This book it is a comprehensive guide, aimed at professionals, that starts with the interview of the victim of the crime, moving through the interviewing of suspects, to the decision to prosecute and enhancing the quality of evidence presented in court. Other topics discussed include: false allegations, false confessions, offender profiling and victim support. Throughout, the theme of the book is that the chain of events leading to the successful investigation and prosecution of offences is only as strong as the weakest link, and should be considered as a coherent whole.
About the Editors ix
About the Contributors xi
Series Preface xvii
Preface xix
Acknowledgements xx
Introduction 1
Graham M. Davies and Mark R. Kebbell
1 Interviewing Victims of Crime, Including Children and People with Intellectual Disabilities 7
Becky Milne and Ray Bull
2 Procedural Recommendations to Increase the Reliability of Eyewitness Identifications 25
Jennifer Beaudry, Rod Lindsay and Paul Dupuis
3 Investigating Criminal Cases of Delayed Reports of Sexual Abuse 47
Laurence Alison and Mark R. Kebbell
4 Psychological Characteristics of Offenders 69
Kevin Howells and Jacqueline Stacey
5 Detecting Deception 89
Aldert Vrij
6 Improving the Interviewing of Suspected Offenders 103
Mark R. Kebbell and Emily Hurren
7 Strategies for Preventing False Confessions and Their Consequences 121
Deborah Davis and Richard Leo
8 Offender Profiling: Limits and Potential 151
Laurence Alison and Mark R. Kebbell
9 Deciding to Prosecute 165
Elizabeth Gilchrist
10 Preventing Withdrawal of Complaints and Psychological Support for Victims 183
Graham M. Davies and Helen Westcott
11 Communicating Risk to the Court 203
Don Grubin
12 Future Directions for Applying Psychology to Forensic Investigations and Prosecutions 219
Mark R. Kebbell and Graham M. Davies
Index 225
