Forensic Psychology

Abstract

Forensic psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the production and application of psychological knowledge and principles within the legal process. Although forensic psychology is a relatively young discipline, psychology and law have been intertwined since the dawn of recorded history. Today there is hardly an area of the law where psychological expert testimony is not being implemented and there can be no doubt that forensic psychology has made significant contributions to the execution of justice. Consequently, the forensic psychologist often serves as an expert witness in court. The activities of forensic psychologists include the assessment of competency to stand trial and criminal responsibility, determining the validity of defenses (such as intoxication, amnesia, dissociative identity disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder), predicting violent behavior, assessing eyewitness testimony and personal injury, providing testimony on appropriate sentencing, profiling, and contributing to child custody evaluations. The most important forensic assessment procedures are the forensic interview and psychological testing, while forensic hypnosis is also sometimes used. Because reliability is questioned, the polygraph is seldom employed. The status of forensic psychology can be increased by quality research, presenting objective and critical evidence, and realizing that there are areas in which the contribution of forensic psychologists is questionable.