Forensic Psychology For Dummies by David Canter

by David Canter

A fascinating guide on the psychology of crime. Thinking of a career that indulges your CSI fantasies? Want to understand the psychology of crime? Whether studying it for the first time or an interested spectator, "Forensic Psychology For Dummies" gives you all the essentials for understanding this exciting field, complemented with fascinating case examples from around the world.Inside you'll find out why people commit crime, how psychology helps in the investigative process, the ways psychologists work with criminals behind bars - and how you too can become a forensic psychologist. You'll discover what a typical day is like for a forensic psychologist, how they work with the police to build offender profiles, interview suspects or witnesses, and detect lies!Covers the important role psychology plays in assessing offendersExplains how psychology is applied in the courtroomExplains complicated psychology concepts in easy-to-understand termsIf you're a student considering taking forensic psychology or just love to learn about the science behind crime, "Forensic Psychology For Dummies" is everything you need to get up-to-speed on this fascinating subject.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Science, Research, Education, Academic

Unknown Binding

First published March 23, 2012

About the author

Professor of Psychology, university of Huddersfield.

David Victor Canter (born 5 January 1944) is a psychologist. He began his career as an architectural psychologist studying the interactions between people and buildings, publishing and providing consultancy on the designs of offices, schools, prisons, housing and other building forms as well as exploring how people made sense of the large scale environment, notably cities. He set up the Journal of Environmental Psychology in 1980. His work in architecture led to studies of human reactions in fires and other emergencies. He pioneered Investigative Psychology in Britain. He helped police in 1985 on the Railway Rapist case. He was the Professor of Psychology at the University of Surrey for ten years, where he developed Investigative Psychology described in detail in Investigative Psychology: Offender Profiling and the Analysis of Criminal Action and a course curriculum. He was Director of the Centre For Investigative Psychology which is based at the University of Liverpool. Since 2009 he has been at the University of Huddersfield. At Liverpool University Canter developed the MSc programme in Investigative Psychology which he directed until 2007. He no longer directs this programme which has consequently changed to reflect the wider arena of Forensic Psychology and a more balanced view of the field. He is the founder and director of the International Academy for Investigative Psychology, a professional academy for researchers seeking to apply social science to investigative and legal processes.

Reviews

[Fatemeh · Rating 2 out of 5]

خسته کننده
فصلای آخر رو که رسما دیگه نمی‌خوندم و فقط ردش می‌کردم تا تموم شه ولی خوب چرا موضوع به این جذابی رو نویسنده با قلم حوصله سربرش خراب کرده؟؟؟؟
کلا کتاب های دامیز اینجوریه که یا خیلییی باهاش حال میکنی یا گند میزنه به تصوراتت

[Sotiris Makrygiannis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much more better than other for Dummies books, ofc lots of repetition, lots of self promotion as freelancer. Nevertheless found only 2 pages on the subjects that interests me: integrity testing so will keep looking for another book.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author keeps referring back and forward and it becomes unbearable distracting and breaks the fluidity of the read. Sure, he touches on important subjects but it's not an enjoyable read. Perhaps the standardised format limits th content but who knows.

[David Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I read to research this post was Forensic Psychology For Dummies by David Canter which is an excellent book which I bought from kindle. David wrote the book Forensic Psychology A Very Short Introduction which was reviewed on this site recently. He is a professor in Britain so there are lots of examples of criminal cases in Britain and a lot of the book is about British law although there are plenty of examples of law in other countries. A forensic psychologist can be classified as any psychologist who has to assess criminals and practically all psychologist do that as part of their job. Many of these never have to set foot in court to testify as an expert witness. An interesting fact is according to research the police aren't particularly trained in spotting liars. The most reliable indication of a liar is to watch him over a period of time and when you know he's lying see if he has any mannerisms. Things like if someone scratches their nose they may be lying are unreliable. The only group of people who are trained properly in this field and can reliably spot a liar are the security services. Profiling a criminal like what the FBI do with murders and other serious crimes are unreliable. Take for example if someone is a burglar. He may be someone who only does robberies when it is empty but equally he may be someone who thrives on confronting and trying to beat up the owner. He may be someone who has a grudge against the owner or may have had a bad experience with someone in the same profession as the owner and want to take it out on them all. Obviously if they investigate a series of crimes by the same person they can build up a picture but often they are short of time in solving the case.

[Arsene · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not really my cup of tea. Most of the information listed is generalised, but maybe that's because I've had proper studying about this topic in my university so I'm aware of most of these tidbits. It can be a good introduction to those interested in the topic and don't know much, but not a helpful read to those that have prior knowledge to it already.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found that the information on the psychology of killers was helpful for me as a crime writer. The information on psychologists in the court room and rehabilitation of offenders was less helpful but still interesting. It's the sort of book that I may well need to come back to.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good general coverage of the topic, as expected in the "Dummies" series