Forensic Psychology

Interest in forensic psychology has become more of an interest in the recent years due to the television show “Criminal Minds”, where criminal profilers have the ability to determine behavioral patterns and personalities of predators. Forensic psychology is the study of psychology within the law. Therefore, forensic psychologists work in settings such as jails, police departments and government agencies. The practice of forensic psychology is the psychological assessment of individuals who are involved in the legal system. Forensic psychology is more than the glamorized views portrayed on television shows, books and movies. Individuals who study forensic psychology are not necessarily considered “forensic psychologists”. They are

These tools, although they are no physical, are known as Forensic Assessment Instruments (FAIs). Clinical assessments such as IQ and personality tests are more traditional. More commonly, especially in legal situations, forensic psychologists use competency evaluations, sentencing recommendations and child custody evaluations. In a court setting, they work with lawyers from both defense and prosecution, determining whether a criminal is sane enough to stand trial, selecting jury members based on psychological profiling, evaluating witnesses, or giving expert testimony. They can also provide PTSD therapy for victims, help make decisions in child custody hearings, or evaluate the psychological damage done during a crime (Chegg). Forensic psychologists also use deductive profiling, or the FBI’s profiling strategy. The first step to this is to collate information about the crime. Next, the psychologists go through decision models in order to “look for a pattern; classify crimes, judge criminal and victim risk, look at actions before and after the crime” (Platt 69). The next strategy is to reconstruct the behavioral profile of the person of interest in order to reveal their character. From the results of the crime assessment, psychologists build up a list of likely suspects or probable race, age, sex and lifestyle. With these results police are able to narrow down their suspect(s). Lastly, once they

Sometimes the interview or overall assessment must be used in court. One case that uses the evidence dealing with the mental ability of an individual is the Jeffrey Dahmer case. Defense witness, Dr. Fred Berlin, concluded that Dahmer could not be held responsible for his actions due to the fact that he had a mental illness. Conversely, the prosecution’s Dr. Fred Fosdel testified Dahmer’s crimes were not inspired by mental disease but by the fact he was a “cruel, calculating, and cunning killer” and “utterly unconcerned and unaffected by the heinousness of his acts.” After the prosecution’s victory, many predicted Dahmer’s murder conviction would be the death of the insanity defense (Guest Post). Another case is the Jared Loughner case in which forensic psychologist, Dr. Michael Nuccitelli, suggested several disorders that may have caused Jared to snap. Nuccitelli theorizes Loughner’s rampage as a “delusional outbreak of schizophrenia” (Guest Post). Dr. Michael Nuccitelli attempted to establish that Jared suffers from a psychiatric outburst and should not be held responsible.

On August 7, 2012, Judge Burns found Loughner competent to stand trial based on medical evaluations. Loughner pleaded guilty to 19 counts at the hearing, which spared him the death