The Truth about Forensic Psychology in under 5 Minutes

Over the past several years—and in the past year and a half, in particular—it seems the term forensic has been used more and more frequently in a number of different contexts by the news media.  At the same time, even within that framework of informative reporting, the word ‘forensic’ always seems to escape proper explanation, leaving viewers to figure out for themselves what it actually means.

“Forensic.”

The word itself comes across as intimidating.  It sounds technical, and impressive, and intriguing.  It sounds sophisticated and maybe even a little bit sexy, drawn right from the plot of a fictional thrilling sci-fi show or an episode of Dateline.  While it can be all of those things (save for the fiction part) it is also so much more—and because it is all of those things, it is worthy of better understanding.

Complicating things is the fact that, for years popular- and meme-culture have distorted the meaning of forensic science; in the era of CSI et al., the sensationalized, imaginative, wildly unrealistic use of “forensic” “science” to ‘solve the mystery’ leaves us holding a vague understanding of it at best—and a seriously exaggerated one at worst.

Staying in my lane I can only speak to forensics in a psychology setting, as opposed to forensics in any other discipline (for example, forensic pathology or forensic accounting, for two); that said, I hope I can shed light on what “forensic” means in real-world psychology settings.

Forensic psychology exists at the crossroads of psychology and the law.  In its broadest sense, forensic psychology applies psychological knowledge and expertise to a legal context.[1]  The science of psychology is used to answer questions of law, and in turn legal questions are applied to the practice of psychology.  Forensic psychology examines the ways that the two (law & psychology) interact, influence, bolster, undermine, regulate, and contradict one another—with the hope that greater understanding can lead to improvements in both.

There is enormous overlap between the law and psychology.  The law rarely intervenes when things go well, and the reality is that there are few areas of legal practice to which psychological principles are not relevant.  Because there are so many ways in which the two impact each other, some experts in the field have categorized the types of law-psychology interplay into three broad categories: psychology of the law, psychology by the law, and psychology in the law.[2]

Psychology of the law is the study of the interworkings of the law & legal system through a lens of psychology.  Taking an academic approach, psychological concepts can be used to understand the nature and bases of legal power, the constraints to and consequences of legal reform, and the ways in which institutions of laws shape social behaviour.

Psychology by the law refers to the ways in which the law regulates psychological practice (for instance, via professional ethics standards and regulations).  Psychologists who practice in legal settings must be aware of, and comply with, guidelines specific to forensic psychology or forensic legal settings.[3] This might include instances in which psychology professionals work as expert witnesses, court-appointed psychologists, police psychologists, correctional psychologists, or victims’ rights advocates, among others.

Finally, and most relevant to my line of research, is psychology in the law and legal settings.  Here, psychological constructs are used to analyze the legal system as it functions in the course of normal legal business or proceedings.  Keeping in mind that no system—including our justice system—is perfect, the purpose of exploring psychology in the law is with the idea that better understanding through a multidisciplinary approach can bring us closer to fairness.   

Keeping in mind that no system—including our justice system—is perfect, the purpose of exploring psychology in the law is with the idea that better understanding through a multidisciplinary approach can bring us closer to fairness.   

Although it makes for exciting storylines, there is significantly more to forensic psychology than what we see filtered through the lens of of TV writers’ imaginations.  Forensic psychology applies the science of psychology to the structured, but imprecise, art of law, and the potential for forensic psychology to effect real change is...well, very real.

Sarah Elizabeth Wellard

[1] The American Board of Forensic Psychology defines forensic psychology as “the application of the science and profession of psychology to questions and issues relating to law and the legal system.”

[2] Weiner, I. B., & Hess, A. K. (Eds.). (2006). The Handbook of Forensic Psychology (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.

[3] American Psychological Association. (2012). Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology. In Guidelines for Practitioners.