International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology

The International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology (ICRFP) has an established international reputation for conducting a broad range of criminological and forensic psychology research. Research in Forensic Psychology has been a cornerstone of the Department of Psychology since 1990 and the Centre now comprises an impressive team of research staff and students.

Our primary aim is to delivery high quality research in Forensic Psychology at both national and international level. Our work has been funded by: ESRC, Home Office, British Academy, Nuffield Foundation, US Government, Leverhulme Trust, British Psychological Society and Prison Service Headquarters. Several members of the Centre regularly serve as Expert Witnesses.

Watch The Rehabilitation of Offenders: Beyond Punishment, a public lecture by Dr Tony Ward, Victoria University of Wellington

House of Legal Psychology Newsletters

Practitioner Newsletter 2016‌

Practitioner Newsletter 2015

RESEARCH AREAS

INTERVENTION WITH OFFENDERS

Innovative ways to predict risk in offending populations; the recovery process in addiction to alcohol and drugs; the development of criminality in young children; social climate as a mediator of adjustment and response to therapeutic interventions in custodial settings; processes involved in personal change.

DETECTING DECEPTION

Verbal and nonverbal detection of deception; polygraph; criteria based content analysis; malingering in medico-legal contexts.

WITNESS MEMORY AND SUGGESTIBILITY

Eyewitness testimony; earwitness testimony; eyewitness identification; child witnesses; tools and interventions for improving witness performance; eyewitness metacognition; hindsight bias; memory conformity; false memory

DECISION MAKING IN THE FORENSIC CONTEXT

The thought processes involved in malevolent creativity; understanding decision-making in security settings such as when attending to airport X-ray footage of CCTV; investigative interviews with vulnerable witnesses and suspects; burglars' decision-making; jury decision-making; contextual influences on homicide; stereotypes and prejudice.