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Forensic Psychologist can be called on to testify as a witness, (either credible or expert) on behalf of the prosecution or the defense. As a credible witness, it is very important that they understand the judicial system, otherwise, they might lose credibility in the field. Being an expert witness bears very much on their chosen area of specialization. This can include homicide and other violent crimes, domestic violence, hate crimes, sexual offenses and deviations, sexual harassment, or workplace threats and violence. It would seem that few areas of crime and criminal justice are outside the relevance of forensic psychologists. While it seems that the majority of clients of forensic psychologists have allegedly committed violent acts, (serial killing, assassinations, stalking, bombings, hostage taking), this type of investigator may also be involved in civil matters, including suits brought against magazines, daytime tabloid journalism, TV shows, custody cases, insurance claims and even the C.I.A. (for alleged brainwashing experiments back in the 1950s and 1960s). Whether determining the mental state of a suspect (or client), their sanity and their competency to stand trial, providing testimony as either an expert or credible witness, profiling the offender, offering advice in terms of psychological treatments, or assisting in civil matters, the various roles and capacities of the forensic psychologist is very important to the modern justice system as we know it. Now, did you know that between 1520 and 1630, some thirty thousand people were reported to the French authorities for being werewolves— how would you like to have been a forensic psychologist back then?">When you hear on the news that a suspect has been detained for a psychological assessment, you know that a forensic psychologist will be retained for the case. You hear a phrase like ‘fit for trial’, and that is what their investigative task is to determine; whether or not the suspect in question is mentally sound enough to participate fairly and fully in a trial. Sometimes, these evaluators are also assessing the suspect to see if they are faking mental illness in order to have the charge reduced. They may have either a Ph.D. in forensic psychology, clinical psychology with a forensic focus, or experimental psychology with a forensic focus. They work closely with all levels of law enforcement, from police, to courts, and the corrections system and can even assist enforcement agencies in the profiling of all types of offenders as well as consulting on treatment options. A forensic psychologist will not assess a suspect (or client) in the same fashion as a clinical psychologist—the forensic psychological investigation is more concerned with being able to address the court in the relevant appropriate legalese, all the pertinent facts and psychological data necessary for a fair trial. Some types of evaluations involved here include: insanity defense, criminal responsibility, diminished capacity and actuality, malingering, competence, violence risk assessment, suicide risk assessment, capital sentencing and mitigation evaluations. So instead of asking the question, “What motivated you to…?”, the forensic psychologist is more likely to ask, “What state of mind were you in when…” This work can be quite difficult when a suspect (or client) is unwilling to cooperate. The Forensic Psychologist can be called on to testify as a witness, (either credible or expert) on behalf of the prosecution or the defense. As a credible witness, it is very important that they understand the judicial system, otherwise, they might lose credibility in the field. Being an expert witness bears very much on their chosen area of specialization. This can include homicide and other violent crimes, domestic violence, hate crimes, sexual offenses and deviations, sexual harassment, or workplace threats and violence. It would seem that few areas of crime and criminal justice are outside the relevance of forensic psychologists. While it seems that the majority of clients of forensic psychologists have allegedly committed violent acts, (serial killing, assassinations, stalking, bombings, hostage taking), this type of investigator may also be involved in civil matters, including suits brought against magazines, daytime tabloid journalism, TV shows, custody cases, insurance claims and even the C.I.A. (for alleged brainwashing experiments back in the 1950s and 1960s). Whether determining the mental state of a suspect (or client), their sanity and their competency to stand trial, providing testimony as either an expert or credible witness, profiling the offender, offering advice in terms of psychological treatments, or assisting in civil matters, the various roles and capacities of the forensic psychologist is very important to the modern justice system as we know it. Now, did you know that between 1520 and 1630, some thirty thousand people were reported to the French authorities for being werewolves— how would you like to have been a forensic psychologist back then?
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