Psychological Science and the Law

“We live at a time when psychological research in matters of social justice has never been so sorely needed. This text satisfies today's high demand for forensic psychology in the courts and in the college classroom. With up-to-date chapters written by active scholars, the book spans a range of sizzling topics—criminal profiling, lie detection, police interrogations and confessions, eyewitness memory, bias in the forensic sciences, judicial and jury decision making, plea bargaining, psychopathy, and what it means to be competent to stand trial.”

—Saul Kassin, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York


“If you have ever been curious about the deep connection between psychology and law, this is the book for you. Two eminent researchers have assembled a stellar group of scientists and scholars to fill readers in on the latest on eyewitness memory, judicial decision making, expert testimony, and a host of other topics. I felt immense pride when reading of the myriad ways psychology has contributed to solving some of the most vexing problems in our system of justice. You can see that for yourself, whether you’re learning about it for the first time or have been following the literature for years.”

—Elizabeth F. Loftus, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Social Ecology, and Professor of Law, and Cognitive Science, University of California, Irvine


“Brewer and Douglass have really hit the mark with this excellent, up-to-date work. A wide array of topics are covered, from traditional social and cognitive research related to eyewitness memory to more clinically based areas such as forensic interviewing and the assessment of competence. The book tackles emerging areas of research and practice that are not included in other texts, such as issues related to plea bargaining, cognitive bias in forensic decision making, and the pseudoscience of criminal profiling. Highly readable, this is an outstanding text for upper-level courses in psychology and law; it will also be useful for professionals in the criminal justice system.”

—Mitchell Eisen, PhD, Professor and Director, Forensic Psychology Graduate Program, California State University, Los Angeles


“Prominent scholars provide thorough summaries of the literature in each of the major domains of scholarship in psychology and law. Accessible, critical, and engaging, this text will be of great value to students, practitioners, and researchers—it fills a gap in the field.”

—Michael E. Lamb, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom; Editor, Psychology, Public Policy, and Law


“This beautifully crafted text provides a comprehensive, up-to-date discussion of contemporary debates and issues at the interface of psychology and criminal law. Readers learn how social, cognitive, clinical and forensic psychology inform a broad range of processes within criminal justice systems. Each chapter is written by one or more experts at the cutting edge of their respective fields who understand the benefits and challenges of translating science into practice. This is a worthy successor to Brewer and Williams's 2005 Psychology and Law, which has informed my teaching and research for over a decade. It will doubtless be regarded as the authoritative work on psychological science and the law for students, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.”

—Kimberley A. Wade, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, United Kingdom