Forensic Psychologists In Criminal Cases

Forensic Psychologists are employed to assist the court in determining the guilt or innocence of an accused. They are trained to apply principles of psychology to the justice systems. They are used in criminal cases (but can be used in other instances as well) to assess an accused’s mental state and criminal capacity at the time of the alleged criminal event. Have an understanding of the legal approach to important issues of guilt, criminal capacity, intent, negligence and the sentencing of an offender in order to help with the assessment of accused.
Forensic Psychologists assist in assessing the accused’ mental fitness to stand trial (which is assessed during or before a trial), the accused’s criminal capacity and other factors influencing …show more content…
The medical history and any relevant illnesses and injuries of the past are extremely valuable to the outcome of the assessment. The Psychologist merely assist in criminal cases to provide evidence to the courts and it is up to them whether or not they want to use it. This evidence is heard after a conviction and before a sentence is imposed. A very important point regarding Psychologists and their role in criminal cases is that they should be sensitive and vigilant to malingering, which is assessed via a psychometric evaluation. A Forensic psychologists will be predominantly used when there is a question of the accused present or past mental disabilities or illnesses, or when there is evidence of either or both of these. They will then do a diagnostic test to determine the presence or absence of any mental disability. This also includes the assessment of the …show more content…
They must include evidence of the accused mental history through report and statements of witnesses and victims of the crime and friends and relatives. It is important for the psychologist to place the accused criminal behaviour in context for the magistrate or judge. The impact that this alleged crime had on the victims should also be included. The entire report should be clear and should be made clear to the presiding officer that is not the intention of the psychologist to exonerate the accused of their deeds, merely to explain the accused behaviour as best possible. The Forensic psychologist should also have knowledge of the punishments within the legal context and should be able to formulate recommendations corresponding to the forensic