Cases in Clinical Forensic Psychology

Book excerpt: Clinical forensic psychology is defined by the application of clinical psychology – assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and consultation – in legal contexts. The term captures the integration of clinical psychology as an applied professional discipline and forensic psychology as an experimental discipline. Cases in Clinical Forensic Psychology offers a series of case studies that allow readers to take an up-close and personal look at the criminal justice system in Canada. Clinical forensic psychologist Margo C.Watt examines the particulars of each case, including the biological, psychological, social, cultural, and legal factors. The book takes an evidence-based approach and highlights how the science of clinical forensic psychology informs all aspects of criminal cases: police investigative techniques, eyewitness testimony, pretrial publicity, jury selection and decision-making, forensic evaluations, psychological autopsies, mental health in corrections, and mo.re. Examining incidents ranging from false confessions to wrongful convictions to deaths in custody and the criminals who got away, Cases in Clinical Forensic Psychology questions how and why these events happened and considers what we can learn from them.