Forensic Psychology and Criminal Psychology
Forensic Psychology:
• What it is: It's about how psychology (the study of the mind) is used in courts and
legal situations.
• What they do: Forensic psychologists help judges, lawyers, and police by giving
expert advice. They may assess whether someone is mentally fit to stand trial or
understand the mental state of people involved in crimes.
• Where they work: They work in courts, with police, in prisons, or in hospitals.
• Focus: It’s not just about criminals; they also deal with family cases, child custody,
and other legal problems.
Criminal Psychology:
• What it is: It's about understanding why people commit crimes.
• What they do: Criminal psychologists study the thoughts and behavior of criminals.
They help police understand how criminals think, predict future crimes, and
sometimes create profiles of unknown criminals.
• Where they work: They mostly work with the police or in research to study criminal
behavior.
• Focus: They focus only on criminal behavior and helping solve crimes.
Main Difference:
• Forensic psychologists help with many different legal issues, not just crimes.
• Criminal psychologists focus only on studying criminals and helping police solve
crimes.
• The basic difference is that forensic psychology helps in court with all kinds of legal
issues, like checking if someone is mentally fit for trial. Criminal psychology focuses
only on understanding why people commit crimes and helps the police catch criminals
by studying their behavior.
Forensic Psychology Examples:
1. Court Case Evaluation: A forensic psychologist is asked to check if a person who is
accused of a crime is mentally fit to go to trial. The psychologist meets with the
person, examines their mental health, and reports to the court whether the person
understands the charges and can help in their own defense.
2. Child Custody Case: In a divorce, a forensic psychologist is asked to talk to both
parents and the child to figure out who should take care of the child. They look at how
well the parents can care for the child and what would be best for the child’s well-
being, then give their advice to the judge.
3. Risk Assessment for Release: A forensic psychologist checks if a prisoner is mentally
stable enough to be released from prison. They talk to the prisoner to see if they might
commit another crime. The psychologist then gives advice to the parole board about
whether it’s safe to release the prisoner or not.
Criminal Psychology Examples:
1. Criminal Profiling: A criminal psychologist works with the police to create a profile
of a person committing a series of crimes, like a serial offender. Based on the details
of the crimes, they try to figure out what kind of person might be committing them,
such as their age, personality, or habits, which helps narrow down the list of possible
suspects.
2. Understanding Motive: After a person is arrested, a criminal psychologist talks to
them to understand why they committed the crime. This helps the police and the
courts learn more about the criminal’s reasons, which could help in preventing similar
crimes in the future.
