Sherlock Holmes stepping into a crime scene—observing every clue, reading people’s faces and expressions, thinking and predicting what might have happened. Now imagine a modern detective doing the same, but with the help of science, psychology, and the human mind. That’s where Forensic Psychology comes in.

    Forensic psychologists may not chase criminals in dark alleys, but they do something even more powerful—they solve mysteries of behavior, understand why crimes happen, and help the legal system make fair decisions.

 

What Is Forensic Psychology?

    Forensic Psychology is a branch of psychology that connects human behavior with the law and justice system. Forensic psychology represents the intersection between law and psychology.

    The word 'forensic' originates from the Latin word ‘Forensis,' which means "the forum," or the court system of Ancient Rome. Although the term forensic originally meant “of service to the courts,” today the term forensic psychology is used to cover all aspects of psychology relevant to the entire legal and criminal process. It runs from:

  1. explains why a person commit a crime,
  2.  the manner of doing so,
  3. help to investigate the crime,
  4. and catch the perpetrators,

and on to providing guidance to those involved in civil and criminal court proceedings, including:

  1.  the provision of expert testimony about the offender,
  2.  subsequent contributions to the work of prisons,
  3. and other ways of dealing with offenders, especially
  4. various forms of “treatment” and rehabilitation. (David Canter, 2010)

    The Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology (APA, 2013c) promote a broad definition: forensic psychology refers to professional practice by any psychologist working within any sub-discipline of psychology (e.g., clinical, developmental, social, cognitive) when applying the scientific, technical, or specialized knowledge of psychology to the law to assist in addressing legal, contractual, and administrative matters.

    According to the British Psychological Society (2017), forensic psychology involves understanding the psychological aspects of legal processes, applying psychological theory to criminal investigations, addressing mental health issues related to criminal behavior, and treating offenders.

    Forensic psychology is the application of psychology to the understanding of the law, legal proceedings, legislative processes and the application of psychological principles to a legal proceeding (Reynolds et al, 2021).

    It includes activities as varied as the following: courtroom testimony, child custody evaluations, research on screening and selection of law enforcement candidates, and clinical services to offenders and staff in correctional facilities. It also includes research and theory building in criminology, the design and implementation of intervention, prevention, and treatment for youth offenders and counseling of victims.

    Wrightsman (2001) explains the various roles psychologists play within the legal system and outlines the essential skills and knowledge required to be considered a forensic psychologist.

In simple language:

Forensic Psychology = Psychology + Law + Criminal Justice

It uses psychological knowledge to understand crimes, solve cases, help victims, evaluate offenders, and support judges, lawyers, police, and courts.

 

Subfields of Forensic Psychology

    Forensic psychology is a broad field. According to Howitt (2018), it includes both academic and applied subfields. Here are the details of them:

 

A. ACADEMIC SUBFIELDS OF FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY

Academic subfields focus on theory, research, and understanding human behaviour that is relevant to crime and law.

1. Developmental Psychology

    This area studies how behaviour changes across the lifespan, especially in children and adolescents. Key topics are: a) Aggression: Researchers try to understand why some individuals become aggressive and how anger-management programs can reduce harmful behaviour. b) Juvenile Delinquency: It explores why young people engage in crime, what risk factors lead to delinquency, and how early interventions can prevent it.

2. Biological Psychology

    This subfield looks at how genes, brain chemistry, and biological factors influence criminal behaviour. Key topic is inheritance and crime: Researchers study whether certain traits (like impulsivity or aggression) can be influenced by genetics and how biological processes interact with the environment to shape behaviour.

3. Social Psychology

    Social psychology examines how people behave in groups and how social influences affect crime.

4. Cognitive Psychology

    Cognitive psychology focuses on thought processes, memory, and decision-making. This subfield helps improve fairness in the justice process by reducing memory errors and interview biases.

 

B. APPLIED SUBFIELDS OF FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY

Applied subfields focus on real-world work with criminals, victims, police, and courts.

1. Clinical Psychology (Forensic Clinical Work)

    This area deals with mental health assessments for the legal system. Common tasks include: Evaluating if a defendant is mentally fit for trial, Diagnosing disorders, Providing expert testimony, Conducting psychological assessments for risk, competency, or criminal responsibility

2. Prison Psychology

    Forensic psychologists working in prisons help manage the behaviour and rehabilitation of offenders. This subfield aims to transform offenders into healthier, law-abiding citizens.

3. Investigative Psychology

    This subfield supports criminal investigations by applying psychological knowledge. Key activities include: Interrogation, Creating Criminal or Offender Profiling, Polygraph Testing (Lie Detector). Investigative psychology is one of the most exciting areas because it directly supports police and detectives.

4. Police Psychology

    This focuses on the mental health and performance of police officers. Police psychology helps maintain a strong, mentally healthy law enforcement workforce.

 

References

  1. American Psychological Association. (2013). Specialty guidelines for forensic psychology. American Psychological Association.
  2. British Psychological Society. (2017). Guidelines on the practice of forensic psychology. British Psychological Society.
  3. Canter, D. (2010). Forensic psychology: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.
  4. Howitt, D. (2018). Introduction to forensic and criminal psychology (6th ed.). Pearson.
  5. Reynolds, K., Elstein, A., & Jones, R. (2021). Forensic psychology. Routledge.
  6. Wrightsman, L. S. (2001). Forensic psychology. Wadsworth.