University of Gothenburg
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The picture shows the closure of a crime scene.
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Legal Psychology

Most people want to see a well-functioning justice system, and feel confident that crimes are investigated effectively and objectively, that the guilty are held accountable, that innocent suspects are exonerated, and that victims of crime receive the support they need. In order to achieve these goals, extensive efforts are required. The Research unit for Criminal, Legal and Investigative Psychology (CLIP) makes an important contribution to a more secure society by their research on various legal psychological topics.

Our aim is to conduct research that contributes to psychological theory as well as being applicable to the legal system. The research group Research unit for Criminal, Legal and Investigative Psychology (CLIP) has, since 2000, conducted research a on a broad range of topics, unified by a direct applied relevance for the legal system. The findings have influenced legal reform work in several countries, and some of the investigative tools that our research has developed are being used by investigators worldwide. One example is the Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) which was developed by the research group in collaboration with Swedish and international police. The technique is currently taught to interrogators in Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the USA.  

CLIP has close and continuous contact with various authorities and organizations. This direct contact is a prerequisite for the research results to be put into practice. We have carried out many collaborations with, and seminars for, personnel within the Police Agency, the Prosecutor's Office, police academies, the Swedish Judicial Academy, the Swedish Judicial Academy, the Children's Ombudsman, the Crime Victims' Agency, the Tax Agency, the Security Police et cetera. One example of a collaborative project is the one that CLIP carried out together with the Swedish Migration Agency, in which we developed Evaluation of oral statements: Scientifically based decision-aid for migration cases, to help caseworkers evaluate the credibility of asylum seekers' stories.  

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VIdeo series: Myths and facts about legal psychology
Omslag till boken The future of Forensic Psychology
Language: English, Number of pages: 174, Publication year: 2022-11-11, Publisher: Routledge, ISBN: 9781032311944
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How to interview child witnesses

Members

Full professors

  • Pär Anders Granhag
    Witness psychology, lie detection, reliability and credibility assessments, interview and interrogation methodology 
  • Karl Ask
    Investigative psychology, social cognition, research method 
  • Sara Landström
    Reliability and credibility assessments, sexual crimes, memory, children's testimonies, investigative interviewing 

Associate professors

  • Timothy Luke
    Interview and interrogation methodology, lie detection, statistics, research method, open science 

Senior lecturers/researchers

  • Mikaela Magnusson
    Investigative interviewing, memory, children's testimonies 
  • Sofia Calderon
    The psychology of lying, social cognition, replication studies 
  • Emelie Ernberg
    Memory, children's testimonies, legal decision-making 

PhD students

Research assistants