Introduction to Forensic
Psychology
Forensic Psychology
A field of psychology that deals with all
aspects of human behavior as it relates to the
law or legal system.
It’s not what media portrays .....
The Roles of a Forensic Psychologist
Clinical forensic psychologists:
◦ Psychologists who are broadly concerned with the
assessment and treatment of mental health issues
as they pertain to the law or legal system.
Assessment of an offender to assist in making an
accurate determination of whether that offender is
likely to pose a risk to the community if released.
Divorce and child custody mediation
Determinations of insanity and fitness to stand
trial/plead guilty
The Roles of a Forensic Psychologist
Providing expert testimony in court on questions of
a psychological nature
Personnel selection (e.g., for law enforcement
agencies)
Conducting critical incident stress debriefings with
police officers
Designing and conducting treatment programs for
offenders
Forensic Psychiatry
A field of medicine that deals with all aspects
of human behavior as it relates to the law or
legal system.
The Forensic Psychologists as
Researchers
Researchers in the forensic area are usually concerned
with much more than just mental health issues.
Examining the effectiveness of risk assessment
strategies
Determining what factors influence jury decision making
Developing and testing better ways to conduct
eyewitness line-ups
Evaluating offender and victim treatment programs
Studying the impact of questioning style on eyewitness
memory recall
Examining the effect of stress management
interventions on police officers
The Forensic Psychologists as Legal
Scholars
Most likely engage in scholarly analyses of
mental health law and psychologically
oriented legal movements.
Case Example
John Wayne Gacy
Although complaints and suspicions from neighbors were
ultimately what ended “killer clown” John Wayne Gacy’s
shocking killing spree, forensic psychologists ensured that
the culprit in this famous case didn’t go free on a bogus
insanity plea. Through a series of interviews, psychologists
on the case were able to determine that Gacy’s murders
involved premeditation and a detailed plan to hide his victims
bodies. Without forensic psychologists assistance in this case,
traumatized families may have never experienced the
satisfaction of seeing Gacy punished for his crimes.
Psychological Theories
The individual is the primary unit of analysis
Personality is the major motivational element
within individuals.
It is the seat of drives and the source of motives
Crimes result from abnormal, dysfunctional, or
inappropriate mental processes within the
personality
Psychological Theories
Criminal behavior may be purposeful for the
individual in so far as it addresses certain felt
needs.
Normality is defined by social consensus.
Defective mental processes may have a variety
of causes
Early Psychological Theories
Behavioral conditioning.
Personality disturbances and diseases of the
mind.
The Psychopath (Sociopath)
Does not feel empathy with others.
Is unable to imagine how others think and feel.
Is able to inflict pain and engage in cruelty
without empathy for the victim.
Antisocial Personality
Is basically unsocialized.
Exhibits behavior that brings him or her into
conflict with society.
Is incapable of significant loyalty to individuals,
groups, or social values.
Personality Types
Psychotics
Extroverts
Neurotics
Introverts
Psychoanalysis
Criminal behavior is maladaptive, or the product
of inadequacies inherent in the offender’s
personality
Psychoanalysis
• The Id
• The Ego
• The Superego
The Psychotic Offender
Is out of touch with reality in some fundamental
way.
Eg: Schizophrenia, Paranoia
Crime as Adaptive Behavior
Crime is a compromise, representing for the
individual the most satisfactory method of
adjustment to inner conflicts which he or she
cannot express otherwise.
Modeling Theory
People learn how to act by observing others
Behavior Theory
Behavior is determined by environmental
consequences which it produces for the individual
concerned.
Major determinants of behavior are found in the
environment surrounding the individual.
Attachment Theory
Delinquent behavior arises whenever non-
secure attachments are created.
Self-Control Theory
Low self-control is the premier individual-level
cause of crime.
