Forensic Psychology is the branch of psychology focused on the production
and application of psychological principles to the legal process including
competency, validity of defenses based on mental health behavior, predicting
violent behavior, assessing injury and child custody1. Forensic Psychology
has evolved in the United States since 2001 when it was recognized as a
specialty of the American Psychological Association (APA) and psychologists
are now serving the court systems in a wide variety of tasks2. Unfortunately, in
developing nations such as Palestine both access to and understanding of the
specialty of Forensic Psychology is minimal, leaving critical functions of legal
systems where psychological data is needed, unserved and uninformed3.
The following study was conducted in Nablus, West Bank Palestine where
the first Master of Clinical Psychology program has produced a cohort of mental
health professionals with an expertise in Forensic Psychology. The intervention
focused on the training of lawyers (with a specialty in domestic violence and
family protection) on the general principles and uses of psychology in the legal
system and an introduction of how they could use forensic psychologists to
the benefit of the court. The data determined that participants in the one-day
training module gain significant understanding and motivation to use forensic
psychologists in their practice (.002 level of significance) and that the effect
was undifferentiated by age, gender, place of residence or education level).
The current study determines that with a minimal effort legal professionals
can gain both understanding and a motivation to use psychological professionals,
even in systems where there was no previous exposure to the field. Such
openings can change the practice of law and legal systems in a positive way
to include the expertise of mental health professionals at every level of
governance and jurisdiction. Having access to and incorporating psychological
data from qualified professionals into developing legal institutions is critical in
insuring human rights and scienced based evidence at every level of societal
systems.

Title

MENTAL HEALTHAND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Publisher

MENTAL HEALTHAND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Publisher Country

United States of America

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

6

Year

2022

Pages

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