Forensic Psychology is the intersection between psychology and the justice system

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Forensic Psychology is the intersection between psychology and the justice system. It involves 
understanding fundamental legal principles, particularly with regard to expert witness testimony and the 
specific content area of concern (e.g., competence to stand trial, child custody and visitation, or workplace 
discrimination), as well as relevant jurisdictional considerations (e.g., in the United States, the definition of 
insanity in criminal trials differs from state to state) in order to be able to interact appropriately with judges, 
attorneys and other legal professionals. An important aspect of forensic psychology is the ability to testify in 
court as an expert witness, reformulating psychological findings into the legal language of the courtroom, 
providing information to legal personnel in a way that can be understood.
[1]
 Further, in order to be a credible 
witness the forensic psychologist must understand the philosophy, rules, and standards of the judicial system. 
Primary is an understanding of the adversarial system. There are also rules about hearsay evidence and most 
importantly, the exclusionary rule. Lack of a firm grasp of these procedures will result in the forensic 
psychologist losing credibility in the courtroom.
[2]
 A forensic psychologist can be trained in clinical, social, 
organizational or any other branch of psychology.
[3]
 
Generally, a forensic psychologist is designated as an expert in a particular area of expertise. The number of 
areas of expertise in which a forensic psychologist qualifies as an expert increases with experience and 
reputation. Forensic neuropsychologists are generally asked to appear as expert witnesses in court to discuss 
cases that involve issues with the brain or brain damage. They may also deal with issues of whether a person 
is legally competent to stand trial. 
Questions asked by the court of a forensic psychologist are generally not questions regarding psychology but 
are legal questions and the response must be in language the court understands. For example, a forensic 
psychologist is frequently appointed by the court to assess a defendant's competence to stand trial. The court 
also frequently appoints a forensic psychologist to assess the state of mind of the defendant at the time of the 
offense. This is referred to as an evaluation of the defendant's sanity or insanity (which relates to criminal 
responsibility) at the time of the offense.
[4]
 These are not primarily psychological questions but rather legal 
ones. Thus, a forensic psychologist must be able to translate psychological information into a legal 
framework.
[5]
 
Forensic psychologists may be called on to provide sentencing recommendations, treatment 
recommendations or any other information the judge requests, such as information regarding mitigating 
factors, assessment of future risk and evaluation of witness credibility. Forensic psychology also involves 
training and evaluating police or other law enforcement personnel, providing law enforcement with criminal 
profiles and in other ways working with police departments. Forensic psychologists may work with any party 
and in criminal or family law. In the United States they may also help with jury selection.
[6]
 
Areas of forensic psychology 
According to R.J. Gregory in Psychological Testing: History, Principles, and Application, the main roles of 
a psychologist in the court system are eight-fold: 
  Evaluation of possible malingering 
  Assessment of mental state for insanity plea 
  Competence to stand trial 
  Prediction of violence and assessment of risk 
  Evaluation of child custody in divorce 
  Assessment of personal injury 
  Interpretation of polygraph data 
  Specialized forensic personality assessment 
Professional opportunities in forensic psychology 
There are numerous professional positions and employment possibilities for forensic psychologists. They can 
be practiced at several different employment settings. 
Academic researcher 
Academic forensic psychologists engage in teaching, research, training and supervision of students, and 
other education-related activities.
[7]
 These professionals usually have an advanced degree in Psychology 
(most likely a PhD). While their main focus is research, it is not unusual for them to take on any of the other 
positions of forensic psychologists. These professionals may be employed at various settings, which include 
colleges and universities, research institutes, government or private agencies, and mental health agencies.
[7]
 

Forensic psychology research pertains to psychology and the law, whether it be criminal or civil.
[7]
 
Researchers test hypotheses empirically and apply the research on issues related to psychology and the 
law.
[8]
 They may also conduct research on mental health law and policy evaluation.
[7]
 Some famous 
psychologists in the field include Saul Kassin, very widely known for studying false confessions, and 
Elizabeth Loftus, known for her research on eyewitness memory. She has provided expert witness testimony 
for many cases. 
Consultant to law enforcement 
Forensic psychologists also assist with law enforcement. They work in collaboration with the police force or 
other law enforcement agencies. Law enforcement psychologists are responsible for assisting law 
enforcement personnel. They are frequently trained to help with crisis intervention, including post-trauma 
and suicide. Other duties of law enforcement psychologists include development of police training programs, 
stress management, personnel management, and referral of departmental personnel as well as their families 
for specialized treatment and counseling.
[9]
 Of course, ethical issues may arise, such as the question of who 
the client is (the police officer referred or the department, in regards to confidentiality).
[8]
 
Correctional psychologist 
Correctional psychologists work with inmates and offenders in correctional settings. They serve both the role 
of an evaluator and a treatment provider to those who have been imprisoned or on parole or probation. 
Correctional psychologists may also take on the role of researcher or expert witness. 
Evaluator 
These forensic psychologists take on the role of evaluating parties in criminal or civil cases on mental health 
issues related to their case. For criminal cases, they may be called on to evaluate issues including, but not 
limited to, defendants' competence to stand trial, their mental state at the time of the offense (insanity), and 
their risk for future violent acts.
[7]
 For civil cases, they may be called on to evaluate issues including, but not 
limited to, an individual’s psychological state after an accident or the families of custody cases.
[7]
 Any 
assessment made by an evaluator is not considered a counseling session, and therefore whatever is said or 
done is not confidential. It is the obligation of the evaluator to inform the parties that everything in the 
session will be open to scrutiny in a forensic report or expert testimony.
[8]
 Evaluators work closely with 
expert witnesses (discussed below) as many are called into court to testify with what they have come to 
conclude from their evaluations. They have a variety of employment settings, such as forensic and state 
psychiatric hospitals, mental health centers, and private practice. Evaluators usually have had training as 
clinical psychologists.
[7]
 
Expert witness 
Unlike fact witnesses, who are limited to testifying about what they know or have observed, expert witnesses 
have the ability to express opinion because, as their name suggests, they are presumed to be “experts” in a 
certain topic. They possess specialized knowledge about the topic. Expert witnesses are called upon to testify 
on matters of mental health (clinical expertise) or other areas of expertise such as social, experimental, 
cognitive, or developmental.
[8]
 The role of being an expert witness is not primary and it is usually performed 
in conjunction with another role such as that of researcher, academic, evaluator, or clinical psychologist. 
Clinical forensic psychologists evaluate a defendant and are then called upon as expert witnesses to testify on 
the mental state of the defendant.
[7]
 
In the past, expert witnesses primarily served the court rather than the litigants.
[8]
 Nowadays, that very rarely 
happens and most expert witness recruitment is done by trial attorneys. But regardless of who calls in the 
expert, it is the judge who determines the acceptability of the expert witness.
[8]
 
All ethical expert witnesses must be able to resolve the issue of relating to the case and being an advocate. 
They must decide between loyalty to their field of expertise or to the outcome of the case.
[8]
 
Treatment provider 
Treatment providers are forensic psychologists who administer psychological intervention or treatment to 
individuals in both criminal and civil cases who require or request these services. In criminal proceedings, 
treatment providers may be asked to provide psychological interventions to individuals who require 
treatment for the restoration of competency, after having been determined by the courts as incompetent to 
stand trial.
[7]
 They may be asked to provide treatment for the mental illness of those deemed insane at the 
crime.
[7]
 They may also be called to administer treatment to minimize the likelihood of future acts of 

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Forensic Psychology is the intersection between psychology and the justice system. It involves understanding fundamental legal principles, particularly with regard to expert witness testimony and the specific content area of concern (e.g., competence to stand trial, child custody and visitation, or workplace discrimination), as well as relevant jurisdictional considerations (e.g., in the United States, the definition of insanity in criminal trials differs from state to state) in order to be able to interact appropriately with judges, attorneys and other legal professionals. An important aspect of forensic psychology is the ability to testify in court as an expert witness, reformulating psychological findings into the legal language of the courtroom, providing information to legal personnel in a way that can be understood.[1] Further, in order to be a credible witness the forensic psychologist must understand the philosophy, rules, and standards of the judicial system. Primary is an understanding of the adversarial system. There are also rules about hearsay evidence and most importantly, the exclusionary rule. Lack of a firm grasp of these procedures will result in the forensic psychologist losing credibility in the courtroom.[2] A forensic psychologist can be trained in clinical, social, organizational or any other branch of psychology.[3] Generally, a forensic psychologist is designated as an expert in a particular area of expertise. The number of areas of expertise in wh ...
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