NCJ Number
175532
Editor(s)
S Redondo,
V Garrido,
J Perez,
R Barberet
Date Published
1997
Length
565 pages
Annotation
Papers on advances in psychology and law are grouped under the following topics: law and psychology in various countries, victimology, witness and expert testimony, juries and tribunals, child development and delinquency, psychological factors related to crime, drug addiction interventions, correctional treatment and prison initiatives, and correctional evaluation.
Abstract
Five papers on law and psychology in various countries address the current status and future perspectives of law and psychology in Europe, the state-of-the-art of psychology and law in Latin America, criminological and legal psychology in Portugal, euthanasia in the Netherlands, and psychological aspects of the family law reform and the influence in legislation after the German reunification. Part II contains five papers on victimology that reflect the expansion of this field. The issues discussed are as diverse as the cognitive processes used by offenders before committing a crime and the importance of the victim's role in confronting the crime; the buffering effects of personality traits in post-victimization; the victimological aspects of computer crimes; victimization in intimate relations; and victims' experience and the fear of crime. Five papers on witnesses and expert testimony consider children's capabilities as witnesses, the effects of distraction on police officer shooting behavior, "triggers" that bias credibility assessments of rape victims in Dutch police officers, expert psychological testimony on eyewitness reliability, and aspects of the role of the expert in criminal cases. Papers on juries and tribunals include studies of the psychology of juries and factors that influence jury decision-making. Part V, "Child Development and Delinquency," contains five papers that address delinquency prevention in a child's first few years, self-reported delinquency in Spain and Castilla-La Mancha, adoption and murder, the long-term effects of divorce on the psychological adjustment of children, and custodian's gender and disorders in the psychological development of children. Five studies conducted in a variety of European countries have been grouped under the title, "Psychological Factors Related to Crime," and Part VII deals with intervention with drug dependent offenders. Remaining papers focus on issues related to the correctional needs and treatment of offenders and correctional evaluation. An epilogue addresses current developments and problems related to psychology and law in Europe. For some of the individual papers, see NCJ- 175533-47. Chapter tables and references as well as a subject index