Forensic Psychologists Casebook: Psychological profiling and criminal investigation

Offender profiling has been used increasingly by law enforcement agencies in many parts of the world, and it has a high public and media profile. But there is often a very misleading impression of what offender profiling is about and what it can achieve, and in several high profile cases it has fallen short of the expectations many people have had of its potential in crime investigation.This book aims to address some of these misconceptions by demonstrating how forensic psychology contributes to police investigations. It provides a fascinating casebook of examples and case studies illustrating the type of information provided by forensic psychologists and behavioural advisers, backed up with a wider analysis of the theoretical context within which this needs to be understood. It seeks to provide an answer to the question, 'What do practitioners actually do when they provide advice for the police and the courts and how do they do it?'. It will be essential reading for those involved in both the provision and the use of this information, and anybody else with an interest in discovering what the work of forensic psychologists in the context of criminal investigation is really about.The Forensic Psychologist's Casebook includes contributions from a number of the UK's leading forensic psychologists, with chapters devoted to a number of well known cases, from Jack the Ripper through to the Rachel Nickell murder case.