Contemporary issues in forensic psychology.

Abstract

With roots dating to the beginning of the 20th century, forensic psychology has developed into a thriving specialty, as demonstrated by the establishment of a variety of professional organizations concerned with research and practice in the area, the large number of journals devoted to forensic research and practice, the proliferation of tests that have been developed to facilitate forensic psychological assessments, and the various guidelines that have been published to guide practice. Nonetheless, forensic psychology practice is facing a number of challenges at the current time that we address below, including problems with the current American Psychological Association ethics code, tensions between ethical and legal obligations to ensure test security and the law’s demands for transparency and access to evidence, and the specialty area’s failure to develop guidelines for specific areas of practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)