FORENSIC

PSYCHOLOGY
DEFINITION
 “Forensic” meaning legal or judicial, is
derived from Latin word forensis, which
means “relating to the forum or market”.

 Forensic Psychology is the branch of

psychology concerned with the production
and application of psychology knowledge
and principles within the legal process.
HISTORY
 J. McKeen Cattell conducted some of the
earliest research on the psychology of the
testimony. He posed a series of questions to
students at Columbia University, asking them
to provide a response and rate their degree of
confidence in their answer (1895).

 Cattell’s results indicated a surpising degree

of inaccuracy, which generated interest
among other psychologists who went on to
conduct experiments on eyewitness
testimony.
 Inspired by Cattell’s work, Alfred Binet
replicated Cattell’s research and studied
the results of other psychology
experiments that applied to law and
criminal justice (Bartol,2005).
 Psychologist William Stern also studied
witness recall. In one experiment, students
were asked to summarize a dispute they
witnessed between two classmates.

 Stern discovered that errors were

commons among the witnesses, concluding
that emotions decease the accuracy of
witness recall(Stern,1939).
ADVANTAGES OF FORENSIC
PSYCHOLOGY
 Offer insights into past crimes to help
prevent future crimes.
 They can give an informed opinion of
whether a suspect knew right from wrong at
the time of a crime and even whether a
minor is being truthful in recounting an
unlawful act.
DISADVANTAGES OF FORENSIC
PSYCHOLOGY
 Burnout happens easily
 Working multiple cases at the same time
increases job-related stress and extends your
working hours.
FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY IN
COURT:
 During this time, psychologists were also
beginning to act as expert witnesses in
criminal trials throughout Europe.

 In 1896, A psychologist by name of Albert von

Schrenck-Notzing testified at a murder trail
about the effects of suggestibility on witness
testimony(Bartol,2005).
 Hugo Münsterberg’s (referred as 1st
forensic psychologist) ardent belief that
psychology had practical applications in
everyday life also contributed to the
development of forensic psychology.

 In 1908, Münsterberg published his book  “

On the Witness Stand ”(1908), advocating
the use of psychology in legal matters.
 In 1917, Psychologist William Marston
found that systolic blood pressure had a
strong correlation to lying.
SUBFIELDS OF FORENSIC
PSYCHOLOGY
 Clinical-Forensic Psychology- is the field of
psychology used within the judicial system,
where professionals apply their psychological
knowledge to both criminal and civil cases.

 Developmental Psychology-  focus on

human growth and changes across the
lifespan, including physical, cognitive, social,
intellectual, perceptual, personality and
emotional growth.
 Social Psychology- is the scientific study of
how people's thoughts, feelings, beliefs,
intentions, and goals are constructed within
a social context by the actual or imagined
interactions with others.

 Criminal Investigate Psychology- is the

application of psychology to the criminal
investigation process. 
DEFERENCE IN THE FUNCTIONS 0F
FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY AND CLINICAL
PSYCHOLOGY:
 A. Forensic interview
1. Goal – to obtain information as
reliable and accurate as
possible.
2. Fact-finding-focus – accurate
recollection of events
important.
3. Objectivity, neutrality,
avoidance of biases.
4. Consent to obtain outside
information and disclose
information is obtained and
understood prior to proceeding
with the interview.
 B. Clinical Interview
1. Goal – to assess and provide
treatment of symptoms.
2. Therapeutic focus –
Attributions and perceptions
of events important.
3. Empathy, therapeutic
alliance, support of client.
4. Client’s consent required to
seek external verification of
information and to provide
information to outside
sources.
FORENSIC ASSESSMENT
 Forensic Assessment - is used when a
psychologist is hired to answer a specific
legal questions (i.e competency, insanity,
etc.).
 Forensic Assessment - is a systematic
evaluation by a mental health practitioner of
a defendant, witness, or offender for the
purpose of informing the court about such
issues as competency to stand trial, criminal
responsibility, and risk assessment.
CLINICAL ASSESSMENT
 Clinical assessment - refers to collecting
information and drawing conclusions through
the use of observation, psychological tests,
neurological tests, and interviews to
determine what the person's problem is and
what symptoms he/she is presenting with.
DIFFERENCE IN FORENSIC ASSESSMENT
AND CLINICAL ASSESSMENT
 Forensic  Clinical
Assessment- can be Assessment- is
often create an when a client is
adversarial referred for clinical
relationship between assessment, he or she
the psychologist and is often posing their
client, as opposed to own questions
a therapeutic one. regarding treatment,
diagnosis, progress,
etc.
ROLES OF A FORENSIC
PSYCHOLOGY:
 Competency to stand trial – Also known as
fitness to plead, which refers to the defendant’s
mental capacity to make a proper defense.

 Criminal Responsibility – Also known as insanity

defense, which refers to the time of the alleged
offenses and more specifically asks the question
whether the defendant had the mental capacity
to distinguish between right and wrong at the
time.
 Other defenses:
a.) Intoxication by alcohol or other drugs,
because it is self-induced and temporary, is
seldom given complete guiltless/ innocent
effect.
b.) Amnesia at the of the offense is one of the
most common defenses heard in the criminal
court, especially concerning violent crimes. It
is also one of the most difficult defense to
assess.
 c.) Dissociative Identity Disorder formerly
called multiple personality disorder, is
primarily characterized by the presence of
two or more distinct personalities that in
turn take control of the person’s behavior.

 d.) Prediction of violent behavior to

determine the tendency for future
violence/crime.
 e.) Sentence Mitigation even in situation
where the defendant’s mental disorder does
not meet the criteria for not guilty by reason
of insanity defense, The defendant’s state of
mind at the time.
LIMITATIONS OF FORENSIC
PSYCHOLOGY
 Forensic Psychologists must refrain from allowing
their personal, scientific, professional, legal,
financial, or other interests interfere with their
work.
 Forensic psychology is almost fully dependent on
the cooperation of the client. If they do not wish
to participate honestly, or at all, then the
forensic psychologist is left with little to no
information to use in a case. 
 Forensic psychologists need special permission
from their client both to record their findings
and to present them to a court of law.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!