Divorce has long been viewed as a single phenomenon affecting two individuals without considering the framework conditions in which it occurs. Due to the increase of divorce rates in the past decades researchers have changed their perspective and have concentrated on the view of divorce as a personal experience that is greatly affected by the socials and economic environment. The aim of this thesis is to investigate divorce that has become a mass phenomenon in our present society. The assumption is that in order to understand the grounds for divorce and its consequences, we have to view divorce as a phenomenon that occurs at the intersection of personal, socio-economic and legal factors. Family disputes involve persons who have interdependent and continued relati- ships and arise in a context of distressing emotions. Separation and divorce affect all the members of the family, especially children. The study presents a comprehensive analysis of divorce as a psychological process that is situated within a social and a legal context. It presents a comprehensive view of divorce as a psychosocial, economic and legal phenomenon and contains a review of the research literature about divorce and its consequences for parents and children. Moreover, it describes divorce by proposing conceptual frames and explanatory models.

Geriatric Forensic Psychiatry: Principles and Practice is one of the first texts to provide a comprehensive review of important topics in the intersection of geriatric psychiatry, medicine, clinical neuroscience, forensic psychiatry, and law. It will speak to a broad audience among varied fields, including clinical and forensic psychiatry and mental health professionals, geriatricians and internists, attorneys and courts, regulators, and other professionals working with the older population. Topics addressed in this text, applied to the geriatric population, include clinical forensic evaluation, regulations and laws, civil commitment, different forms of capacity, guardianship, patient rights, medical-legal issues related to treatment, long term care and telemedicine, risk management, patient safety and error reduction, elder driving, sociopathy and aggression, offenders and the adjudication process, criminal evaluations, corrections, ethics, culture, cognitive impairment, substance abuse, trauma, older professionals, high risk behavior, and forensic mental health training and research. Understanding the relationship between clinical issues, laws and regulations, and managing risk and improving safety, will help to serve the growing older population.

This volume provides a comprehensive analysis of why taxpayers behave the way they do. It reveals the motivations for why some taxpayers comply with the law while others choose not to comply. Given the current global financial climate there is a need for governments worldwide to increase their revenue collections via improving taxpayer compliance. Research into what shapes and influences taxpayer behavior is critical in that any marginal improvement in understanding and dealing with this behavior can potentially have a dramatic impact upon government revenue. Based on Australian data derived from the data bases of the Australian Taxation Office as an example, this book presents findings that provide lessons for tax systems around the world. Regardless of the type of tax system in place, taxpayers of all nationalities are concerned about how their tax authorities deal with non-compliance and in particular how the tax authorities go about encouraging compliance and ensuring a fair tax system for all. The book presents empirical evidence concerning taxpayer compliance behavior with particular attention being drawn to the moral values of taxpayers, the perceived fairness of the tax system and the deterrent measures undertaken by revenue authorities which influence that behavior. Other issues examined include the degree to which tax penalties operate as an effective deterrent to curbing behavior and how taxpayers' level of general tax knowledge and awareness also impacts upon their actions.

From questions surrounding motives to the concept of crimes of passion, the intersection of emotional states and legal practice has long interested professionals as well as the public recent cases involving extensive pretrial publicity, highly charged evidence, and instances of jury nullification continue to make the subject particularly timely. With these trends in mind, Emotion and the Law brings a rich tradition in social psychology into sharp forensic focus in a unique interdisciplinary volume. Emotion, mood and affective states, plus patterns of conduct that tend to arise from them in legal contexts, are analyzed in theoretical and practical terms, using real-life examples from criminal and civil cases. From these complex situations, contributors provide answers to bedrock questions what roles affect plays in legal decision making, when these roles are appropriate, and what can be done so that emotion is not misused or exploited in legal procedures and offer complementary legal and social/cognitive perspectives on these and other salient issues: Positive versus negative affect in legal decision making, emotion, eyewitness memory, and false memory, the influence of emotions on juror decisions, and legal approaches to its control, a terror management theory approach to the understanding of hate crimes, policy recommendations for managing affect in legal proceedings, additional legal areas that can benefit from the study of emotion.

Emotion and the Law clarifies theoretical grey areas, revisits current practice, and suggests possibilities for both new scholarship and procedural guidelines, making it a valuable reference for psycho legal researchers, forensic psychologists, and policymakers."

Why are some people violent and aggressive while others are not? Where do these negative emotions and actions come from? What can be done to prevent dangerous behavior? Drawing upon years of research and experience as a therapist, lecturer, and consultant to law enforcement and business, Moffatt presents a broad perspective on the psychological and sociological roots of aggression. Using both case studies and theoretical constructs from several different fields, this work provides an overview of the diverse mix of factors that create individuals with a propensity to resort to violence. Topics include domestic violence, the violent child, mass murder, terrorism, serial killing, murder for hire, and hate crimes. Moffatt also details the growing phenomena of road rage, air rage, and sports rage.

Avoiding complex psychological jargon, Moffatt helps the general reader to understand and easily apply these concepts. He also addresses intervention techniques and deterrents to criminal behavior, ranging from rehabilitation, to revised prison sentencing, to the death penalty. Stories of successful intervention and recovery round out the volume.

The present volume consists of up-to-date review articles on topics relevant to psychology and law, and will be of current interest to the field. Notably, the majority of these topics are currently attracting a great deal of research and public policy attention in the U.S. and elsewhere, as evidenced by programs at the American Psychology-Law Society and related conferences. Topics for the present volume include: attitudes toward the police (Cole et al.), alibis (Charman et al.), hate crimes based on gender and sexual orientation (Plumm & Leighton), the role of gender at trial (Livingston et al.), neuroimages in court (Glen), intimate partner violence (Mauer & Reppucci), post-identification feedback (Douglass & Smalarz) and individual differences in eyewitness identification (Snowden & Bornstein), veterans' wellbeing (Berthelot & Prager), and plea bargaining (Levett).

In this book, 78 leading attorneys in California and New York describe how they evaluate, negotiate and resolve litigation cases. Selected for their demonstrated skill in predicting trial outcomes and knowing when cases should be settled or taken to trial, these attorneys identify the key factors in case evaluation and share successful strategies in pre-trial discovery, negotiation, mediation, and trials. Integrating law and psychology, the book shows how skilled attorneys mentally frame cases, understand jurors' perspectives, develop persuasive themes and arguments and achieve exceptional results for clients.

During the past decade, we have witnessed a dramatic transformation in the nature and uses of terrorism. In the 70s, it was often repeated that terrorists "want a lot of people watching, not a lot of people dead"; today, it is more accurate to say that terrorists want a lot of people dead, and even more people crippled by fear and grief. A major strategic intent of modern terrorists is to use larger scale physical attacks to cause stress in the general population. These changes in terrorist strategy have made it clear that we need better psychological and social responses to terrorism and man-made disasters. The psychological science needed to provide proper and effective treatment for victims of horrendous events, such as September 11th, and future potential terrorist acts, simply does not exist, so military, medical, and psychological experts must work together to improve their understanding of mass casualty terrorism.
In Psychology of Terrorism leading national and international experts present the first results of this effort, including the newest findings on treatment of and clinical responses to terrorism along with their respective underlying theories. They address the history of terrorism; types and effects of weapons of mass destruction or disruption; the role of the military, government agencies, and volunteer groups in responding to terrorist threats; psychological consequences of terrorism; and treatment of special populations such as children and older adults.
This volume will be an ideal text for both academic and professional courses as well as a comprehensive resource for mental health clinicians and researchers, medical care providers, educators, public healthspecialists, government employees, police and fire departments, and non-profit agencies that provide services and craft policy.

Written specifically for the clinical neuropsychologist who does forensic consultations, the book is a comprehensive review by experts of the procedures available to evaluate malingered neuropsychological deficits. It discusses tools for detecting atypical patterns of performance on standard clinical tests as well as malingering on measures of perception and sensorimotor function, of attention, processing speed, and memory, and of executive function. The underpinnings of the forensic neuropsychology enterprise are presented in chapters on definitions of malingering, research designs for its evaluation, data on the frequency with which malingering occurs, diagnostic classification statistics, symptom validity tests that do not depend on forced choice testing, and those that do. Guidance on assessing exaggerated psychiatric symptoms; exaggerated medical symptoms and injuries; and detecting malingering during the neurological exam is also included. Of particular note is a chapter devoted to the topic of coaching. The book closes with a review of the diagnostic criteria for malingering and looks to the future with evidence-based proposals for improving the criteria.

Public Health Behind Bars From Prisons to Communities examines the burden of illness in the growing prison population, and analyzes the impact on public health as prisoners are released. This book makes a timely case for correctional health care that is humane for those incarcerated and beneficial to the communities they reenter.

Women who kill rupture our assumptions about what a woman is. This book explores different socio-cultural understandings of women who commit, or are accused, of murder. A wide range of cases are discussed in order to highlight the ways in which such women have been perceived, and how such cases reflect important social and cultural shifts.

Forensic psychiatrist Emanuel Tanay has testified in thousands of court cases as an expert witness, including such notorious cases as those of Jack Ruby, Sam Sheppard, and Theodore 'Ted' Bundy. Tanay walks the reader through his experiences in the courtroom, explaining the role of the forensic psychiatrist in the litigation process and providing a 'behind-the-scenes' view of our criminal justice system, including individual chapters on some of his most interesting and infamous cases. Tanay also provides clear examples of the rampant injustice that he has witnessed and argues that the potential for injustice is built into our legal system in the form of incompetent lawyers, the imbalance of resources between the pricey defense lawyers hired by large corporations in civil trials and the inexperienced lawyers often hired by plaintiffs, and the political concerns of elected judges and prosecutors. American Legal Injustice: Behind the Scenes with an Expert Witness is a must-read for Law & Order, Court TV, and true crime enthusiasts.

This volume will be a handbook that treats trial consulting as applied psychology. The purpose of the volume will be to collect the viewpoints of leaders in the field of psychology and law who apply the discipline s theoretical models, methods, and ethics to assist litigators to try cases in the most effective way possible. As a whole, the collection of chapters will describe the theory, business, and mechanics of trial consulting for those interested in learning and practicing the profession. However, it will do so from the perspective of organized theories of jury-decision making. In other words, the work of juror researchers will inform the recommendations and suggestions in the handbook. The volume consists of six sections, each pertaining to a different topic. Multiple chapters with different authors will cover each topic. The topics and corresponding seven sections will be 1) An Introduction to the Theory and Psychology of Jury Decision-Making, 2) Applied Research Methodologies for Trial Consultants, 3) Education and Ethical Considerations for Trial Consultants, 4) Preparing and Cross Examining Witnesses, 5) Technology and Demonstrative Evidence at Trial, and 6) Special Topics in Trial Consulting. Each section will begin with the editors short introduction reviewing that section and explaining its goals, objectives, and content. Separate individuals, recognized as leaders in their areas will write the remaining chapters in each section. These individuals come from the fields of both psychology and law, and represent viewpoints on these topics from a practice-oriented perspective, but a perspective that is emerges from research results. They are affiliated with a number of academic institutions, including University of Nebraska, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, University of Texas, University of Chicago Simon Fraser University, and private law firms. "

Forensic psychology has mushroomed into a diverse and increasingly complex field that is equal parts law and psychology. Psychologists act as expert witnesses in legal cases - sometimes without knowing much about the laws involved, and legal professionals rely on the assessment of psychologists sometimes without knowing much about how such assessments are made.
The purpose of this handbook is to provide professionals with current, practical, and empirically based information to guide their work in forensic settings, or to better their understanding of the issues and debates in forensic psychology.
Divided into four sections, the Handbook of Forensic Psychology covers basic issues, assessment, mental disorders and forensic psychology, and special topics. The basic issue chapters present a primer on law for the psychologist, a primer on psychology for attorneys, an overview of ethical issues relevant to forensic psychology, and a chapter on forensic report writing. The assessment section discusses factors and measures relevant for assessing a variety of behaviors, propensities, and capabilities, including dangerousness, violence, suicide, competency, substance abuse, PTSD and neuropsychological evaluations, as well as discussing interviewing children and child custody evaluations. Additional chapters discuss eyewitness testimony, recovered memory, polygraphs, sexual harassment, juror selection, and issues of ethnicity in forensic psychology.

This book taps neuroscience and neuropsychology to provide hard facts about brain conditions and the behavior that emerges from powerful brain chemistry-a fascinating read for adolescents, parents, and teachers alike. Sexual Forensics: Lust, Passion, and Psychopathic Killers provides a fascinating examination of "neurotruths" that are relevant and applicable to 21st-century parenting and social relationships, and explains workplace "brainmarks" that enable predictive solutions to practical problems. Author Don Jacobs, a researcher who has been studying psychopathy for over 25 years, describes how psychopathy has evolved as a brain condition, documenting how the vast majority of the spectrum represents normalcy, and only 20 to 30 percent of humankind characterizes corruptors or violent, pathological individuals. The book examines examples of individuals who have demonstrated significant achievement, influence, wealth, or corruptive behavior in differently abled profiles, and provides student autobiographies that enable rare scientific insights into the adolescent state of mind. Explains how complex social emotions such as love and hope can only come from foundational brain chemistry present at birth-the brain conditions that drive our adaptation and survival instincts Explores how a central design of gender-specific brain conditions rooted in ancient survival scripts provide yin-yang differences that result in the continuation of our species Discusses parenting-one of the most pressing needs and concerns of 21st-century life-from the perspective of neuroscience Documents how an understanding of how human brains are wired can help produce survivors, thrivers, achievers, and innovators without resorting to prescriptive medications

This volume describes the findings of a longitudinal, birth cohort study of juvenile delinquency in Puerto Rico. Carried out under the auspices of the Puerto Rican Senate's Special Crime Commission, the book represents a new type of birth cohort study, based on the classic work done in Philadelphia. The authors have traced Puerto Rican children born in 1970, both male and female, through the greater San Juan police departments, charting the incidence of delinquency and the number of recurring offenders. These findings are compared to the Philadelphia studies of 1945 and 1958.

The book begins its examination with a discussion of the background for the current study. Literature on juvenile delinquency in Puerto Rico is reviewed, official statistics are cited, and a discussion of the birth cohort and the importance of longitudinal studies is provided. Chapter 2 addresses the prevalence of delinquency, and chapter 3 details its incidence, severity, and types of offenses. Succeeding chapters cover such areas as age and delinquency, delinquent recidivism, and police and court dispositions. The volume concludes with a section on cohort comparisons, a summary of the findings, and some policy implications and suggestions for legislation. A group of appendices is also included. This work will be an important addition for courses in criminology and sociology, as well as a valuable resource for college and university libraries.

This volume explores the various ways in which trust is thought about and studied in contemporary society. In doing so, it aims to advance both theoretical and methodological perspectives on trust. Trust is an important topic in this series because it raises issues of both motivation and emotion. Specifically, notions of trust and fairness motivate individuals to behave in a manner they deem appropriate when responding to governmental authority. On the emotions-related side, individuals have emotional responses to institutions with authority over their lives, such as the city government or the Supreme Court, depending on whether they perceive the institutions as legitimate. The public's trust and confidence in governmental institutions are frequently claimed as essential to the functioning of democracy), spawning considerable research and commentary. For those in the law and social sciences, the tendency is to focus on the criminal justice system in general and the courts in particular. However, other public institutions also need trust and confidence in order not only to promote democracy but also to assure effective governance, facilitate societal interactions, and optimize organizational productivity. Not surprisingly, therefore, important research and commentary is found in literatures that focus on issues ranging from social sciences to natural resources, from legislatures to executive branch agencies, from brick and mortar businesses to online commerce, from health and medicine to schools, from international development to terrorism, etc. This volume integrates these various approaches to trust from these disciplines, with the goal of fostering a truly interdisciplinary dialogue. By virtue of this interdisciplinary focus, the volume should have broad appeal for researchers and instructors in a variety of disciplines: psychology, sociology, political science, criminal justice, social justice practitioners, economics and other areas.

Young People's Human Rights and The Politics of Voting Age explores the broader societal implications of voting age eligibility requirements and the legislative bar against youth voting in North America and in Commonwealth countries (where 'youth' is defined as persons 16 and over but under age 18). The issue is raised as to whether the denial of the youth vote undermines democratic principles and values and ultimately the human dignity of youth. This is the first book to address the topic of the youth vote in-depth as a fundamental human rights concern relating to the entitlement in a democracy to societal participation and inclusion in influencing policy and law which profoundly affects one's life. Also examined are international perspectives on the issue of voting age eligibility. The book would be extremely valuable for instructional purposes as one of the primary texts in undergraduate or graduate courses on children's human rights, political psychology, political science, sociology of law or society and as a supplementary text for courses on human rights or constitutional law and would be of interest also to members of the general public concerned with children's human rights issues.

"This book is informative and interesting and would be useful both in academic and professional settings."--"Feminism & Psychology"

A special kind of horror is reserved for mothers who kill their children. Cases such as those of Susan Smith, who drowned her two young sons by driving her car into a lake, and Melissa Drexler, who disposed of her newborn baby in a restroom at her prom, become media sensations. Unfortunately, in addition to these high-profile cases, hundreds of mothers kill their children in the United States each year. The question most often asked is, why? What would drive a mother to kill her own child?

Those who work with such cases, whether in clinical psychology, social services, law enforcement or academia, often lack basic understandings about the types of circumstances and patterns which might lead to these tragic deaths, and the social constructions of motherhood which may affect women's actions. These mothers oftentimes defy the myths and media exploitation of them as evil, insane, or lacking moral principles, and they are not a homogenous group. In obvious ways, intervention strategies should differ for a teenager who denies her pregnancy and then kills her newborn and a mother who kills her two toddlers out of mental illness or to further a relationship. A typology is needed to help us to understand the different cases that commonly occur and the patterns they follow in order to make possible more effective prevention plans.

Mothers Who Kill Their Children draws on extensive research to identify clear patterns among the cases of women who kill their children, shedding light on why some women commit these acts. The characteristics the authorsestablish will be helpful in creating more meaningful policies, more targeted intervention strategies, and more knowledgeable evaluations of these cases when they arise.

This book provides a systematic and scholarly examination of the major questions facing academics and practitioners working in the area of deviance and aging. Drawing on the theoretical and empirical work from established leaders in criminology and criminal justice, the editors provide large sample studies that identify the long-term trends in the area of aging and crime. This volume is a fine source of data about a minor facet of offensive behavior. "Contemporary Sociology"

The book provides a systematic and scholarly examination of the major questions facing academics and practitioners working in the area of deviance and aging. Drawing on the theoretical and empirical work from established leaders in criminology and criminal justice, the editors provide large sample studies that identify the long-term trends in the area of aging and crime. The introduction addresses the question of the real trends among older offenders and offers a detailed review of the criminological and criminal justice literature on older offenders. The section on criminological perspectives examines the question Why does criminal behavior decline with age? from both sociological and psychological perspectives. Other chapters discuss the application of social learning, control, and anomie theories of deviance to crime by older offenders; provide an econometric analysis of property crime; and consider research on alcohol abuse and homicide among elderly. The section dealing with criminal justice perspectives examines the dispositions of police, judiciary, and correctional management toward the elderly. This final section also includes coverage of special sub-populations of elderly offenders, such as violent offenders, and long-term offenders.

Drawing together a diverse but focused group of international researchers for the first time in a single volume, "The Language of Sexual Crime" explores the role of language in the construction of identity of both perpetrators and victims of sexual violence, the ways in which language is used in the detection of sexually-motivated crime, and the articulation/manipulation of language in police interviews, the courtroom and the media.