Forensic Psychology Review, V Fulero, Term Paper

Chapter 12 -- Trial Consultation - The Forensic Psychologist is often called to aid in jury selection. One role, depending on stakeholder, is to assess potential jurors for the potential to be unbiased against the accused.

Often the consulting Forensic Psychologist will recommend to the Court that a fair trial cannot take place in a given location based on community bias or other factors. The psychological aspects of such a recommendation will need to be explained to the Court.

Sometimes the Forensic Psychologist will be asked to help prepare witnesses for testimony, to assist in case organization and presentation of data, and to measure jury bias and appropriate techniques for stakeholder. The key for the Forensic Psychologist is to serve the appropriate client; be that law enforcement, a particular case issue (on either side of the adversarial procedure), or, in many cases, to protect the best interests of society at large.

Chapter 13 Discrimination -- The role of the psychologist is often to dispel societal misinterpretations of discrimination based on functions like IQ, status, etc. Forensic psychology can play a positive role in reducing the concept of racing as a determining factor in court cases. The Forensic Psychologist has a unique role regarding affirmative action legislation and implementation, and can help in many ways to smooth the road towards this function. The Forensic Psychologist is integral in helping explain various test and measurement scores within the court and pretrial scenarios.

Similarly, the Forensic Psychologist can often uncover and help mediate employee discrimination, hate crime issues, or other issues in which discriminatory behaviors enter the picture.Chapter 14- Sexual harassment - Sexual harassment is another societal indicator that can be helped with a sensitive and informed Forensic Psychologist. Often, Court personnel and law enforcement often do not understand the subtle nature of reassessment, and therefore require education, just as they do with other aspects of psycho-pathology. In particular, the Forensic Psychologist can often aid in mitigating difficult situations

Chapter 15 -- Death Penalty Trials and Appeals -- The Forensic Psychologist may adopt numerous roles regarding the issue of capital punishment; from advocate to information provider in helping to understand deviant psychology. The Forensic Psychologist often helps assess the potential guilt or innocence of the accused, and therefore preventing wrongful executions is also another role for the Forensic Psychologist. Often Forensic Psychologists are called to testify at the appellate or even Supreme Court levels in a variety of ways. From explaining circumstances to assessing psychological health of parties at hearings.

Chapter 16 -- Influencing public policy - Forensic Psychologist can act in an informative role to guide policy, especially in cases in which there are numerous misinterpretations and perceptions. Forensic Psychologist should attempt, as a discipline, to be a leader in the pursuit of fairness and egalitarianism. The ethics of the profession demand that great care be taken to appear unbiased; must like a crime scene technician, the goal is to uncover as much truth as possible, not conjecture. It is in the best interests of the profession for the general public….....