Forensic Psychology

This is the type of textbook all undergraduate and graduate psychology students MUST come across during their course of study. Give or take a few weak and poorly written chapters (Chapter 1: An Introduction to Forensic Psychology... what a snore "zzz", Chapter 3: Police Psychology... a reader hopes to walk away with clarity and not a chapter full of references to other materials and Chapter 5: Assessments of Credibility and Malingering... just too repetitive) - this textbook displays how truly interesting forensic psychology is. If you struggle with research methods, reading Chapter 2 will open your eyes in a manner that no other textbook or research methods course ever will as this chapter is amazingly clear and concise. Chapters 6 through 9 allow readers to realize the depth of Forensic Psychology. These chapters open the door to topics which are not normally covered in other textbooks (Eyewitness Testimony, Child and Victim Witnesses, Juries: Fact Finders, Fitness and Mental State at Time of Offence) while remaining easy to grasp. Chapters 10 to 13 (Sentencing and Parole in Canada: Practices and Public Opinions, Risk Assessment and Violence Prediction, Violent Offender: Classification and Treatment, Assessment and Treatment of Special Populations) are "informative" but not overly interesting, which is why I feel they were perfectly placed at the end of the textbook. Overall, minus a few hurdles at the beginning and end of the textbook, it still deserves 5 STARS - I would rate it as a 10 if I could! I have a great amount of respect for the authors of this textbook and I highly support the beginning of a "Canadian" Forensic Psychology movement as expressed in the first pages of the text. To say the least, this textbook is LONG OVERDUE and I take comfort in knowing that anyone such as myself has this phenomenal piece of work to refer to for guidance and understanding...