Book Review: Forensic Psychology: Concepts, Debates and Practice
| Author | Joanna Jamel |
| DOI | 10.1350/ijps.7.2.143.65777 |
| Published date | 01 May 2005 |
| Date | 01 May 2005 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
Book review
Forensic Psychology: Concepts, Debates
and Practice
edited by Joanna R. Adler
(Willan Publishers; Cullompton; 2004; 333 pp; ISBN 1–84392–009–3; Paperback; £19.99
($29.95); ISBN 1–84392–010–7; Hardback; £45.00 ($59.95)
This book provides an interesting addition
and valuable contribution to the expanding
corpus of literature on the subject area of
forensic psychology. It is beneficial for aca-
demics, practitioners and students to gain
an understanding of the application of the-
oretical concepts within this applied field. It
is not supposed to be a book which
attempts to cover all aspects of this subject
area, but instead provides a well-considered
range of perspectives on topical issues
within this extensive and continually
expanding field. This is not an introductory
text but builds upon the current knowledge
base and is an accessible read for practi-
tioners and academics alike.
Section 1 contextualises the discipline of
forensic psychology in that Chapter 1 looks
at the differences in expectations and
boundaries of expertise from an interna-
tional perspective. Issues highlighted
include the differential restrictions regard-
ing the evidence provided by forensic psy-
chologists as ‘experts in the field’ depending
on the demographics of the courts. Meth-
odological concerns regarding ecological
validity and reliability of this type of evid-
ence are also discussed. The complement-
ariness of related disciplines, such as
sociology and the perspectives of criminol-
ogy and psychology within this area is also
recognised. Chapter 2 critically discusses
public attitudes to crime and punishment,
the impact of socio-demographic factors,
the errors present in methodologies used,
the political spin doctoring of results, the
fear of crime and its debilitating effects.
The theme of section 2 is the investiga-
tion and prosecution of cases. Thus, Chap-
ter 3 provides a comparative analysis of the
American and British responses to mis-
carriages of justice. The British criminal
justice system and the inherent problems of
its adversarial administration of justice was
the main focus. This chapter provided a
concise account of the historical changes in
British legislation. Then the US criminal
justice system and its support for the death
penalty is also analysed. This chapter pro-
vides a critical discussion of contentious
issues and provides suggestions for further
research.
Critically reviewed in Chapter 4 was the
utility and applicability of offender profiles
to investigative procedures. The authors
clarified the definitional problems with this
populist term, which often inspire excessive
expectations of the advice received by the
investigators. However, it is encouraging
that in more recent years primacy is not
given to this type of advice, instead it is
used as a complementary tool within inves-
tigations. The discussion provided here is
also important in that it debunks a lot of the
misinformation surrounding this subject
International Journal of Police Science & Management Volume 7 Number 2
International Journal of Police
Science and Management,
Vol. 7 No. 2, 2005, pp. 143–145.
© Vathek Publishing,
1461–3557
Page 143
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