Legal psychology

The forensic psychology is a branch of psychology and has the use of psychological theories, methods and findings on issues of the legal system to the object. It can be roughly divided into two subcategories: forensic psychology (application of psychology in the context of court proceedings) and criminal psychology (psychology of the development and detection of crime, crime prevention and the treatment of offenders).

Subject classification

Forensic psychology is important for all areas of law and jurisprudence in which fundamental aspects of people's behavior and experience play a role in this context. Forensic psychological competence and expertise is generally called upon in combination with other subject areas, particularly medicine, but also the social sciences. Legal psychology is also a sub-discipline of criminology .

Legal psychological activity is partly understood as a discipline of purely empirical research, while on the other hand psychology in a forensic context is application-oriented in diagnosis and treatment.

Range of tasks

Psychologists also act as appraisers in court. You prepare reports for family courts, i.e. on custody and access rights in cases of divorce or abuse or families with foster children as well as on the reliability and credibility of witness statements. Furthermore, they assess the personality structure of criminals in the field of criminal law on the question of culpability and prepare risk assessments ( social prognoses , crime prognoses ) about the criminal behavior to be expected of criminals. In practice literature, especially in jurisprudence and also in legal practice, the following rule of thumb is generally formulated: "The psychologists examine the alleged or actual victims, the psychiatrists the accused, both of which provide expert opinions on the crime prognosis".

The investigative legal psychologist (or police or criminal psychologist) as a " profiler " who solves criminal cases with "psychological methods", creates perpetrator profiles, successfully negotiates with hostage takers, etc. effective) inventions for detective novels, cinema and television. Negotiating groups and first-time speakers receive psychological training and support in Germany, among other things. Profilers are used, for example, in the USA; however, the scientific approach is considered controversial.

Elements of legal psychology

Legal psychology contains elements

• all areas of psychological methodology, including psychological diagnostics
• general and biological psychology ( perception and memory of witnesses , methods of perpetrator identification , complex information processing, decision psychology , psychophysiology),
• the differential psychology ( aggression and delinquency , violence in the family)
• of developmental psychology (memory and suggestibility , responsibility and control of actions , consequences of divorce , sexual abuse )
• of Social Psychology ( trial and judgment , police psychology, extrajudicial dispute resolution)
• Clinical psychology including clinical neuropsychology (overstimulation, monotony , driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs and medication ) and
• the intervention psychology ( prisons , forensic , criminal alternatives stress for victims of crime).

Forensic psychological research, methods and topics are therefore often integrated into these areas.

Application and research areas

(after T. Bliesener & G. Köhnken, 2006)

• Psychodiagnostic assessment
• Explanation of criminal behavior
• Prevention
• Rehabilitation
• Police psychology
• Trial Psychology
• out-of-court dispute resolution
• Psychological Aspects of Victimology

education

Legal psychology is currently offered as a master’s degree at some universities across Germany. SRH University of Applied Sciences Heidelberg has been offering the Legal Psychology (Master of Science) course at the Faculty of Applied Psychology since 2013 . The course is aimed at people with a bachelor's degree in psychology. Since 2015, the Psychological University Berlin has offered a part-time master’s course in forensic psychology (Master of Science) (focus: testimony psychological assessment; family law psychological assessment; criminal assessment; intervention in the penal system). The University of Regensburg offers the interdisciplinary course in criminology and violence research (Master of Arts).

There is also the option of completing further training as a specialist psychologist for forensic psychology after completing a Bachelor's and Master's degree in psychology (or a diploma). The further training takes about three years and includes theoretical seminars as well as continuous casework in a specialist team and supervision. It is awarded by the Federation of German Psychological Associations and can be kept in the register of the German Academy of Psychology of the BDP, provided that the relevant examination and practical work in the specializations of family law, expressive psychology, criminal prognosis, culpability and social law have been completed. The management of the specialist psychologist requires that after completion of the training, continuous participation in training is proven and the specialist psychologist submits to the ethical guidelines and the professional code of the BDP. In the event of a violation of the professional code of conduct, fines or the withdrawal of specialist psychologist certification may be imposed.

Specific forensic psychology course content can be credited towards the theory seminars required to become a specialist in forensic psychology. For some courses (e.g. BM Sc. Legal Psychology at the Psychological University Berlin and in Bonn), the theoretical seminars are fully recognized in further training, so that no more seminars have to be attended.

literature

• Helmut Kury, Joachim Obergfell-Fuchs: Legal psychology. Stuttgart 2012, ISBN 978-3-17-016932-6 .
• Robert Weimar : Psychological structures of judicial decision. Bern 1996, ISBN 3-7272-9587-2 .
• Robert Weimar: On the psychology of judging behavior. Basel / Stuttgart 1969.
• Raimund Jakob, Martin Usteri, Robert Weimar (Eds.): Psyche - Law - Society. Bern 1995.
• Raimund Jakob, Martin Usteri, Robert Weimar (Eds.): Law and Psychology. Bern 2006.
• Harr <Dettenborn, HH Fröhlich, Hans Szewczyk : Forensic Psychology. Berlin 1984.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ H.-J. Kröber, M. Steller (Ed.): Psychological assessment in criminal proceedings . Steinkopff , Darmstadt 2000, p. 153.
2. ^ Legal Psychology - SRH University Heidelberg. In: hochschule-heidelberg.de. www.hochschule-heidelberg.de, accessed on October 7, 2015 . 
3. ^ Legal Psychology - Berlin University of Psychology. In: psychologische-hochschule.de. www.psychologische-hochschule.de, accessed on February 27, 2019 . 
4. ↑ Chair Mueller: MA in criminology and violence research - University of Regensburg. Retrieved March 15, 2017 . 
5. ↑ Continuing education for legal psychology BDP / DGPs. Retrieved October 30, 2018 (German). 
6. ^ BDP - Professional ethics for psychologists. Retrieved October 30, 2018 . 
7. ↑ Continuing education for legal psychology BDP / DGPs. Retrieved October 30, 2018 (German).