Table of Contents

Acknowledgements. 1. Who Does He Think He Is? 2. How Psychologists Work. 3. Treatment Needs Assessment: Who Needs It? 4. Risk Assessment: Coffee Cans and Crystal Balls. 5. Formulation: When 'I Don't Know' Is the Correct Answer, All Other Answers Are Wrong. 6. Intervention: A Suitable Case for Treatment? 7. Evaluation: What Works and How Would We Know? 8. Communication: Who's Listening? 9. The Parole Process: Who Goes Home? 10. Heuristics and Biases: How Can We Be So Stupid? 11. Are We Hardwired for Poor Judgement? 12. The Future of Forensic (and Maybe Other) Psychology. 13. Leaving the Science Behind. References.

Promotional Information

An exposé of the poor scientific basis of psychological assessments affecting prisoner release, involving huge cost to taxpayers

About the Author

Robert A. Forde is a retired consultant forensic psychologist and prison psychologist. He lives in Wiltshire, UK.

Reviews

A riveting, sharply written examination of the fault line between good science and forensic folklore.
*E.J. Wagner-author of the Edgar-winning The Science of Sherlock Holmes: From Baskerville Hall to the Valley of Fear, the Real Forensics Behind the Great Detective’s Greatest Cases*

Bad Psychology is a must and timely book for anyone interested in forensic evaluation and the (mis)-use of science. It is a wake-up call to bring science to the work of forensic examiners.
*Dr. Itiel Dror, Cognitive Neuroscientist, University College London*