What is the definition of forensic psychology?
Forensic psychology is the application of psychology to the criminal and civil justice systems. It deals with questions surrounding the mental state of defendants and suspects.HistoryAccording to West Chester University of Pennsylvania, the use of psychology in legal terms began with the work of William Stern in 1901, with Hugo Munsterberg publishing the first book, “On The Witness Stand,” on forensic science in 1908.Law EnforcementForensic psychology began to play a role in law enforcement and government policy regarding the legal system in the 1920s and 1930s, following the work of pioneers such as Sigmund Freud. Freud conducted tests on the length of time people took to answer questions giving clues to guilt or innocence, according to the psychology department at Northeastern University in Boston.EducationForensic psychology programs are not available at most academic institutions. West Chester University advises students to take psychology and criminal justice courses as the core o
Forensic Psychology is the application of psychology to the criminal justice system. Forensic Psychology knowledge is used in various forms, such as in treating mentally ill offenders, consulting with attorneys (e.g., on picking a jury), analyzing a criminal’s mind and intent, and practicing within the civil arena. A forensic psychologist may chose to solely focus his/her career on research, ranging anywhere from examination of eyewitness testimony to learning how to improve interrogation methods.
