Cassell The Dark Side of the Mind: True Stories from My Life as a Forensic Psychologist

Brilliant! Couldn’t put it down

An Excellent insight into forensic psychology. Very well written.

This is a most refreshing book. That probably seems an odd thing to say about a book that is so much concerned with the perpetrators and victims of some of the most serious crimes. What for me gives “The Dark Side of the Mind” such a positive quality is the personal tone and lucidity with which particularised accounts are written. Kerry Daynes interweaves her own personal story, told with an engaging frankness, alongside detailed presentation and examination of her work as a forensic psychologist, working mainly in prisons, prison hospitals and refuges of different kinds.The author is not an academic; she does not explore scientific theory in detail, though she shows an intelligent working understanding of ideas behind practice in this field. She is not afraid to call upon common sense, intuition and personal feeling, when established theories and practice strike her as wrong. From the opening line of the Prologue she stresses that working one-to one with criminals and victims is a two-way process; there has to be giving and taking; there has to be learning on both sides.Her writing captures well the innocence and awkwardness that accompanied her early first steps into her chosen field. She is not afraid to allude to the cynical and often brutish attitudes of prison personnel, their patronising and sexist attitudes towards her, their contempt for any serios hopes of rehabilitation of hardened criminals. Daynes’ personal discomfort comes to the surface again when she is, herself, the victim of a stalker and finds herself having to defend her conduct and principles in court. From the outset, we see someone, however raw and out of her depth, hanging in, loyal to her beliefs but actively learning all the time.She speaks of the seemingly unquenchable appetite in the public at large for stories, both fact and fiction, of the most violent and horrendous nature. There is no simple division between those who commit the atrocities and those who feed on them for some deep needs within themselves. We are fed an unending diet of sensation and horror through newspapers in particular, but there is a whole industry cashing in on the thirst for this material. As she matures in age and experience, her confidence grows and this is reflected in the way that she writes. Around every corner, there are setbacks and Daynes shows remarkable resilience in staying the pace as long as she does.We are introduced to a variety of cases: those who have rarely if ever left prison, those who are long-standing victims of domestic violence, those who try to manipulate the system for their own ends, those who fake illness and those who won’t admit it. Perhaps, because it stands apart from any of the other cases, Maya’s erotomania is of special interest. Daynes establishes a strong professional relationship with someone who has become psychologically institutionalised. The deeply felt account of this woman’s inner world casts light back on many of the very different cases encountered earlier.There is no simple happy ending to this book, either for the writer or for those who cross her path. There is a great deal more, changing attitudes, often slowly changing and patchily. The prison service, the police, as well as social workers, forensic psychologists and others all suffer from harsh restraints on resources as need and the prison population grows. Huge challenges remain, but here Ms. Daynes sets down and tries to live by vital ethical principles. The book is in one sense “an easy read”, but there is no lack of substance.

It’s not often I can call a non-fiction book unputdownable, but I loved this so much it was really hard not to race through it in one sitting late into the night. Instead I rationed myself so that I could eke out the pleasure more. I’d normally only do this with a great fiction novel I was enjoying.Kerry Daynes has approached her subject with exactly the right tone. The book is full of fascinating anecdotes from her career in forensic psychology, all of which reflect different aspects of the human psyche and her work in the criminal justice system. There’s a liberal sprinkling of background statistics and both procedural and legal information, all of which add weight and interest. The story of her career is intermingled with struggles in her personal life where she has herself come face to face with the darker side of the human mind, plus her efforts to come to terms with the thoughts and behaviour of the clients she is exposed to and the inadequacies of the UK prison and medical system to properly deal with those clients. Throughout, her warm Northern wit, intelligence, professionalism and care is evident.A fabulous read. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who is at all interested by the workings of our human mind.

it's as simple as this folks .Go and buy this book .Il give nothing away on what has been written in this book ,so no spoilers from me .😄Highly reccomended ,enthralling book to read .👍

This book made me cry, laugh, think & pick my chin up off the floor - usually all within the same chapter! The author is refreshingly, brutally honest, not only about her professional cases, opinions & career, but also her personal life - & all aspects covered are equally gripping. The writing style is accessible, with appropriate humour alongside the heart wrenching true-life stories, & a fascinating insight from the author on the psychology industry & the criminal & legal systems affecting both criminals & the work of the forensic psychologists who assess them. I really can’t praise this book highly enough!

Kerry Dayne's is a very brave writer. Both humorously in parts and yet humble in most, her style of writing manages to convey enthusiasm and rare insight into her work as a 'Forensic Psychologist'. The book she uses this interesting approach for is 'The Dark Side of The Mind' and it all makes for a fascinating read.This is a book that manages to convey just how difficult the work is and yet sadly it's surprisingly short - only eleven chapters in total, when it's so fascinating it could easily have continued to become twenty chapters and would never have become tedious due to the successful writing style.However, there is very little to fault with this well written and highly inspiring book. It is hard-hitting in parts but obviously such a book on such a subject would be. I thought it was brilliant from the start and it taught me a lot which I hadn't previously considered. Each chapter is a different case/patient study and although there is partial humour used to tell one particular story, the humour used is one of relief and so wasn't unwelcome.If you are interested in the subject, it's well worth getting a copy but be prepared to be shocked occasionally. A rare book indeed and highly recommended.