An expert witness (forensic psychologist) will be asked by the jurisdiction court’s the following questions (Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology, 2013). For instance, determination questions that will let the courts know how this expert witness is actually trained to be an expert witness (Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology, 2013). The qualifications of an expert are skills, experience, education, knowledge, and training (Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology, 2013). The expert witness may bear witness to that in the form of a judgment or else, if (1) the evidence is founded upon adequate evidence or statistics, (2) the evidence is the creation of dependable values and procedures, and (3) the witness has theoretical principles and procedures consistently to the evidence of the case (Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology, 2013). However, as specified, the rule …show more content…
Knowing how to fulfill the duties and obligations of their role is also very imperative in any case since the professional’s opinion is highly accepted if he or she has professional training in certain legal areas (Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology, 2015). Furthermore, there is a possibility that a forensic psychologist will have to break confidentiality. The forensic psychologists are required to break confidentiality and report or even testify when clients pose a danger to themselves or others, and when a counselor believes that a minor (a person under the age of 16) is a victim of rape, incest, or abuse (Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology, 2015). They are also required to release their records to a third party upon request of the client. Finally, therapists must release certain information if it becomes an issue in court action (Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology,
Besides the psychological side of the evaluation it is necessary for the forensic psychologist to record and gather information on the client. For instance: Clinical and collateral interviews need to be conducted, parent-child observation, and psychological testing. The psychologist for the most part might have to testify in court to discuss the different points related to the findings of the evaluation. Whether the forensic evaluator is working for the prosecution or the defendant side the work is still equally
In order to effectively work in this area, Forensic psychologists must know the court’s expectations.They must be credible, competent, and concise being able to explain to the court how they arrived at their
The clinician develops a professional relationship with the client in order to assess and treat their disorder. A Forensic psychologist work requirements are different from a clinician in the field of psychology because the services he/she provides are in areas where they have specialized knowledge, skills, experience and education. He/she administers assessments to determine competency to stand trial and can testify as an expert witness. The forensic psychologist does not have a professional relationship with the client as their main focus is assessing the individual in order to submit a report to the court (Hubaboom, 2002).
This article is about a sexual assault bill that is being considered and that according to supporters would prevent wrongful convictions. It would require victims to corroborate their testimony only if the defendant doesn’t have a prior conviction. Since this could be a very controversial issue a forensic psychologist could be hired to clarify the nature of the problem; to either prove that the bill could help prevent wrongful convictions by using logic and evidence or that it would make those cases where evidence simply doesn’t exist harder. A forensic psychologist could argue, for example, that victims are not always able of providing a reliable story; that it is possible for them to miss a prominent characteristic because it has happened
Forensic Psychologists play important roles in our legal system, from collecting knowledge and applying it to the law to evaluating the defendants (Greene, 2014). Every case has different factors that effect which Forensic Psychologist will be needed to achieve finding the truth in the court. Likewise with every case, each defendant has their own accountant of what had happened to bring them before the court. In the cases of Alisha Waters and Shawn Smith an Applied Scientist could be called to be an expert witness in both cases. In Adam Parker’s a Forensic Evaluator was called in to evaluate his mental state.
1). Forensic Psychology is the application of the theories of psychology to law and the legal system. Issues of violence and its impact on individuals and/or groups delineate the main and central concerns in Forensics within the adult, juvenile, civil, and family domains. Forensic psychologists provide advice to legislators, judges, correctional officers, lawyers, and the police. They are called upon, for example, to serve as an expert witness, diagnose and treat incarcerated and probationed offenders, and screen and evaluate personnel in the law enforcement and judicial systems. Forensics encompasses a wide range of academic orientation. Synonyms for Forensic psychologists include criminal psychologist,
The first ethical issue included in the guide for the psychological help agency is Informed Consent. Given that employees working in the agency may often service in forensic matters, it is imperative to respect constitutional rights, liberties and properties of each client (Agre & Rapkin, 2003). Some experiences of clients may be very traumatic and stressful, so many of them may not desire to reveal confidential information to the public. Therefore, all professionals involved in the agency should respect rights of each patient and follow corresponding APA instructions. Informed consent is included in the APA code of ethics, which emphasizes its significance in psychological work (APA, 2010). According to the code, psychologists should obtain the
The career of interest that I will focus my report on is a career in forensic psychology. Specialties within forensic psychology include knowledge in the clinical and legal career fields. Two other occupations that do similar work are, of course, the two specialty areas of clinical psychology and law. Other careers I would consider if I did not decide to pursue a career in forensic psychology would be careers in clinical psychology, industrial and organizational psychology, and the legal system. Daily tasks and activities of a forensic psychologist include assessing offenders for risks, probability of re-offending, possible mental disorders, and self-harm.
Psychology has always had a direct impact on my life for many years for example, I myself have had counselling sessions for anxiety. Experiencing this has given me a desire to work with people in understanding their behaviour and how their minds work to be able to empower individuals to lead better lives. My own personal experience with anxiety has also intrigued me into thinking why I think the way I do and what can be put into action to improve my circumstances.
The Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct, published by the American Psychological Association are the standard guidelines for all Psychologists. Forensic Psychologists are also informed by Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologist. Psychologists practicing forensic psychology can use these two documents to help clarify ethical questions. This paper will focus on role conflicts specifically in the area of Sex Offender Management and the ethical conflicts that may arise as a result and how to best handle this situation when faced with it. When an individual chooses to practice psychology within the legal system, they must be aware that this can at any point in their career lead to ethical conflicts. Just the possibility
This paper discusses the different roles that are taken on by a forensic psychologist, and how those roles interact and affect each other and how the psychologist is about to do his/her job. It looks briefly at the history of the field. We discuss the forensic psychologist as the consultant, the therapist, the researcher, as well as the expert witness. This paper also discusses predicting dangerousness and whether or not an expert can predict dangerousness. Finally we look at conflicting roles and ethics in the field.
The American Psychology Association (APA) (2018) mentions forensic psychologists perform various roles within the judicial system, as well as in public safety. Forensic psychologists conduct evaluations in legal proceedings (e.g. competency to stand trial, disability evaluations, etc.). In addition, forensic psychologists assist with the selection of police and correctional officer, members of the special units (e.g. SWATs, undercover agents, crisis/hostage negations teams, veterans returning from deployment (APA, 2018; Bartol & Bartol, 2012). Re-Entry Programs
Forensic (criminal) psychology is a job field that deals with both psychology and law. The field has experienced dramatic growth in recent years due to the role of popular movies, television programs and books popularizing the field. Often these individuals are depicted as vivid components in solving vicious crimes or timing out a criminal’s next home. While these depictions of certainly entertaining, yet these portrayals are not necessarily precise. Forensic psychologists play an instrumental role in the criminal justice system while applying psychological principles to the legal system. The crossover of the two spheres is best decided in the Encyclopedia of Psychology,
From time immemorial, man has been fascinated with behavioral deviations from the normative particularly in the context of crime, or more generally, morality. In fact, classical playwrights and novelists such as Shakespeare and Dostoevsky owe their literary success to their incredible ability to glare into socially and morally deviant minds and weave stories around them. We see a similar trend today. Much of primetime television is filled with shows that have experienced psychoanalysts chasing sophisticated and grossly deviant criminals or some variation of this general theme. The general public tends to relate to the job of a forensic psychologists to that of a cat chasing a mouse. Forensic psychology, however, is a far less
The field of psychology is constantly evolving due to new research and techniques that have been proven to be more effective. Forensic psychology is very diverse field with a wide range of specialty areas. These specialty areas were created to allow psychologists to focus on one specific area. This paper will focus on roles and responsibilities of the six subspecialties of forensic psychology; criminal, juvenile, civil, investigative, correctional and police. This paper will also address