored at the workshop. The focus of this Festschrift will be three-fold: 1. International. Dr. Yuille’s work has influenced law enforcement practices and stimulated research in and outside of Canada. The international and multicultural aspects of the work that Dr. Yuille has inspired will be reflected and promoted by this workshop. 2. Interdisciplinary. Dr. Yuille is internationally known as an expert, consultant and trainer to law enforcement. As such, Dr. Yuille’s work has also influenced other disciplines, e.g., the law, social work, oral history. The participants of this Festschrift will gain insight into other professionals’ perspectives and foster potential collaborations on future projects. 3. Emphasis on applied research. A hallmark of Dr. Yuille’s research has been the application of field and archival methods, which made his work directly applicable to forensically relevant contexts. The potential future directions of applied forensic research will be discussed at this Festschrift. The importance of the subject at this time: - A lack of integrative models in the literatures of eyewitness memory and the assessment of truthfulness and deception. Presenters of the Festschrift have recently developed such models and will discuss them at the Festschrift. Publishing these models and their discussions will spark further research to validate or modify them. - New, pioneering field research based on such integrative models has recently been conducted. This book would be one of the first publications of the results.




Progress in Episodic Memory Research


Book Description

Episodic memory refers to the ability to remember personal experiences in terms of what happened and where and when it happened. Humans are also able to remember the specific perceptions, emotions and thoughts they had during a particular experience. This highly sophisticated and unique memory system is extremely sensitive to cerebral aging, neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases. The field of episodic memory research is a continuously expanding and fascinating area that unites a broad spectrum of scientists who represent a variety of research disciplines including neurobiology, medicine, psychology and philosophy. Nevertheless, important questions still remain to be addressed. This research topic on the Progress in Episodic Memory Research covers past and current directions in research dedicated to the neurobiology, neuropathology, development, measurement and treatment of episodic memory.




Forensic Psychiatry, An Issue of Psychiatric Clinics


Book Description

This subject, written for psychiatrists, is of importance and relevance to psychiatrists dealing with apsects of the practice that cross with legal professionals and with school and corporate professionals. This subject of Forensic Psychiatry presents topics on: Psychopharmacologic treatment of aggression; Assessment of blackouts and claimed amnesia; Forensic assessment of bullying; Testamentary capacity and guardianship assessments; Psychological testing and the assessment of malingering; Child murder by parents; Mass murderers: who are they and how might we stop them?; Child pornography and the Internet; Do's and don'ts of depositions; Juvenile offenders: Updates on competency and culpability; The role of the forensic psychiatrist in the immigration process; and Psychiatric Management of the Problematic Employee. The topics are presented to include coverage of Nature and Definition of the Problem, Physical Examination, Evaluation, Competency Evaluation, Clinical Assessment Strategies, Psychiatric Testing Strategies, Reaching an Opinion, with Key Points of every topic.




Prologue to Violence


Book Description

Despite mounting references to the "transgenerational transmission of violence," we still lack a compelling understanding of the linkage between the interpersonal violence of early life and the criminal violence of adulthood. In Prologue to Violence, Abby Stein draws on the gripping narratives of 65 incarcerated subjects and extensive material from law enforcement files to remedy this lacuna in both the forensic and psychodynamic literature. In the process, she calls into question prevailing beliefs about criminal character and motivation. For Stein the early trauma to which adult criminals are subjected remains unformulated and, as such, unavailable for reflection. Contrary to common belief, these criminals, especially sex murderers, do not commit their crimes in a rational or fully conscious way. They are not driven by deviant fantasy, their psychopathy is not inborn, and they rarely commit acts of violence "without conscience." Stein’s interdisciplinary analysis of her data infuses contemporary relational psychoanalysis with the insights of neuroscience, traumatology, criminology, and cognitive and narrative psychology. A powerful challenge to offender treatment programs to address the shaping impact of childhood trauma rather than merely to "correct" the cognitions of violent offenders, Prologue to Violence will be equally compelling to researchers and academics investigating child abuse and adult violence. Its mental health readership will be broad and deep, ranging beyond clinicians who work with offender populations to all therapists who wrestle with experiences of dissociation and aggressive enactment in everyday life.




The Encyclopedia of Clinical Psychology, 5 Volume Set


Book Description

"Recommended. Undergraduates through faculty/researchers; professionals/practitioners;general readers." —Choice Includes well over 500 A-Z entries of between 500 and 7,500 words in length covering the main topics, key concepts, and influential figures in the field of clinical psychology Serves as a comprehensive reference with emphasis on philosophical and historical issues, cultural considerations, and conflicts Offers a historiographical overview of the ways in which research influences practice Cites the best and most up-to-date scientific evidence for each topic, encouraging readers to think critically 5 Volumes www.encyclopediaclinicalpsychology.com




Traumatised Witnesses in International Criminal Trials


Book Description

This book focuses on the testimonial evidence of traumatised witnesses in trials of international crimes, which deal with acts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Such trials often involve the testimonies of those who experienced or witnessed extremely traumatic events, which can make it hard for these witnesses to recall specific details. Testifying during trial may in itself also pose challenges to their well-being. Yet the legal process of determining whether someone can be held criminally responsible for the alleged crimes needs to be fair, in accordance with the right to a fair trial of the accused, and the facts need to be determined as accurately as possible. This book argues that to ensure fair and accurate fact-finding when in particular traumatised witnesses testify, a balance needs to be struck between the needs of witnesses who testify about traumatic experiences, the fair trial rights of the accused and the objective of the court to establish as accurately as possible the responsibility of the accused. This is crucial throughout the stages of selecting, preparing, presenting and assessing the testimonial evidence of traumatised witnesses. The methodology involves an analysis of transcripts of proceedings and case law of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Court and Dutch courts prosecuting international crimes. The research demonstrates that it is often difficult to strike a balance between the competing objectives during proceedings when traumatised witnesses testify due to the current lack of regulations and guidelines applicable during investigations and prosecutions. This book shows that this balance can, and should, be achieved when traumatised witnesses testify during criminal proceedings for international crimes. The work is an invaluable resource for researchers, academics and practitioners in criminal law, criminology, legal psychology, legal psychiatry, social anthropology and forensic sciences.




The Handbook of Forensic Psychopathology and Treatment


Book Description

The Handbook of Forensic Psychopathology and Treatment explores the relationship between psychopathology and criminal behaviour in juveniles and adults. It provides a detailed explanation of the developmental pathway from the process of increasing criminal behaviour and becoming a forensic patient, to assessment, treatment and rehabilitation. Incorporating theoretical and scientific research reviews, as well as reviews regarding forensic rehabilitation, the book covers the theory, maintenance and treatment of psychopathology in offenders who have committed a crime. The Handbook of Forensic Psychopathology and Treatment will be of interest to masters and postgraduate students studying the relationship between psychopathology and crime, as well as researchers and clinicians working in forensic psychiatry institutions or departments.




Memory and Emotion


Book Description

Memory and Emotion: Interdisciplinary Perspectives is a collection of original articles that explores cutting-edge research in memory and emotion, discussing findings, methodological techniques, and theoretical advances in one of the fastest-growing areas in psychology. contains contributions by leading researchers the field emphasizes cognitive neuroscience, psychopathology, and aging in covering contemporary advances in research on memory and emotion covers many of the current hot topics in the field including: dissociative amnesia and post-traumatic stress disorder; false, recovered and traumatic memories; flashbulb memories; the use of emotional memories in therapy; and the influence of emotion on autobiographical memory.