Full Description
Forensic psychology is where psychology meets the criminal justice system. An understanding of the intersection of criminal law and psychological issues relating to criminal responsibility is critical for criminal justice students. This accessible text focuses on the criminal law implications of forensic psychology as it relates to topics such as competency to stand trial, state of mind at the time of the crime, suicide by cop, and involuntary psychiatric medication administered in custody. Unlike more traditional texts on this topic, which are primarily concerned with the clinical practice of forensic psychology, this book focuses on critical thinking as it relates to these topics. Each chapter presents a critical analysis of the topic under study, going beyond merely identifying the legal parameters of criminal responsibility to explore the ethical, philosophical, and theoretical foundations of that concept.
Contents
1. Introduction to Forensic Psychology
2. The Social Construction of Mental Illness and the Law
3. From the Asylum to the Penitentiary: A Historical Perspective
4. Competency to Stand Trial
5. Other Types of Legal Competencies
6. Criminal Responsibility: State of Mind at the Time of the Crime and the Insanity Defense
7. Coerced Treatment, Medication, and Mental Health Courts
8. Drug Courts
9. Eyewitness Memory
10. Closing Reflections
