Psychological contributions to cold case investigations: A systematic review
This article presents a systematic review of the available literature on ‘what works’ in cold case investigations, with a specific focus on psychological evidence-based research. Long-term unsolved and cold cases present their own unique set of challenges, such as lack of hard evidence, recall accur...
Main Authors: | , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Elsevier
2022-01-01
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Series: | Forensic Science International: Synergy |
Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589871X22000791 |
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author | Katie Toolin Amy van Langeraad Viktoria Hoi Adrian J. Scott Fiona Gabbert |
author_facet | Katie Toolin Amy van Langeraad Viktoria Hoi Adrian J. Scott Fiona Gabbert |
author_sort | Katie Toolin |
collection | DOAJ |
description | This article presents a systematic review of the available literature on ‘what works’ in cold case investigations, with a specific focus on psychological evidence-based research. Long-term unsolved and cold cases present their own unique set of challenges, such as lack of hard evidence, recall accuracy, and witness credibility. Therefore, this review provides a collated base of research regarding preventative methods and investigative tools and techniques developed to highlight gaps in the literature and inform best practice in cold case investigations. The review features victim and crime characteristics that may contribute to a case becoming cold and displays contributing factors to cold case clearance. Although promising, at present, psychological research in this field is insufficient to inform evidence-based guidance. Future research should aim to explore the wider psychological and criminal justice-based literature (e.g., memory retrieval and cognitive bias) to investigate what could be applicable to cold case investigations. |
first_indexed | 2024-04-13T05:09:36Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-e7ebffb786e94d318c37eb084b5a9915 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2589-871X |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-04-13T05:09:36Z |
publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
publisher | Elsevier |
record_format | Article |
series | Forensic Science International: Synergy |
spelling | doaj.art-e7ebffb786e94d318c37eb084b5a99152022-12-22T03:01:05ZengElsevierForensic Science International: Synergy2589-871X2022-01-015100294Psychological contributions to cold case investigations: A systematic reviewKatie Toolin0Amy van Langeraad1Viktoria Hoi2Adrian J. Scott3Fiona Gabbert4Corresponding author. Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, SE14 6NW, UK.; Goldsmiths, University of London, UKGoldsmiths, University of London, UKGoldsmiths, University of London, UKGoldsmiths, University of London, UKGoldsmiths, University of London, UKThis article presents a systematic review of the available literature on ‘what works’ in cold case investigations, with a specific focus on psychological evidence-based research. Long-term unsolved and cold cases present their own unique set of challenges, such as lack of hard evidence, recall accuracy, and witness credibility. Therefore, this review provides a collated base of research regarding preventative methods and investigative tools and techniques developed to highlight gaps in the literature and inform best practice in cold case investigations. The review features victim and crime characteristics that may contribute to a case becoming cold and displays contributing factors to cold case clearance. Although promising, at present, psychological research in this field is insufficient to inform evidence-based guidance. Future research should aim to explore the wider psychological and criminal justice-based literature (e.g., memory retrieval and cognitive bias) to investigate what could be applicable to cold case investigations.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589871X22000791 |
spellingShingle | Katie Toolin Amy van Langeraad Viktoria Hoi Adrian J. Scott Fiona Gabbert Psychological contributions to cold case investigations: A systematic review Forensic Science International: Synergy |
title | Psychological contributions to cold case investigations: A systematic review |
title_full | Psychological contributions to cold case investigations: A systematic review |
title_fullStr | Psychological contributions to cold case investigations: A systematic review |
title_full_unstemmed | Psychological contributions to cold case investigations: A systematic review |
title_short | Psychological contributions to cold case investigations: A systematic review |
title_sort | psychological contributions to cold case investigations a systematic review |
url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589871X22000791 |
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