Gisli H. Gudjonsson – The Psychology of Interrogations and Confessions

Автор: Gisli H. Gudjonsson
Название книги: The Psychology of Interrogations and Confessions
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Психология
Страницы: 705
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

This volume, a sequel to The Psychology of Interrogations, Confessions and Testimony which is widely acclaimed by both scientists and practitioners, brings the field completely up-to-date and focuses in particular on aspects of vulnerability, confabulation and false confessions. The is an unrivalled integration of scientific knowledge of the psychological processes and research relating to interrogation, with the practical investigative and legal issues that bear upon obtaining, and using in court, evidence from interrogations of suspects. * Accessible style which will appeal to academics, students and practitioners * Authoritative integration of theory, research, practical implications and vivid case illustration * Coverage of topical issues like confabulation, false memory, and false confessions Part of the Wiley Series in The Psychology of Crime, Policing and Law

The Psychology of Interrogations, Confessions and Testimony was published in
1992 and has been reprinted on several occasions. It was extensively reviewed
in the legal, psychological, psychiatric, and medical literature. Its publication
brought the issue of false confessions from a scientific perspective to the attention
of the legal, psychological and psychiatric professions. It provided a muchneeded
comprehensive and authoritative text for practitioners, researchers and
academics. The book had a major impact in Britain and abroad, which can be
seen from numerous legal judgments.
Reviewers’ comments on the original book provided invaluable information
about how the book might be improved and I have taken this seriously into
consideration when writing the current book. Ronald Fisher, in Contemporary
Psychology, pointed out that my attempt at completeness on occasions led me
to describe cases and introduce material that was not central to the main focus
of the book. Some other reviewers expressed similar views and suggested that
I focus more exclusively on disputed confessions, and provide a more extensive
analysis of how expert opinion in this area has affected the judicial process.
This is what I have attempted to do in the current book. In addition, since the
publication of the original book, the number of cases of disputed confessions
that I have assessed has more than doubled and I have testified in well over
100 criminal cases where confession evidence was disputed, including many
high profile murder cases in the appellant courts in Britain and abroad. All the
important cases are reviewed in this book and the psychological contribution
and legal implications discussed.
There has been increasing recognition in recent years that false confessions
occur and no legal system should ignore the risk of false confession. In order to
prevent future miscarriages of justice, complacency, lack of open-mindedness,
ignorance, unwillingness to accept mistakes and judicial cover-up must be replaced
by a more positive approach to a problem that will not go away unless
we actively confront it. There are various steps that can be taken to reduce the
risk of false confessions and prevent miscarriages of justice. These steps, including
judicial, educational and psychological means, are equally applicable
to legal systems of Britain, USA, Australia and on the continent of Europe.
When I planned this book itwas originally commissioned byWiley as a second
edition of my previous book. As I began to write however, it became evident that
the field had expanded dramatically and this development has continued as the
book has developed. As a result, it is largely a new book rather than a second edition
of the previous one. Some themes have had to be omitted from the current
book to accommodate new material. This includes some of the basic principles
and theory of interviewing, child witnesses, psychological techniques for enhancing
memory retrieval and evaluating testimony and documents. There are
now other books available that make these chapters unnecessary and these will
be indicated in the text, as appropriate.
Accompanying new and important court case material, and important legal
changes since the original book, there has been considerably more research into
police interrogation tactics, psychological vulnerabilities and false confessions.
All the material that remains from the original book has been re-written and
up-dated to accommodate these new findings. The current book is larger and
more substantial than the original and the focus more international.
GISLI H. GUDJONSSON