FORENSIC

PSYCHOLOGY
INSTRUCTOR: MARYAM KHAN
OCT, 2020
“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 area of concern.” (According to American board of
Forensic psychology)

“Forensic psychology is the application of the science and

profession of psychology to questions and issues relating to law and
legal system” “Forensic psychology is a specialized branch that
deals with issues that connect psychology and the law.”
 HISTORY
Forensic is a relatively new specialty area. In fact, forensic
psychology was just officially recognized as a specialty area by
the American Psychological Association in 2001. Despite this,
the field of forensic psychology forensic psychology has roots
that date back to Wilhelm Wundt's first psychology lab in
Leipzig, German.
Today, forensic psychologists are not only interested in
understanding why such behaviors occur, but also in helping
minimize and prevent such actions.
The field has experienced dramatic growth in recent years as more and more
students become interested in this applied branch of psychology. Popular
movies, television programs and books have help popularize the field, often
depicting brilliant heroes who solve vicious crimes or track down killers
using psychology.

While depictions of forensic psychology in popular media are certainly

dramatic and attention-grabbing, these portrayals are not necessarily
accurate.

Forensic psychologists definitely play an important role in the criminal

justice system, however, and this can be an exciting career for students
interested in applying psychological principles to the legal system.
 OBJECTIVE
In many cases, people working within forensic psychology are not
necessarily "forensic psychologists." These individuals might be clinical
psychologists, school psychologists, neurologists, or counselors who lend
their psychological expertise to provide testimony, analysis, or
recommendations in legal or criminal cases.

For example, a clinical psychologist might provide mental health services

such as assessment, diagnosis, and treatment to individuals who have come
into contact with the criminal justice system. Clinicians might be asked to
determine if a suspected criminal suffers from a mental illness, or may be
asked to provide treatment to individuals suffering from substance abuse and
addiction issues.
Another example is that of a school psychologist. While people in
this profession typically work with children in school settings, a
school psychologist working in forensic psychology might evaluate
children in suspected abuse cases, help prepare children to give
testimony in court, or offer testimony in child custody disputes.

Some of the functions typically performed within forensic

psychology include: Competency evaluations Sentencing
recommendations Evaluations of the risk of reoffending Testimony
as an expert witness Child custody evaluations
 SCOPE
While forensic psychology may not be all about solving crimes and getting
inside the mind's of criminals, there are still plenty of challenges for forensic
psychologists. There are a wide range of job options within the field of
forensic psychology.

For example, some forensic psychologists work directly in the criminal

justice system to assess, evaluate and treat individuals who have committed
crimes or have been the victims of crimes.

Other forensic psychologists investigate cases of alleged child abuse, work

with child witnesses, evaluate individuals involved in child custody disputes,
and assess mental competency.
If you are interested in a field such as forensic or criminal psychology,
you might want to spend some time researching some of the exciting
career options in forensic psychology The degree you choose to
pursue may depend somewhat on what you want to do as a forensic
psychologist, so figuring this out early on can be helpful in planning
your educational path.
 ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES
A list of topics for assessment includes:

- Cognitive and intellectual abilities

- - Neuropsychological screening
- Personality and executive functioning
- - Trauma - Violence risk appraisal
- - Malingering
- - Psychological competency
- Typically, an assessment consists of a diagnostic interview, psychosocial
history, and a comprehensive battery of standardized tests to address a
subset of the topics just listed.
The diagnostic interview, which includes a mental status examination, seeks
to understand the individual's current level of overall functioning.

The psychosocial history provides a detailed description of the client's life

story covering family of origin, childhood experiences, socialization,
marriage, divorce, educational, occupational and military (if applicable),
history; drug and alcohol involvement, past and current medical and
psychological functioning, and past legal difficulties. Interview data
provides a context in which current issues can be positioned and understood.
 STATUS IN PAKISTAN
The sub-speciality that deals with the interface of
law and psychiatry is known as forensic psychiatry.
Forensic psychiatric services in Pakistan are almost
non-existent, and the role played by judicial and
medical fraternity in managing legal cases is rare.