Roles of Psychologists within the Legal System Amanda Burdick December 23rd, 2013 CJ233 Psychologists play many roles within the Legal and Criminal Justice systems. Those roles pertain to the areas of applied sciences, basic sciences, policy evaluators, and advocates. Psychologists are often called to assist in the criminal justice field as mediators, experts, profilers, etc. and can also provide assistance in the areas of corrections, law enforcement, and academic settings. The practice of psychology and social sciences has often been questioned in regards to its validity and ever varying factors. However, over the years, the area of psychology has been more commonly used in the criminal justice arena. Applied scientists apply knowledge to solve practical problems of the modern world rather than acquire knowledge for knowledge sake. Basic scientists pursue knowledge motivated by scientific curiosity or interest in a scientific question and study a phenomenon to expand understanding in order to contribute to scientific advances in the area, not to solve a problem. The role of the policy evaluator is one in which psychologists who have methodological skills in assessing how well a policy has worked provide data regarding the effects of that policy. A forensic evaluator is responsible for providing forensic mental health assessments and expert court testimony on a variety of topics related to legal questions involving mental and emotional disorders, intellectual functioning, substance abuse, and other clinical disorders, as well as capacities that are directly related to the legal question. The role of ... ... middle of paper ... ...he selection of jurors by race, gender, age, etc. The point of a jury is to have an unbiased cross-section of the defendant’s peers to evenly judge the crime and the punishment of the offender on trial. Sometimes, the opposing counsel will claim many different things to discredit the decisions or practices of the other side. As you can see, the field of psychology covers a broad scope which overlaps into many different fields. Though the area of social sciences has been questioned for its validity over the years, it is becoming more and more of a trusted tool in many different areas of society. Resources American Psychological Association (1994). Guidelines for Child Custody Evaluations in Divorce Proceedings. American Psychologist, 47, 1597-1611. APA.org/monitor/junoz/sp.aspx Trace.tennessee.edu Sagepub.com APA.org/monitor/2009/01/jn.aspx
Smith, R. A., & Davis, S. F. (2013). The psychologist as detective: An introduction to conducting research in psychology. Boston: Prentice Hall.
Cognitive psychology is deeply rooted in our legal system and forms the element or standard of almost all crimes and civil misconduct. An understanding of psychology, in particular cognitive psychology, aids jurors, attorneys, defendants, prosecutors, and judges in the process of the legal system specially where adjudicating guilt or liability. In addition, cognitive psychology comes into play where the legal system relies on witness testimony when adjudicating a case.
While the study of criminal justice and the formation of criminal justice theories are largely molded by several other disciplines such as psychology and sociology (Wellford, 2007), the study of criminal justice has grown and it is time for it to stand alone as its own scientific discipline. Crime theories are developed through studying individuals and assessing as well as their environment and other social aspects. These theories are then used to help form policies in order to deter the individual or group from committing further crimes. Criminal justice theories are not only used for crime but there are also theories which aid criminal justice personnel in the application of the practices that they use. The criminal justice policies are implemented
The jury system has evolved from a representation of all white men to both men and women from very diverse backgrounds. This is important if one is going to be tried in his/her community of peers.
In the psychological community, many psychologist support and agree that rehabilitation should once again become the main focus of the prison system. The clinical issue is that a lot of inmates have some type of mental illness such as psychotic illness, antisocial behavior, depression and much more. While in prison, many inmates do not get a chance to receive the necessary care and treatment that they need in order to help them with their disorder. Once they are released from prison, these inmates, without any help from any type of programs, end up committing crimes again which helps to increase recidivism rates. This newspaper article relates to forensic psychology because in this prison it is enacting many programs which psychologists are
This essay intends to address the role that state agencies, both within the Criminal Justice System (CJS) and more broadly the institutions of education, employment and health, play in supporting and implementing diversionary programs for offenders with mental health problems. Mental health is clearly one of the most critical issues facing the Australian and New South Wales (NSW) CJS with research indicating that offenders with mental health problems constitute the majority of those within the prison system. The current strategies for diversion will be critically evaluated in order to determine their effectiveness with regard to the delivery and production of justice, cultural sensitivity for Indigenous Australians will also be considered. The social construction of mental illness and the associated process of stigmatisation of this particular group will be explored in conjunction to explain why society still fails to prevent the mass entry of people with mental health issues into the traditional CJS.
Winerman, L. (2004). Criminal profiling: The reality behind the myth. Monitor on psychology, 35(7), Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug04/criminal.aspx
juror including race and sex. Part of the reasoning behind the right to a jury
Torres, A. N., Boccaccini, M. T., & Miller, H. A. (2006). Perceptions of the validity and utility of criminal profiling among forensic psychologists and psychiatrists. Professional Psychology: Research And Practice, 37(1), 51-58. doi:10.1037/0735-7028.37.1.51
Brigham John C., What is Forensic Psychology Anyway? , Law & Human Behavior, Vol. 23, No.3, pg. 274-275, 1999.
Psychology is a social science that aims to study the mind and the behaviors of humans. It aims to understand what drives humans to act the way they do. It differs from sociology and anthropology in that it takes accounts the individual rather than society as a whole.
Egger, S. (1999). Psychological Profiling: Past, Present, and Future. Journal of Contemporary Criminal justice , 15, 242-261.
The professional role of a forensic psychologist I am interested in is working as a prison psychologist. The reason it interests me is because prison psychologists are a big part in the function of today’s society. The prison psychologist play an important role in the rehabilitation with those who we would call the common criminal as well as working with criminals who are clinically insane. There are many roles that the prison psychologists do in the prison system such as treating all different criminals from murderers, sex offenders, violent offender and even those who have committed white collar crimes. The prison psychologist tend to work in many different types of facilities from maximum prisons, minimum security prisons, and mental health facilities that hold
Forensic Psychology, which is occasionally referred to as Legal Psychology, originally made its debut in the late 1800’s. A Harvard Professor, Professor Munsterberg, introduced the idea of psychology and law with his book, On the Witness Stand in 1908. Since the inception of the idea of psychology and law there have been proponents, as well as though that have spoken against the theories proposed by Munsterberg’s, along with other scientists, theorists, and psychologists that believed that Forensic Psychology had no standing to be linked to topics of law. This literature review will attempt to identify scholarly articles that trace the origins and the movement that led to Forensics Psychology becoming a specialty within the field of psychology. I will also attempt to explain What is Forensic Psychology as well as the part it plays within the legal system.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment of psychologists is expected to grow 19 percent between 2014-2024, which is considerably much faster than average. This 19 percent growth will add over 32,500 psychologists to the workforce. This growth would be seen due to the aging population and health care costs associated with unhealthy lifestyles, personal and family problems and crime and punishment. There will also be an increased demand for forensic psychology professionals in schools, law enforcement agencies, social service agencies, consulting firms and mental health centers. Due to the growing interest in this popular field jobs will most likely go to individuals with doctoral degrees while master’s degree holders will find the road to entry into the forensic psychology workplace to be highly competitive. Forensic psychologist will more than likely be employed within police departments, government agencies, prosecutor’s office, law firms, insurance companies, hospitals and consulting firms. Whereas Clinical psychologists will be employed within the legal setting working with incarcerated individuals, victims of crimes and recently released criminals, they can also work in sports therapy settings, business settings, and military settings. Clinical psychologists can hold positions in education, research, and management and within medical and community settings,