​This volume is the most comprehensive reference book on community sentiment available. The classic book about community sentiment is Norm Finkel’s “Commonsense Justice: Jurors’ Notions of the Law” (1995). A similarly influential book called “Justice, Liability, and Blame” was published at the same time, examining lay sentiment about a variety of criminal issues and suggesting ways in which the substantive criminal law could be reformed in light of such lay responses (Robinson & Darley, 1995). Although these books were influential and important for their time (and since), this Handbook expands significantly on them, both by updating research since that time and broadens the scope of topic areas to ones that are not limited to trial and criminal justice issues. Each chapter is original/unpublished and focuses on an area related to children/families, many of which are “hot topic” areas in the news and courts today. For instance, the U.S. Supreme Court decided a case in June 2012 about the constitutionality of “life without parole” for juvenile offenders—a topic discussed in the Fass and Miora chapter. Thus, it is of interest to those interested in family law topics as well.​

Encompassing community development, organizing, planning, & social change, as well as globalisation, this book is grounded in participatory & empowerment practice. The 36 chapters assess practice, theory & research methods.

With coverage of the entire research process in social media, data collection and analysis on specific platforms, and innovative developments in the field, this handbook is the ultimate resource for those looking to tackle the challenges that come with doing research in this sphere.

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) allows people who are infertile the opportunity to conceive children and form much desired families. Over the past few decades, the number of ART procedures conducted in the United States has steadily increased, in part affected by the growing number of women trying to conceive later in their reproductive lives. This demographic shift in baby making has widened to include a variety of other people who experience social infertility, from single persons to same-sex couples. Media exposure and political attention to the use of ART have aroused public concern and controversy. In Assisted Reproduction, Alexandra E. Sigillo and Monica K. Miller explore how media, personal differences, societal influences, and psychological processes shape community sentiment toward ART and ART-related laws and policies. This book is recommended for students and scholars of psychology, sociology, gender and women’s studies, communication studies, public health, and legal studies.

Today, all but one U.S. jurisdiction restricts a convicted felon’s eligibility for jury service. Are there valid, legal reasons for banishing millions of Americans from the jury process? How do felon-juror exclusion statutes impact convicted felons, jury systems, and jurisdictions that impose them? Twenty Million Angry Men provides the first full account of this pervasive yet invisible form of civic marginalization. Drawing on extensive research, James M. Binnall challenges the professed rationales for felon-juror exclusion and highlights the benefits of inclusion as they relate to criminal desistance at the individual and community levels. Ultimately, this forward-looking book argues that when it comes to serving as a juror, a history of involvement in the criminal justice system is an asset, not a liability.

Presenting both historical and contemporary discussions and coverage, this book provides an in-depth and critical analysis of police brutality and the killing of unarmed black males in the United States of America. Within the book, contributors cover five key areas: the historical context and contemporary evidence of police brutality of unarmed black people in the USA; the impact of police aggression on blacks’ well-being; novel strategies for prevention and intervention; the advancement of a cordial relationship between police and black communities; and how best to equip the next generation of scholars and professionals. Each contributor provides a simple-to-understand, thought-provoking, and creative recommendation to address the perennial social ill of police brutality of black males, making this book an excellent resource for students, scholars and professionals across disciplinary spectrums. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment.

As with its esteemed predecessor, this timely volume offers ways of applying psychological knowledge to address pressing concerns in legal procedures and potentially to reduce criminal offending. In such areas as interrogations, expert testimony, evidence admissibility, and the “death qualification” process in capital trials, contributors offer scientific bases for trends in suspect, witness, and juror behavior and identify those practices liable to impinge on just outcomes. Recommendations span a wide range of research, practice, and policy areas, from better approaches to assessment to innovative strategies for reducing recidivism. The interdisciplinary perspectives of these chapters shed salient light on both the reach of the issues and possibilities for intervening to improve the functioning of the justice system. Among the topics covered: · The validity of pleading guilty. · The impact of emotions on juror judgments and decision making. · The content, purpose, and effects of expert testimony on interrogation practices and suspect confessions. · A synthetic perspective on the own-race bias in eyewitness identification. · Risk-reducing interventions for justice-involved individuals. · Criminal justice and psychological perspectives on deterring gangs. As a means to spur research and discussion, and to inspire further collaboration between the fields, Volume 2 of Advances in Psychology and Law will interest and intrigue researchers and practitioners in law-psychology as well as practicing attorneys, trial consultants, and clinical psychologists.