Citation

Gudjonsson GH. Leg. Crim. Psychol. 1996; 1(1): 131-142.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1996, British Psychological Society, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.2044-8333.1996.tb00312.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In the present paper, the author discusses 450 forensic cases on which he has worked between 1980 and 1992. Of these 420 (93 per cent) were criminal cases. Murder (33 per cent) and sexual offences (25 per cent) were the most common offences. The civil cases were mainly concerned with compensation, due to alleged post-traumatic stress disorder or head injury. Although the author has worked on a large number of different types of problems and issues, 60 per cent of the criminal cases involved disputed confessions. The author testified in court in 89 (20 per cent) of the 450 cases, with 33 of the cases being heard at the Old Bailey. The author concludes that in recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the demand for psychological services, particularly in the cases of disputed confessions and post-traumatic stress disorder which are highly specialized areas of court work. At present there appears to be an insufficient number of psychologists in England with the necessary experience and expertise to cope with the increased demand.

Language: en