Psychological Expertise In Court

Expertise in Court: Perspectives on Testimony is the second of a two-volume set on the Psychology of the Courtroom. The authors, a renowned group of psychology and legal scholars, offer definitive coverage of the use of psychological expert testimony and evidence in a variety of legal contexts. They explore the controversies that surround it, from questions of its admissibility to its effects on eventual juror decisions. A wide range of topics are covered including system and estimator variables in eyewitness identification, expert testimony on psychological syndromes, the insanity defence and sexual harassment, how child sexual abuse is used by the courts, and recent research on false confessions. They also provide a comparative analysis exploring how different types of psychological expert testimony and evidence are used by different countries’ legal systems. All the chapters conclude by making specific recommendations for how psychological research and information could be better utilized by courts around the world.

Emotionally charged issues abound in matrimonial practice, especially in custody disputes. Expert testimony can have a dramatic impact on the outcome of a case, and when matters are highly sensitive or sensational the seeming objectivity of an expert can be dispositive. To effectively reinforce or question that testimony, certain specialized knowledge is essential. Scientifically accepted standards and theories are constantly evolving. Keeping up with the data had been a challenge, but one integrated resource has made it simple. Aspen Publishers’ Psychological Experts in Divorce Actions pulls all the research together into the definitive guide to understanding the role of psychological evaluations in divorce and custody actions. Focused on providing the best approach to protecting your client’s interests, this work explains all the leading testing instruments,what conclusions may be drawn and how to challenge or support those conclusions. In addition to offering effective examination and cross-examination strategies, it assists you in handling the gamut of psychological factors that affect clients in divorce and custody cases. Authors Marc J. Ackerman, Ph.D ., and Andrew W. Kane, Ph.D ., are licensed psychologists who have been involved in hundreds of custody cases. Drawing on their extensive experience—testing parties to a divorce and treating psychological patients in the clinic—and as psychological experts in the courtroom, they identify the most important psychological evaluation research used in divorce and custody decision-making and distill the information into clear terms lawyers can readily apply.They also examine vital issues including: Ethics —confidentiality, privilege, duty to warn or protect (Tarasoff), sharing raw data, test integrity Sexual abuse —bona fide or fabricated allegations, psychological effects of sexual abuse, profiles of abuser and abused Testing —personality tests (including MMPI-2, And The new MMPI-2-RF, Rorschach,Millon,TAT); intelligence tests (Wechsler scales,Kaufman scales, Stanford Binet); custody tests (ASPECT, PCRI, PASS, BPS); and many more How divorce affects families —custody, placement, age and gender differences, grandparents, sexual preference, psychological problems

During the past two decades, the frequency and range of expert testimony by psychologists have increased dramatically. Courts now routinely hear expert testimony from clinical, cognitive, developmental, and social psychologists. Expert Psychological Testimony for the Courts provides a comprehensive, research-based analysis of the content, ethics, and impact of expert testimony. This book features leading scholars who have contributed to the scientific foundation for expert testimony and who have also served as expert witnesses. The opening chapter explores issues surrounding the admissibility of expert testimony, and the closing chapter explores the ethics and limits of psychological testimony. Each of the intervening chapters focuses on a different area of expert testimony: forensic identification, police interrogations and false confessions, eyewitness identification, sexual harassment, mitigation in capital cases, the insanity defense, battered women, future dangerousness, and child custody. These chapters describe the typical content of expert testimony in a particular area, evaluate the scientific foundation for testimony, examine how jurors respond to expert testimony, and suggest ways in which legal standards or procedures might be modified in light of psychological research. This groundbreaking book should be on the shelf of every social scientist interested in the legal system and every trial attorney who is likely to retain a psychologist as an expert witness. It can also serve as a text for advanced courses in psychology, legal studies, criminal justice, law, and sociology.

PSYCHOLOGY AND THE LAW Discover first-hand insights into the experience of acting as a psychologist expert witness In Psychology and the Law: Case Studies of Expert Witnesses, a team of distinguished psychologists delivers an insightful and practical collection of case studies exploring the role of mental health professionals acting as expert witnesses in regulatory, judicial, and quasi-judicial proceedings. Each chapter is authored by an expert in their field, covering situations ranging from the assessment of people involved in criminal and family law proceedings and Parole Board hearings to the assessment of a civil litigant’s experience of historical trauma resulting from the alleged negligence of the local authority. Each case follows the involvement of the practitioner from initial retainer to the process of giving evidence in court or in a court-like proceeding. The book also offers valuable judicial and legal perspectives on the roles played by mental health professionals acting as expert witnesses, as well as discussion of the cross examination of persons giving psychological evidence. Readers will also find: A thorough introduction to the use of psychologists as expert witnesses Comprehensive explorations of clinical forensic expert witness case studies Practical discussions of medicolegal expert witness case studies Fulsome treatments of judicial and legal perspectives on the roles, uses, and limits of psychological evidence and the use of psychologist experts in military court martials Perfect for undergraduate and postgraduate students of law and psychology, Psychology and the Law: Case Studies of Expert Witnesses will also benefit qualified psychologists, psychiatrists, lawyers, policymakers and legislators, social workers, and members of the judiciary.

This title, the second of a two-part volume on the Psychology of the Courtroom, explores the controversies surrounding psychological expert testimony and evidence within a variety of legal contexts--

"Experts in Court: Reconciling Law, Science, and Professional Knowledge examines the use of expert testimony, particularly that of mental health professionals, in civil and criminal litigation. Lawyers and judges often fear that mental health professionals' testimony is purely experiential and not based on objective criteria or a demonstrable scientific foundation. Through the use of a novel approach to evaluating the interactions of experts with the courts, Sales and Shuman explain the scrutiny that psychologists and all other experts will need to use to survive admissibility determinations under new and evolving rules of evidence. Their skillful and detailed analysis shows how the standards of admissibility for expert testimony have changed and how they have altered the relationships among judges, juries, experts, and lawyers. The book carefully reveals the evolution of laws regarding evidence admissibility, the requirements established by specific court rulings for scientific and nonscientific expert testimony, and the new rules for the submission of psychological expertise in court. It also explains how the law can use experts more effectively and how their behavior serves or complicates the goals of the rules of evidence. Finally, the authors propose a research agenda designed to foster a better understanding of the attitudes and practices of trial courts concerning rules of evidence and expert testimony"--Cover. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)

In this extensive revision of his classic guide, Stanley Brodsky, joined by coauthor Thomas Gutheil, continues to educate and entertain mental health professionals who are called as expert witnesses, teaching them simple, effective strategies for direct and cross-examination.

The leading resource on forensic practice The Psychologist as Expert Witness, Second Edition introduces practitioners to the law and the role of psychologists in the courtroom, covering all facets of forensic practice-one of the most rapidly growing areas of professional specialization. This comprehensive primer prepares the psychologist to function credibly as an expert witness, identifying the current and emerging areas of application of psychology to the law. Revealing psychology's enormous potential to promote human welfare through the American system of jurisprudence, former American Psychological Association president Theodore Blau: * Outlines the ways psychology has come into contact with the court via the areas of neuropsychology, clinical psychology, psychotherapy, mental disability, psychological profiles, various marital and family issues, and others * Offers a wide range of situations in which psychologists have appeared as expert witnesses * Includes step-by-step instructions on examining competency to stand trial and making custody recommendations * Examines cases where psychologists have done well-and not so well-in court * Discusses malingering, deceit, and exaggeration * Presents guidelines for testifying in marital, civil, and criminal disputes * Emphasizes standards for practice and practical training in providing testimony to the courts