Current Perspectives in Forensic Psychology and Criminal Behavior

A proven anthology that focuses on everyday applications of forensic psychology for today’s civil and criminal justice systems.

Featuring ten new articles by experts in the field, this up-to-date reader emphasises the ways that forensic psychologists apply psychological knowledge, concepts, and principles on a day-to-day basis. Drawing on cutting-edge research to demonstrate the ways that forensic psychology has contributed to the understanding of criminal behaviour and crime prevention, the Third Edition addresses key topics in each of the five major subareas of the field - police psychology, legal psychology, the psychology of crime and delinquency, victimology and victim services, and correctional psychology.

Key Features of the Third Edition:

• readings include published journal articles, as well as commentaries written specifically for this book by forensics experts

• high-interest topics include serial murder, acquaintance rape, the relationship between mental disorders and crime and violence, sexual deviance, death penalty mitigation, restorative justice initiatives, arson and typologies of juvenile offenders, and sexual harassment

• the importance of ethnic and racial sensitivity to successful practice and research is emphasized throughout

• first-hand research-based reports help readers understand the contributions of forensic psychology to civil and criminal justice

• a password-protected teacher's site which includes test questions for the readings

• an open-access student study site which includes relevant articles, as well as articles from the previous edition of this book.

Curt R. Bartol was a college professor for more than 30 years, teaching a wide variety of both undergraduate and graduate courses, including Biopsychology, Criminal Behavior, Juvenile Delinquency, Introduction to Forensic Psychology, Social Psychology, and Psychology and Law. He earned his PhD in personality/social psychology from Northern Illinois University in 1972. He was instrumental in creating and launching Castleton State College’s graduate program in forensic psychology and served as its director for 6 years. As a licensed clinical psychologist, he has been a consulting police psychologist to local, municipal, state, and federal law enforcement agencies for over 25 years. In addition to editing Current Perspectives, he has written Introduction to Forensic Psychology (forthcoming in its 4th edition), Criminal Behavior: A Psychosocial Approach (now in its 10th ed.), Juvenile Delinquency and Antisocial Behavior: A Developmental Perspective (3rd ed.), Criminal and Behavioral Profiling, and Psychology and Law (4th ed.). 

Anne M. Bartol earned an MA and a PhD in criminal justice from State University of New York at Albany. She also holds an MA in journalism from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She taught criminal justice, sociology, and journalism courses over a 20-year college teaching career and has worked as a journalist and a social worker in child and adolescent protective services In addition to editing Current Perspectives, she has co-authored Introduction to Forensic Psychology, Juvenile Delinquency, Psychology and Law, and Criminal Behavior. She has served as book review editor and managing editor of Criminal Justice and Behavior and has published articles on women and criminal justice, rural courts, and the history of forensic psychology.