Overview

A Forensic Approach to Political and State Violence applies a forensic lens to the study of risk in relation to political and state violence. Divided into three parts, the book outlines the nature and function of political and state violence and the historic development of contributions from forensic practice. It then considers the distinction between political and state violence and the foundations for this. This is followed by a review of developments of current research and practice looking at future development and the ways in which forensic practice might more effectively contribute to risk reduction and management. The text will argue that the basis of much current forensic practice, in relation to political and state violence, is unduly limited and has failed to integrate relevant scientific research into practice. The role of market led approaches to work in these areas will also be considered, in relation to the way this has influenced and distorted practice and delayed progress. Drawing on theories derived from psychology and other areas of research, the book considers how evidence might inform improvements, using the risks and uncertainties that surround politically motivated violence to illustrate this. Real cases of political and state violence are considered, with topics including military conflict, terrorism, use of torture and hostage taking to highlight current failings and weaknesses. It also explores barriers to implementing better forensic practice in terms of both professional, economic and policy interests. It will be an essential read for all students or practitioners in the areas of forensic psychology, criminal justice, or violence risk management.

Full Product Details

Author:   David Crighton
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.453kg
ISBN:  

9781032552187

ISBN 10:   1032552182
Pages:   152
Publication Date:   25 July 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Contents Series editors preface Preface Chapter 1 Aggression and Violence Violence Focussing on physical force and physical injury Violence and aggression The exemplar-based approach Public health approaches Social psychological approaches Bio-psychological approaches Elements of violence Non-essential Unwanted Harmful Intentional What violence is not The importance of good definition Summary and conclusions Chapter 2 Defining political violence Terrorism, insurgency, guerrilla war and hybrid war Method versus movement Directness of challenge or fight Structure and goals Legal definitions of terrorism Definitions in international law Examples of national approaches Canada United Kingdom Problems with legal definitions of terrorism Who should define terrorism Other approaches to definition Criminological approaches Applying criminological theories Summary and conclusions Chapter 3 State violence and terrorism Long term tensions in the idea of the state Misunderstanding the state The future of the state International law and state terrorism State terrorism and state violence Distinguishing state violence and state terrorism Difficulties identifying state terrorism The problem of agency The nature of state terrorism The relationship between state and anti-state terrorism Hybrid organisations Possible impacts of human rights on state violence Summary and conclusions Chapter 4 Responses to politically motivated violence – the UK example Politically motivated violence and political accountability Some legislative milestones Current UK policy responses Extremism Radicalisation A widened range of threats Prevent Pursue Protect Prepare Criticisms of UK policy Specific concerns around Prevent Summary and conclusions Chapter 5 Psychological profiling A brief history Current practice in psychological profiling Criminal Investigation Analysis (CIA) Crime Action Profiling (CAP) Investigative Psychology (IP) Developments in profiling The accuracy of profiling Applying profiling to politically motivated violence Data mining Using profiling to predict and identify from at scene behaviours Using sensitive characteristics in profiling Profiles of involvement in politically motivated violence Investigative Psychology and typologies of behaviour Profiling behaviour in politically motivated hostage incidents Evaluation Summary and conclusions Chapter 6 Risk, ambiguity, uncertainty and intractability Key concepts Risk assessment Risk management, resilience and robustness Current practice in risk assessment Actuarial approaches to political violence Checklist-based assessments Cargo cult science Going back to basics Validating risk factors Improving practice Are people irrational? How people make good decisions Ecological rationality and better decision making Keeping things simple Classification Using heuristics to cope with politically motivated violence Summary and conclusions Concluding thoughts References Index

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Author Information

David Crighton is Professor of Forensic Psychology at Durham University, UK. He was previously Acting Chief/Deputy Chief Psychologist at the Ministry of Justice, UK.

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