This is the first academic textbook for the new strand of psychological science called Investigative Psychology. It draws upon over 20 years of research studies and professional reports as well as unpublished material. This research is gradually providing solutions for crimes from arson or burglary to stalking and serial killing. Throughout, it is structured according to the operational challenges the research informs. These extend beyond what can be inferred about a perpetrator's likely characteristics, to questions about suspects, linking offences to a common offender, locating an offender's likely home base and predicting where and when the next offence will be committed.Additionally, the book provides a comprehensive commentary on the processes central to the effective investigation and successful prosecution of crime. Three broad processes are considered: the retrieval, evaluation and utilization of investigative information; strategic and tactical decision making in investigations; the preparation and presentation of the legal case in court. The book recognizes that this is a lively new area of activity and captures the debates inherent in this developing domain.
Topics discussed include the impact of genetics, social processes and eyewitness testimony, amongst others.
Until the development of Investigative Psychology, ‘profiling’ was based on little more than the informed personal expertise of experienced detectives. Spearheaded by David Canter and his associates, the new discipline of Investigative Psychology has emerged out of a quarter century of research and involvement in many actual cases.
This ground-breaking text is the first to provide a detailed overview of the field, from the earliest work through to recent studies, including descriptions of previously unpublished internal reports. Crucially it provides a framework for students to explore this exciting terrain, combining Narrative Theory and an Action Systems framework. It includes empirically tested models for Offender Profiling and guidance for investigations, as well as an agenda for research in Investigative Psychology.
Investigative Psychology features:
- The full range of crimes from fraud to terrorism, including burglary, serial killing, arson, rape, and organised crime.
- Important methodologies including multi-dimensional scaling and the Radex approach as well as Social Network Analysis.
- Geographical Offender Profiling, supported by detailed analysis of the underlying psychological processes that make this such a valuable investigative decision support tool.
- The full range of investigative activities, including effective information collection, detecting deception and the development of decision support systems.
In effect, this text introduces an exciting new paradigm for a wide range of psychological contributions to all forms of investigation within and outside of law enforcement. Each chapter has actual cases and quotations from offenders and ends with questions for discussion and research, making this a valuable text for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Applied and Forensic Psychology, Criminology, Socio-Legal Studies and related disciplines.
Visit the companion website at www.wileyeurope.com/college/canter for teaching resources and student resources on research methodologies linked to the book.
From the Back Cover
Until the development of Investigative Psychology, 'profiling' was based on little more than the informed personal expertise of experienced detectives. Spearheaded by David Canter and his associates, the new discipline of Investigative Psychology has emerged out of a quarter century of research and involvement in many actual cases.
This ground-breaking text is the first to provide a detailed overview of the field, from the earliest work through to recent studies, including descriptions of previously unpublished internal reports. Crucially it provides a framework for students to explore this exciting terrain, combining Narrative Theory and an Action Systems framework. It includes empirically tested models for Offender Profiling and guidance for investigations, as well as an agenda for research in Investigative Psychology.
Investigative Psychology features:
- The full range of crimes from fraud to terrorism, including burglary, serial killing, arson, rape, and organised crime.
- Important methodologies including multi-dimensional scaling and the Radex approach as well as Social Network Analysis.
- Geographical Offender Profiling, supported by detailed analysis of the underlying psychological processes that make this such a valuable investigative decision support tool.
- The full range of investigative activities, including effective information collection, detecting deception and the development of decision support systems.
In effect, this text introduces an exciting new paradigm for a wide range of psychological contributions to all forms of investigation within and outside of law enforcement. Each chapter has actual cases and quotations from offenders and ends with questions for discussion and research, making this a valuable text for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Applied and Forensic Psychology, Criminology, Socio-Legal Studies and related disciplines.
Visit the companion website at www.wileyeurope.com/college/canter for teaching resources and student resources on research methodologies linked to the book.
About the Author
Professor David Canter is founding editor of the Wiley Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling. He also founded and edited for a number of years Journal of Environmental Psychology for Academic Press. He is a fellow of the BPS and APA. He has worked with police forces all over the world on 'profiling', which led to the emergence of Investigative Psychology. He is author of Criminal Shadows, Harper Collins, a popular book about the topic.
Donna Youngs is Lecturer in Investigative Psychology at the University of Liverpool. She has published journal articles and book chapters and her work has been presented at national and international conferences.
