This unique volume salutes the work of pioneering forensic psychologist Lawrence S. Wrightsman, Jr., by presenting current theorizing and research findings on issues that define the field of psychology and law. Ongoing topics in witness behaviors, suspect identification, and juror decision making illustrate how psychology and law complement and also conflict at various stages in legal processes. The book also sheds light on evolving areas such as DNA exonerations, professional trial consulting, and jury selection strategies, and the distinct challenges and opportunities these issues present. Noted contributors to the book include Wrightsman himself, who offers salient observations on the field that he continues to inspire.

Featured among the topics:

• The credibility of witnesses.
• Psychological science on eyewitness identification and the U.S. Supreme Court.
• False confessions, from colonial Salem to today.
• Identifying juror bias: toward a new generation of jury selection research.
• Law and social science: how interdisciplinary is interdisciplinary enough?
• Race and its place in the American legal system. With its diverse mix of perspectives and methodologies, The Witness Stand and Lawrence S. Wrightsman, Jr. will interest forensic researchers in academic and applied settings, as well as individuals working in the legal system, such as attorneys, judges and law enforcement personnel.

Inhalt
Introduction.- Larry Wrightsman: A Pioneer in Injecting Social- Psychological Knowledge into the Legal System.- Psychological Science on Eyewitness Identification and the U.S. Supreme Court: Reconsiderations in Light of DNA Exonerations and the Science of Eyewitness Identification.- The Credibility of Witnesses.- False Confessions: From Colonial Salem, Through Central Park, and into the 21st Century.- Identifying Juror Bias: Moving from Assessment and Prediction to a New Generation of Jury Selection Research.- Race and its Place in the United States Legal System.- Law and Social Science: How Interdisciplinary Is Interdisciplinary Enough?.- From War Protestors to Corporate Litigants: The Evolution of the Profession of Trial Consulting.- Undergraduate Education in Law and Psychology.- Reflections on Psychology and Law.