Psychology: Forensic and Legal Psychology

Alexander Street Video: 9:00
The bystander effect has long been used to explain the general lack of public help towards people who have been harmed, or are at risk of harm. This film looks at more recent research that takes us beyond the bystander effect and explains the lack of help for James Bulger, a two-year-old who was abducted and murdered by two 10-year-old boys. It goes on to show how the psychology of bystander behaviour can help all of us to become more proactive witnesses.

Alexander Street Video: 12:00
An area that’s captured the public imagination from tv shows like Mindhunter and Criminal Minds is criminal profiling. But what’s the reality behind the hype? What is criminal profiling? What do profilers do? Does profiling work? In this film we address these questions through contemporary UK profilers and psychologists, look at some famous case studies and examine different approaches to criminal offender profiling.

ProQuest Video: 53:03
In the early 20th century, researchers made a thrilling new claim: they could tell whether someone was lying by using a machine. Popularly known as the “lie detector,” the device was extolled as an infallible crime-fighting tool. Instead, the lie detector became an apparatus of fear and intimidation. The Lie Detector is a tale of good intentions, twisted morals and unintended consequences.

Alexander Street Video: 17:00
Eyewitness testimony and its veracity presents problems for juries and judges, according to the University of California’s Dr Elizabeth Loftus. She tells Eve Ash that this intersection of psychology and law has revealed that the more confident a witness, the more they are believed even if their memories are mistaken. More than 300 people, such as Steven Titus (misidentified as a rapist) have been convicted through faulty or false memories. The problem is compounded when zealous detective coach witnesses, or when false and distorted memories are “implanted”. People sometimes cling to a mistaken belief, even when the evidence shows they are wrong.

(American Psychology Law Society) Welcome to the American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS), Division 41 of the American Psychological Association.
Our organizational mission is to “enhance well-being, justice, and human rights through the science and practice of psychology in legal contexts”. AP-LS is the premiere organization for students and professionals who are interested in issues at the intersection of psychology and law.

(American Psychology-Law Society) The field of psychology and law involves the application of scientific and professional aspects of psychology to questions and issues relating to law and the legal system. There are a number of specialties that psychologists may pursue within the larger area of psychology and law.

(Frontiers in Psychology) Part of the largest journal in its field, this section explores both fundamental and applied research in forensic and legal psychology.

(NHS - UK) Forensic psychologists apply psychological theory to criminal investigation to help understand psychological problems associated with criminal behaviour, and the treatment of those who have committed offences.

(American Board of Professional Psychology) As in many professions, Specialty Board Certification in Forensic Psychology signifies that an individual has met the established standards for the profession as maintained and protected by an organization that the field recognizes for that role. The organization entrusted with that role regarding board certification in Forensic Psychology is the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), which attests that the certified professional possesses a high level of professional competence in the specialty area.

(American Psychological Association) Forensic psychology is a specialty in professional psychology characterized by activities primarily intended to provide professional psychological expertise within the judicial and legal systems.

(American Psychological Association) Law and psychology are two separate disciplines, but have much in common. While psychology’s goal is to understand behavior and law’s goal to regulate it, both fields make assumptions about what causes people to act the way they do.

(Association for Psychological Science) Eyewitness testimony is historically among the most convincing forms of evidence in criminal trials (e.g. Benton, Ross, Bradshaw, Thomas, & Bradshaw, 2006). Probably only a suspect’s signed confession can further convince a jury about that individual’s guilt.

(Faulkner University) Forensic psychology is the practice of applying psychology in the area of investigation, research, and observations related to criminal, civil, and family matters. Qualified forensic psychologists are in high demand for their ability to apply psychology to solve and settle cases.

(American Academy of Forensic Psychology) The American Academy of Forensic Psychology is a non-profit organization of board certified forensic psychologists. Our mission is to contribute to the development and maintenance of forensic psychology as a specialized field of study, research and practice.

(Neumann University) A relatively new subfield of psychology, forensic psychology is a dynamic, competitive, and mission-driven field related to psychology and the law.