In Doubt : The Psychology of the Criminal Justice Process

Dan Simon

ISBN 10: 0674046153 / ISBN 13: 9780674046153

Verlag: Harvard University Press Jun 2012, 2012

Beschreibung

Neuware - Criminal justice is unavoidably human. Detectives, witnesses, suspects, and victims shape investigations; prosecutors, defense attorneys, jurors, and judges affect the outcome of adjudication. Simon shows how flawed investigations produce erroneous evidence and why well-meaning juries send innocent people to prison and set the guilty free.

Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 9780674046153

Bibliografische Details

• Titel: In Doubt : The Psychology of the Criminal Justice Process
• Verlag: Harvard University Press Jun 2012
• Erscheinungsjahr: 2012
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN-10: 0674046153
• ISBN-13: 9780674046153
• Einband: Buch
• Zustand: Neu
• Abmessungen: 240B x 165 H x 32 T Millimeter Breite: 240 mm, Höhe: 165 mm, Tiefe: 32 mm
• Gewicht: 766 Gramm

Über diesen Titel

Inhaltsangabe

The criminal justice process is unavoidably human. Police detectives, witnesses, suspects, and victims shape the course of investigations, while prosecutors, defense attorneys, jurors, and judges affect the outcome of adjudication. In this sweeping review of psychological research, Dan Simon shows how flawed investigations can produce erroneous evidence and why well-meaning juries send innocent people to prison and set the guilty free.

The investigator’s task is genuinely difficult and prone to bias. This often leads investigators to draw faulty conclusions, assess suspects’ truthfulness incorrectly, and conduct coercive interrogations that can lead to false confessions. Eyewitnesses’ identification of perpetrators and detailed recollections of criminal events rely on cognitive processes that are often mistaken and can easily be skewed by the investigative procedures used. In the courtroom, jurors and judges are ill-equipped to assess the accuracy of testimony, especially in the face of the heavy-handed rhetoric and strong emotions that crimes arouse.

Simon offers an array of feasible ways to improve the accuracy of criminal investigations and trials. While the limitations of human cognition will always be an obstacle, these reforms can enhance the criminal justice system’s ability to decide correctly whom to release and whom to punish.

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Dan Simon is Professor of Law and Psychology at the University of Southern California.