Differences Between Criminal Psychology and Forensic Psychology

With the unfortunate increase in recent years in criminal acts in general, and terrorist acts in particular, settings such as courts of justice or social reintegration centers are experiencing a real boom due to the need to cushion the impact that violence brings.

Likewise, criminal acts also entail processes such as mediation and care for victims, as a framework of action of increasing relevance for the psychologist.

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Psychology around criminal acts: what does it consist of?

Currently, Psychology has become a fundamental discipline in the administration of justice Their direct or indirect intervention in criminal proceedings is essential in the care and treatment of crime or interpersonal and gender violence, as well as other conflicts of personal rights.

This need for specialization translates into a growing demand for forensic and criminal psychologists

Differentiating between Criminal Psychology and Forensic Psychology

But to talk about Criminal psychology and of Forensic psychology It is necessary to clarify what the differences are between these two ‘disciplines’ (or subdisciplines) of action. There is great confusion about their similarities and differences, so Terms are often confused and it is not uncommon for there to be people who consider that it is a single discipline

Today we are going to know what the differences are between Forensic Psychology and Criminal Psychology, as well as discover their functions and areas of intervention.

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General concepts

In order to understand the nature of each discipline, It is necessary to know some general concepts that will allow us to better understand what they consist of.

Psychology

The psychology It is a branch of science that studies psychic phenomena and operations It is, in other words, the scientific study of human behavior and experience, of how human beings (and even animals) think, feel, experience, learn and do with the aim of adapting to the environment that surrounds them.

Forensic

From Latin forensics alluding to forum, refers to the place where an oral trial takes place. This term usually causes a lot of confusion and commotion since it is usually immediately associated with the thanatology. However, when a discipline is added to this term, it simply refers to contributing to the administration of justice or is related to it.

Legal

It is a concept widely used in law. It refers to the sciences that study the legal system and what is related to the laws.

What is each one in charge of?

We have seen an approximate definition of each of these areas, but, What role does each of them play?

Forensic psychology: concept and scope of action

The Forensic psychology It is that part of psychology that is developed within the specific legal field and/or in its dependent bodies, characterized by having its own techniques that make it an auxiliary science in this field.

Forensic psychology addresses behavior and mental processes that need to be explained or determined during an oral trial, since the main interest of this branch of psychology consists of helping the administration of justice. Furthermore, forensic psychology has the peculiarity of being interested in the study of the victim to determine the psychological consequences suffered after the crime.

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What does the job of a forensic psychologist consist of?

We can also understand forensic psychology as that branch of applied psychology relating to the collection, analysis, and presentation of psychological evidence for judicial purposes Therefore, it is essential for the forensic psychologist to understand criminal law in his or her jurisdiction, in order to perform legal evaluations and interact appropriately with judges and lawyers.

Another important aspect of the forensic psychologist is that You must have the ability to testify in court about the expertise you have performed (suppose, determining the mental state of the accused at the time of committing the crime). Generally, his job consists more of clarifying legal issues than psychological ones. Among the most notable tasks that the forensic psychologist is in charge of are: issuing opinions on issues in their area, evaluating and treating any personnel of the administration of justice who is involved in the process, analyzing all those problems of a psychological or emotional and give pertinent recommendations regarding responsibility, mental health and safety of the subject.

Criminal psychology: concept and scope of action

The Criminal psychology either criminological takes care of study the behavior and mental processes of the individual who has committed a crime Criminal Psychology, therefore, is responsible for studying the developments and processes of a psychological nature that intervene in the ideation and perpetration of criminal acts.

It studies the whys and the way in which criminal behavior manifests itself distinctively from other behaviors, addressing the scientific observation of criminal behavioral types, types of criminals and crime as a psychosocial phenomenon.

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What does the job of a criminal psychologist consist of?

Criminal Psychology lays the theoretical and practical foundations to facilitate the task of criminal psychologists. These prepare the psychodiagnosis with the intention of predicting a prognosis and considering an appropriate treatment by studying the personality of the criminal. Likewise, criminological psychology integrates therapeutic work aimed at modifying the subject’s antisocial behavior.

This branch, contrary to what one might think, is not exclusively clinical but rather It also extends to studies on crime and about the psychological factors that influence it.

Among the multiple tasks that a criminal psychologist can perform, we can mention the following: carrying out studies of criminal personality whose purpose is to clarify the endogenous and exogenous psychological factors that led to criminal behavior, helping the criminologist to establish the dangerousness of a subject, criminal profiling in investigative agencies, offering psychotherapeutic treatment to inmates, etc.

summarizing

Criminal Psychology and Forensic Psychology play essential roles in law enforcement, the judicial system and criminology. However, the former is mainly used to determine the psychological reasons why a crime is committed and the forensic analyzes the effect of the crime on the victims and the mental condition of the perpetrator.