Forensic Psychology and Criminology

Forensic Psychology and Criminology Forensic psychology is a field that applies clinical psychology to the justice system, this includes the application of skills such as assessments, treatments, and evaluation in forensic settings. Forensic Psychologists will use their knowledge to help make a fair justice delivery system, they focus mainly on determining whether a criminal is mentally capable to withstand trial and when they committed the crime (Ward, 2013). Criminology is a field that focuses on studying the actual crimes, why they took place, the impact they will have, and how to prevent them. Specialists in this field are studying crime and criminal behavior to be able to apply their knowledge and experience to help law enforcement agencies and legal professionals. They are using the information provided by non-legal fields such as sociology, psychology, economics, and statistics (“What is Criminology”). These two fields are in ways similar in that they are both a part of the criminal justice system, they focus on very different parts. Forensic Psychology vs. Criminology Forensic psychology is based more on working with law enforcement agencies, detectives, lawyers, and other psychologists. Forensic psychology is used to determine the state of mind of a criminal, during the crime they committed, and the time of the trial. Criminology on the other hand does more work studying criminal profiles, past cases, and interviewing criminals and law enforcement agencies, in an effort to try to develop trends. The major intended purpose of this career is to try to reduce crime rates and learn more about criminals (“What is Criminology”). Role and Limitations of Forensic Psychologist Researcher Researchers in the field of forensic psychology focuses mainly on studying human behavior. Researchers study criminal behavior using psychological theories to legal issues. These psychologists will work closely with the criminal justice system, conducting research in many law-related areas, they will give screenings and assessments of prisoners, learn and study psychological disorders among criminal court defendants, and they will also examine criminals mental state to see if they are capable to withstand trial (Zegarra, 2020). Limitations. Forensic psychologists who are conducting research must follow the “Ethical Principles of psychologists and Code of Conduct” which contains five general principles and ten standards. These rules must be consulted before conducting research and the studies must be done to go along with these principles. In the legal area, they must use only information that pertains to the case and must inform those who are involved in the studies of their legal rights. Whether this information is found clinically, which if the information shared pertains to a case can be shared, or through focus groups, or in any other way. They must also make sure that the information they collect is done so ethically (Bartol et al., 2019). Counselor Forensic psychologists as counselors offer singular and group therapy sessions with their clients, these clients are people who have been involved in an event where the police have been involved or if there is a court order. These therapy sessions can be used for research and study purposes along and also as a way to give therapeutic help to a patient. Forensic psychologists can work with clients ranging from victims to a crime to prisoners (Zegarra, 2020). Limitations. Forensic psychology counselors must follow the “Ethical Principles of psychologists and Code of Conduct” which contains five general principles and ten standards. They should consult the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology, these rules are applied to ethical and clinical issues. Under the “Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct” in the legal area. Patients who are involved in a case whether they are a victim, are not guaranteed to have confidentiality about what they share with their counselor (Bartol et al., 2019). Consultant Forensic psychologists typically play the role of a consultant in trials, the job of a consultant includes; choosing the jury, refining arguments, preparing witnesses, and coaching for attorneys. The main duties of a forensic psychologist as a jury consultant are to help prepare difficult witnesses, creating themes for the trial, create focus groups, and giving lawyers their input on the case (ForensicPsyhologyEdu, 2021). Limitations. Consultants must also oblige by the “Ethical Principles of psychologists and Code of Conduct” the patient’s therapist relationship in terms of confidentiality is fundamental, in a courtroom, if a clinician has been asked to evaluate the client, then the results of this evaluation is allowed to be shared with the courtroom. This is because the ones who are being evaluated have been warned of the limits of confidentiality at the outset of the evaluation. Confidentiality is not guaranteed in these situations. It is important that all individuals are informed of their legal rights and have been notified of the limits of their confidentiality (Bartol et al., 2019). Conclusion Although these two fields are in ways similar in that they are both a part of the criminal justice system, they focus on very different parts. As mentioned previously forensic psychologists, focus more on the mental state of those who have in any way been involved with or connected to a crime, and criminology is the field that works towards figuring out why people commit crimes and trying to lower the rate at which they are committed.