Expert Evidence

A Practitioner's Guide to Effective Psychological Evidence in Judicial Settings
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-394-33747-7
Verlag: John Wiley & Sons Inc

Buch, Englisch, 336 Seiten, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 228 mm, Gewicht: 496 g

Practical guidance on delivering psychological expert evidence across judicial settings

Psychologist expert witnesses face increasing scrutiny over methodology, impartiality, and scope of expertise, with recent case law raising questions about who is qualified to testify. Expert Evidence: A Practitioner's Guide to Effective Psychological Evidence in Judicial Settings addresses these challenges by offering practical guidance from judicial, legal, and expert witness perspectives on delivering credible testimony in adversarial proceedings.

Expert Evidence examines controversial evidential issues in clinical forensic psychology, including the effects of substance use, autism, and trauma on memory evidence, and how to accurately opine on memory errors. The book integrates perspectives from judges, lawyers, Parole Board chairs, and psychologist expert witnesses, providing a multi-perspective approach to understanding what constitutes effective and admissible psychological testimony.

Readers will also find: - Practical strategies for preparing psychological reports and oral testimony that meet current judicial expectations for rigour and impartiality
- Guidance on navigating cross-examination and avoiding common pitfalls that lead to judicial criticism or admonishment of expert witnesses
- Analysis of landmark case law including Re C [2023] and Re NL [2014] shaping current expert witness standards
- Discussion of regulatory and qualification issues surrounding unregulated experts and appropriate credentials for court testimony
- Insight into the diminishing expert witness pool and how practitioners can maintain confidence in adversarial settings

Designed for students and practitioners in psychology, law, criminology, psychiatry, criminal justice, and social work, as well as judges, lawyers, and medical expert witnesses, this book provides the multi-perspective framework needed to deliver and evaluate psychological evidence that withstands judicial scrutiny.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Craig, Leam A.

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Psychologische Disziplinen Kriminalpsychologie, Forensische Psychologie
• Rechtswissenschaften Strafrecht Kriminologie, Strafverfolgung

Inhaltsverzeichnis

About the Editor vii
About the Contributors ix
Acknowledgements xxi

Part 1 The Role of the Expert Witness 1

1 Expert Psychological Evidence 3
Leam A. Craig

2 Psychometric Testing in Legal Contexts, Ethical Test Use and Expert Accountability: Ensuring Psychometric Integrity in Expert Testimony 29
Glenda Liell

3 Expert Testimony: Is There a Role for the Memory Expert Witness? An Essay in Autobiography 61
Graham M. Davies

4 Navigating Objectivity and Reputation 75
KC Ben Douglas-Jones and Daniel Bunting

5 Effective Expert Evidence: A Parole Board Chair's Perspective 87
HH Patrick Thomas KC

Part 2 Psychological Conditions and Expert Evidence 105

6 Personality Disorder and Diminished Responsibility 107
Harry Wood

7 Criminal Responsibility and Fitness to Plead Evidence 131
Eleanor Hind and Richard Latham

8 Evidence in Relation to Automatisms 153
Hannah Cock and Bernard Chin

9 Autism and Giving Evidence in the Justice System: Individual, Interpersonal and Environmental Factors 183
Ralph Bagnall and Katie Maras

10 Considerations on the Quality and Reliability of Eyewitness Evidence 211
Rui Paulo and Eva Rubínová

11 Alcohol and Memory Evidence for UK Criminal Justice Practice 231
Tia Bennett, Madeleine Ingham, and Heather D. Flowe

12 Recall of Trauma and False Versus Recovered Memories 271
Chris R. Brewin and Bernice Andrews

Index 295

Über Autor(innen)

Leam A. Craig, PhD, is a Consultant Forensic and Clinical Psychologist and Partner at Forensic Psychology Practice Ltd, holding visiting professorships at the University of Lincoln, Birmingham City University, and the University of Birmingham. A Fellow of the British Psychological Society and the Academy of Social Sciences, he has over 25 years of experience as an expert witness, producing over 2000 psychological reports and testifying on over 250 occasions across Magistrates, Family, Crown and Civil Courts, Mental Health Review Tribunals, Parole Boards, and United States Air Force Military Court Martials. He chaired the British Psychological Society Expert Witness Advisory Group from 2016 to 2023.