Donald J. West

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Donald James West (9 June 1924 – 31 January 2020) was a British psychiatrist, parapsychologist and author.

Biography

He was born in June 1924 in

Cambridge University.[1] He studied criminology at Cambridge University. After his retirement in 1984 he was named the Emeritus Professor of Clinical Criminology, University of Cambridge.[2] He was also an Emeritus Fellow of Darwin College, Cambridge.[3]

He was particularly known for his 1955 book, Homosexuality (revised 1968), arguing for tolerance. His book Murder Followed by Suicide (1966) which discusses specific cases of homicide followed by suicide.[4]

West was a member of the

Mental Health Act commissioner
1992-7.

After 2005 he was associated with Paradise Press, an outlet for LGBT authors, who published his 2012 autobiography Gay Life Straight Work.[5]

He died in January 2020 at the age of 95.[6]

Parapsychology

West has studied and written on

physical mediumship and took a psychological approach to some paranormal phenomena but accepted extrasensory perception as proven. Marcuse wrote that West had based his statements on ESP on faith rather than proven fact.[8]

His book Eleven Lourdes Miracles (1957) argued that miracles have not been proven to have occurred at the famous Lourdes shrine.

Publications

Criminology

  • Sex Crimes (1994)
  • Sexual Crimes and Confrontations: A Study of Victims and Offenders (1987)
  • The Young Offender (1976)
  • Senior Course in Criminology: Drug Abuse the Changing Situation (1968)
  • Murder Followed by Suicide (1966)
  • Present conduct and future delinquency: First report
  • The Future of Parole (editor) (1972) Duckworth.
  • Delinquency: Its roots, Careers and Prospects. (1982) -
    ISBN 0-674-19565-5
  • Drug Abuse: The Changing Situation: Senior Course in Criminology. (1968)

Psychology

Psychical research

  • The Trial of Mrs Helen Duncan.
    Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
    32. (1946)
  • Eleven Lourdes Miracles (1957)
  • Psychokinetic Experiments with a Single Subject. Parapsychology Newsletter (November–December 1957)
  • ESP and Mood: Report of a 'Mass' Experiment with Clock Cards.
    Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
    38. (1956)
  • Tests for Extrasensory Perception: An Introductory Guide (1954)
  • Psychical Research Today (1953)
  • The Identity of 'Jack the Ripper.
    Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
    35. (1949)

References

  1. ^ Berger, Arthur S., and Joyce Berger. (1991). The Encyclopedia of Parapsychology and Psychical Research. New York: Paragon House.
  2. ^ British Journal of Criminology. Volume 21, Issue 1, p. 87
  3. ^ Professor Donald West Biography Archived July 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ISBN 0-415-49702-7
  5. ^ Paradise Press: Donald West
  6. ^ Professor Donald West
  7. ^ Pleasants, Helene. (1964). Biographical Dictionary of Parapsychology with Directory and Glossary 1946-1996. NY: Garrett Publications.
  8. ^ Marcuse, Frederic. (1955). Review of Psychical Research Today by D. J. West. American Journal of Psychology. Vol. 68, No. 4, pp. 692-693.

External links

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