Saul Kassin
Encyclopedia
Saul Kassin is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology
at John Jay College of Criminal Justice
in New York
.
in NYC. He then went on to receive his Ph.D. in personality and social psychology from the University of Connecticut
in Storrs, CT. With his doctoral degree he went on to begin his psychology and law research career working with Lawrence Wrightsman at the University of Kansas
in Lawrence, KS for one year and then taught at Purdue University
in West Lafayette, IN for two years. A young man born and raised in New York City
, he went on to create insightful developments among research involving social perception and influence, and their applications to police interrogations and confessions, lie detection, eyewitness testimony, jury decision-making, and other aspects of law.
In 1984, Kassin was awarded the U.S. Supreme Court Judicial Fellowship and worked at the Federal Judicial Center
in Washington, DC. In 1985, worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University
in their Psychology and Law Program. Kassin went on to author several textbooks used at colleges and universities today such as Psychology, Essentials of Psychology, Developmental Social Psychology, The Psychology of Evidence and Trial Procedure, and The American Jury on Trial. He co-author the textbook Social Psychology with Dr. Steven Fein
and Dr. Hazel Rose Markus
.
Dr. Kassin is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association
, the Association for Psychological Science
, and the American Psychology-Law Society
. In 2007, he received a Presidential Award from the American Psychological Association for his groundbreaking work on false confessions. He was the president of Division 41 of APA, a.k.a. the American Psychology-Law Society. He continues to teach, research, write, and lecture to judges, lawyers, police groups, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other high interest groups in the area of social psychology and the law. He also appears as a guest analyst on major TV networks and syndicated news shows.
Dr. Kassin is best known for starting the scientific study of false confessions. In 1985, he and Lawrence Wrightsman wrote that there are three types of false confessions (voluntary, coerced-compliant, coerced-internalized). These classifications are used all over the world. He also created the first laboratory research methods used in forensic psychology to study the problems with certain types of police interrogation techniques and why innocent people confess. With other experts in the field, he wrote a 2010 White Paper called “Police-Induced Confessions: Risk Factors and Recommendations.” He has published many other articles on the subject, has worked on many high profile cases, has worked with the Innocence Project
, all to use psychology to help prevent and correct wrongful convictions. He has testified as an expert witness in state, federal, and military courts. His writings are cited all over the world.
Today, he is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice
in New York City
and Massachusetts Professor of Psychology at Williams College
in Williamstown, Massachusetts
.
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at John Jay College of Criminal Justice
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
The John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a senior college of the City University of New York in Midtown Manhattan, New York City and is the only liberal arts college with a criminal justice and forensic focus in the United States. The college offers programs in Forensic Science and Forensic...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Biography
Dr. Saul Kassin is an American psychologist. He has participated in contributing to many books which have helped to explain different aspects in the field of psychology. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa as an undergrad from Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
in NYC. He then went on to receive his Ph.D. in personality and social psychology from the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
in Storrs, CT. With his doctoral degree he went on to begin his psychology and law research career working with Lawrence Wrightsman at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
in Lawrence, KS for one year and then taught at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
in West Lafayette, IN for two years. A young man born and raised in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, he went on to create insightful developments among research involving social perception and influence, and their applications to police interrogations and confessions, lie detection, eyewitness testimony, jury decision-making, and other aspects of law.
In 1984, Kassin was awarded the U.S. Supreme Court Judicial Fellowship and worked at the Federal Judicial Center
Federal Judicial Center
The Federal Judicial Center is the education and research agency of the United States federal courts. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1967, at the recommendation of the Judicial Conference of the United States....
in Washington, DC. In 1985, worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in their Psychology and Law Program. Kassin went on to author several textbooks used at colleges and universities today such as Psychology, Essentials of Psychology, Developmental Social Psychology, The Psychology of Evidence and Trial Procedure, and The American Jury on Trial. He co-author the textbook Social Psychology with Dr. Steven Fein
Steven Fein
Steven Fein is currently a Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychology at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Steven has two daughters named Alina and Hannah....
and Dr. Hazel Rose Markus
Hazel Rose Markus
Hazel Markus is a prominent social psychologist. In 1975, she received her PhD from the University of Michigan, and later became one of the university’s faculty members. During her time at the University of Michigan, she was a research scientist at the Institute for Social Research...
.
Dr. Kassin is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...
, the Association for Psychological Science
Association for Psychological Science
The Association for Psychological Science , previously the American Psychological Society, is a non-profit international organization whose mission is to promote, protect, and advance the interests of scientifically oriented psychology in research, application, teaching, and the improvement of...
, and the American Psychology-Law Society
American Psychology-Law Society
The American Psychology-Law Society is an academic society for legal and forensic psychologists, as well as general psychologists who are interested in the application of psychology to the law. AP-LS serves as Division 41 of the American Psychological Association and publishes the academic journal...
. In 2007, he received a Presidential Award from the American Psychological Association for his groundbreaking work on false confessions. He was the president of Division 41 of APA, a.k.a. the American Psychology-Law Society. He continues to teach, research, write, and lecture to judges, lawyers, police groups, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other high interest groups in the area of social psychology and the law. He also appears as a guest analyst on major TV networks and syndicated news shows.
Dr. Kassin is best known for starting the scientific study of false confessions. In 1985, he and Lawrence Wrightsman wrote that there are three types of false confessions (voluntary, coerced-compliant, coerced-internalized). These classifications are used all over the world. He also created the first laboratory research methods used in forensic psychology to study the problems with certain types of police interrogation techniques and why innocent people confess. With other experts in the field, he wrote a 2010 White Paper called “Police-Induced Confessions: Risk Factors and Recommendations.” He has published many other articles on the subject, has worked on many high profile cases, has worked with the Innocence Project
Innocence Project
An Innocence Project is one of a number of non-profit legal organizations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand dedicated to proving the innocence of wrongly convicted people through the use of DNA testing, and to reforming the criminal justice systems to...
, all to use psychology to help prevent and correct wrongful convictions. He has testified as an expert witness in state, federal, and military courts. His writings are cited all over the world.
Today, he is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
The John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a senior college of the City University of New York in Midtown Manhattan, New York City and is the only liberal arts college with a criminal justice and forensic focus in the United States. The college offers programs in Forensic Science and Forensic...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Massachusetts Professor of Psychology at Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
in Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,754 at the 2010 census...
.