Handbook of Forensic Sociology and Psychology

The role of behavioral and social sciences in the courtroom setting has expanded exponentially in the past few decades.  It is now widely recognized that scientists in these areas provide critical contextual information for legal decision making, and that there is a reliable knowledge base for doing so.  While there are many handbooks of forensic psychology, this is the first such volume to incorporate sociological findings, broadening the conceptual basis for examining cases in both the civil and criminal realms, including immigration issues, personal injury, child custody, and sexual harassment. 

This volume will examine the responsibilities of expert witnesses and consultants, and how they may utilize principles, theories and methods from both sociology and psychology.  It will show these disciplines together can improve the identification and apprehension of criminals, as well as enhance the administration  of justice by clarifying profiles of criminal behavior, particularly in cases of serial killers, death threat makers, stalkers, and kidnappers.  The volume is quite comprehensive, covering a range of medical, school, environmental and business settings.  Throughout it links basic ideas to real applications and their impact on the justice system.

Evolving Practice Parameters of Forensic Criminology.- The Work of the Sociologist as Mitigation Expert in Cases of Violent Crime.- “Oh, Stop That Cursed Jury”: The Role of the Forensic Psychologist in the Mitigation Phase of the Death Penalty Trial.- The Problem of Interrogation-Induced False Confession: Sources of Failure in Prevention and Detention.- ‘Brainwashing’ as Forensic Evidence.- Target Selection by Criminal Groups and Gangs.- Gangs in the Workplace.-  The Role of a Gang Expert in Court.-Competence to Proceed and Juvenile Courts.- Competency Evaluations for Adult Defendants.- Neuropsychological Evaluations of Hispanics.- Sociological Testimony in Employment- and Education-Related Litigation.- Preventing Workplace Violence and Litigation through Pre-Employment Screening and Enforcement of Workplace Conduct Expectations.- Critical Issues in the Evolving Diagnosis of PTSD.- Sociological Evidence in Suicide Litigation.- Sociological Data in Malpractice Lawsuits.- Sociological Testimony in Long-Term Care Litigation.- Sociological Testimony and Evidence in Product Liability Litigation.- Sociological Evidence in Human Factors-Related Litigation.- Sociological Testimony in Alcohol- and Other Drug-Associated Litigation.- Sociological Theory and Methods in Toxic Tort Lawsuits.- Child Custody Evaluations.- Parental Alienation.- Anger.- Forensic Evaluation of Child Abuse.- Sociological Evidence in Abuse Litigation.- Using Expert Witnesses in Immigration Hearings/ Court.- Forensic Sociology: The Case of Honor Killing in the Muslim World.- Courting Media: Mass Media Studies of Immigration Courts.- Sociological Evidence in Military Courts- Martial Pertaining to War Crimes.- Gender Matters! Socio-Legal Studies, Courts-Martial, and the U.S. Military.- Appendix A - History of Radiation Processing, Contamination, and Environmental Clean-up Efforts.        

Dr. Stephen J. Morewitz is President of the forensic sociology consulting firm, STEPHEN J. MOREWITZ, Ph.D., & ASSOCIATES, Buffalo Grove, IL, San Francisco & Tarzana, CA. Founded in 1988, his firm consults in civil, criminal, and immigration court litigation. He is a Lecturer in the Department of Nursing and Health Sciences at California State University, East Bay, and is a Lecturer in the Sociology Department at San Jose State University.  Dr. Morewitz has been on the faculty or staffs of Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Medicine and School of Public Health, DePaul University, Argonne National Laboratory, and the California School of Podiatric Medicine.  Dr. Morewitz is the author or co-author of eight books and over 100 other publications, including the award-winning book, Domestic Violence and Maternal and Child Health (New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers/Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 2004), the award-winning book, Stalking and Violence. New Patterns of Trauma and Obsession (New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers/Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 2003), Death Threats and Violence. New Research and Clinical Perspectives (New York: Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 2008), and Sexual Harassment and Social Change in American Society (Bethesda, MD: Austin & Winfield, Rowman and Littlefield Publishing Group, 1996). He is past Chair of the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) Law and Society Division and the SSSP Crime and Delinquency Division and has served on a variety of SSSP committees. He was elected to Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, and to Pi Gamma Mu, the International Honor Society in Social Sciences. Dr. Morewitz earned his A.B. and M.A. from The College of William & Mary in Virginia and his Ph.D. from The University of Chicago.

Mark L. Goldstein, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist in Illinois. He has conducted over 1100 child custody evaluations and presented at numerous national and international conferences on child custody topics. Dr. Goldstein is the co-author of 3 books, including Chronic Disorders in Children and Adolescents. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida and has served on the faculty of the University of Illinois, College of Medicine, Roosevelt University, the Illinois School of Professional Psychology, and the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.