What Is Expert Psychology In Prison Surveillance Courts?
The forensic psychologist can act in many spheres of the judicial world, and one of them is the prison surveillance courts
Through this article we will try to clarify what the work of this professional is in this specific field, reviewing the different types of situations that may arise and what are the general lines that will always govern their actions when preparing an expert report.
Expert psychology in prison surveillance courts: what does it consist of?
To understand what expert psychology is in prison surveillance courts, we must first be clear about what the function of a forensic psychologist is, regardless of the court in which they work. This professional will prepare an expert report in order to provide his expert vision on psychological issues, so that the judge in question has that analysis to be able to make an informed decision.
Generally, these reports are requested by the judge himself from the team of psychologists assigned to his court. On other occasions, it is the parties involved who hire a private psychologist expert to prepare their own report and even a counter-report, with the aim of trying to show a second opinion from a professional that is in line with their interests.
Expert psychology in prison surveillance courts refers to the work of psychological experts in the context of these courts, which would be included within the criminal field Within that branch, they work in judicial processes where a person has received a sentence for which he has been deprived of liberty.
In this scenario, there are several tasks that the forensic psychologist can carry out. We will see it below.
Types of functions within this scope of work
As we mentioned, within expert psychology in prison surveillance courts, there are several types of forensic reports that may be required by the judge. These are the main ones.
One of the first issues in which the psychologist expert will have special importance in the field of prison surveillance, as it cannot be otherwise, is the assessment of the dangerousness of the inmates and, associatedly, the probability of reoffending whether with a crime similar to the one that led him to prison or something of another nature.
The objective of deprivation of liberty is not only to punish the individual for committing a crime, but also to seek reintegration, that is, at the end of his time in prison, he returns to society with certain guarantees that He is not going to commit a crime again. To achieve this, a series of internal programs are carried out and There are prison psychologists to provide personalized follow-up to inmates
Unfortunately, the means are very limited, and the reality is that each of these psychologists is assigned the files of several hundred inmates, so the time they can dedicate to each one is rather limited.
In any case, and returning to the topic at hand, the first task of expert psychology in prison surveillance courts will be precisely to estimate how likely it is that a person who is serving a sentence could commit crimes again, depending on factors merely psychosocial.
2. Alterations and possible psychopathologies
Another of the important tasks of forensic psychologists in this area will be to carry out the relevant studies in search of possible psychopathological alterations in the inmate that are interfering with his rehabilitation and in the face of which, therefore, it will be necessary to provide him with resources to be able to improve, both for his own good and for that of the society in which he will be reinserted when he completes the sentence that has been imposed on him.
This function of expert psychology in prison surveillance courts is also of vital importance, since it allows increasing the prisoner’s chances of reintegration as well as making him gain quality of life, assuming that some psychopathology is detected that can be treated and the treatment is applied. corresponding treatment for it.
3. Possibility of probation
When the judge decides whether or not to grant probation to an inmate, as long as he or she meets the legal requirements for it, he or she will always do so by evaluating all the available information. And in this information, the work carried out by psychological experts has special relevance, who They will assess the mental state of the subject, his behavior and the prediction that he will commit new crimes or not if he is released
Therefore, another of the issues that expert psychology deals with in prison surveillance courts will be to advise the judge, when required, to provide their professional vision regarding the possible release of an individual from the penitentiary center.
4. Follow-up after leaving the penitentiary center
Expert psychology in prison surveillance courts not only takes care of what happens before and during an inmate’s stay in prison, but the judicial system will also monitor after leaving the penitentiary center. As in previous cases, the work of the psychologist expert will be vital.
They will be responsible for verifying that, in fact, the person has properly reintegrated into society and the probabilities of recidivism are not worrying, since he has the necessary protective factors to be able to find the resources that allow him to act differently from that which led him to prison in the past.
5. Grade changes
We saw before that the judge could request a forensic report from the psychologist expert to assess possible probation. It can also propose a change of grade in the penitentiary regime going from the second degree (the usual one when one is in prison) to a third, in which daytime departures are generally allowed, as long as certain conditions are met.
But changes in degrees can also be regressive. That is, if a person has obtained the third degree, but their behavior does not comply with the requirements of the law (compliance with schedules, good behavior, etc.), the judge could decide that the change has not been appropriate and therefore Thus, it could dictate a regression to the second grade and, therefore, his return to the penitentiary center full-time.
6. Exit permits
Even if they remain in second degree, there are exit permits that are granted to inmates for a limited time and provided that a series of very strict requirements have been met. But in addition to these conditions, the judge can also use the professional opinion provided by expert psychology in prison surveillance courts.
Therefore, you may ask the forensic psychologist for an expert report in which he assesses the appropriateness of granting a certain permit to the prisoner in question, taking into account the factors that we have already seen before, such as the behavior maintained in the penitentiary center, the possibility of recidivism, etc.
In short, the work of the forensic psychologist in this scenario will be estimate the probability that the inmate will violate the permit, that is, he commits a crime during that period or does not comply with the regulations that have been imposed (distance, schedules and so on). If the expert’s assessment is negative, it is very likely that the judge will decide not to grant permission.
How a forensic report is prepared in prison surveillance courts
Although, in general, forensic reports tend to have a similar structure, the conditions of expert psychology in prison surveillance courts mean that they have some special characteristics.
When the forensic psychologist receives the judge’s request, the first thing he must do is consult the file of the specific judicial process to know in depth every last detail of the case. In addition, it will collect all the data provided by the penitentiary center in which it is located or the institution in charge of its surveillance.
Next must carry out an examination of the inmate himself, through an interview and the diagnostic tests that he deems appropriate to apply in order to reach informed conclusions. Once you have all the necessary information, you will proceed to draft the forensic report that you will deliver to the judge.
The process of expert psychology in prison surveillance courts does not end there, but the expert must also be in charge of monitoring the entire process to verify that it develops without incident. If you observe any anomaly during it, it will be your duty to let the judge know.
