Forensic and Expert Psychology is one of the most important branches of psychology that exist, an essential discipline in judicial processes of all kinds, without which it would be very difficult to resolve some issues in civil and criminal proceedings.
The essential tool in Forensic Psychology is the Forensic Psychological Report, a document that must be understood if we want to know in depth the function of this branch of psychology that is used daily in various areas: work accidents, conflicts over the custody of children in divorces, assessment of the imputability of those who have violated the law, etc.
If you want to know What does a Forensic Psychological Report consist of and what are its main functions? keep reading.
The Forensic or Expert Psychological Report is a legal document that provides truthful, objective, and impartial information and that is presented in judicial proceedings to help the judge make a certain decision in one direction or another. As its name indicates, it analyzes and synthesizes information related to psychological processes, for which the psychologist who prepares the report studies the specific case to leave in writing his conclusions about the topic to be investigated: the mental health of the person who has caused harm to third parties. , the parental capabilities of someone who aspires to have custody of a child, the consequences generated by a work accident or a mobbing experience, etc.
This type of report is prepared following the scientific method and putting into practice, by the psychologist, all the knowledge and techniques available to him to collect and analyze information about how a person or several people behave and think, with or without mental disorders.
On the other hand, it should be noted that the completion of a Forensic Psychological Report by a psychologist It does not mean that he is “on the side” of the person who hires him He does not act as a lawyer, but as a technician, and not only does he have no reason to provide information that fits with the arguments of the contracted party, but this would go against the code of ethics.
The importance of a good Forensic Psychological Report, and what it is for
As indicated, the Forensic Psychological Report is an indispensable tool in all types of judicial procedures, since its function is to help clarify the presence or absence of very specific explanatory elements that sometimes the judge is unaware of
This document is prepared by a qualified forensic psychologist and is requested by a judge in a judicial procedure when very specific technical knowledge in the field of psychology is necessary to demonstrate or not the existence of disorders, cases of abuse or mistreatment, psychological damage of diverse nature, and other causes or consequences of the facts investigated.
The Forensic Psychological Report is used in different areas of law, whether in the civil, family, criminal, labor, social and minor spheres, and in all of them it plays a fundamental role in the development of each one. It is not a test in itself, but simply provides information that serves to provide nuances to the rest of the elements contributed to the trial; It helps create a prism from which to interpret what is being exposed in the process.
With the presentation of this report, the judge has a professional reference and a series of technical data with which he can prove or not the facts maintained through any of the arguments supported by the parties involved in the trial.
More specifically, psychological elements that a Forensic Psychological Report assesses are: the presence or absence of abuse in the couple, the appropriateness of granting custody of the children to a parent, situations of child sexual abuse, workplace or school harassment, psychological disabilities or serious psychological disorders of all kinds.
Since the implications of going through a judicial process are very important because they have a great capacity to affect people’s lives, These types of reports can only be carried out by qualified psychological professionals and that is why it is important to look for specialists with experience in this area.
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My name is Desiree Infante Caballero and I am a psychologist and neuropsychologist with a consultation in Malaga.
