Forensic Psychology is still a new field of scholarship. The field is broadly defined and encompasses many approaches to psychology. Each of the major psychological subdivisions has contributed to research on legal issues: cognitive (e.g., eyewitness testimony), developmental (e.g., children’s testimony), social (e.g., jury behavior), clinical (e.g., assessment of competence), biological (e.g., the polygraph), and industrial-organizational psychology (e.g., sexual harassment in the workplace). Research institutions, universities, and government agencies on several continents have all contributed significantly to the development of empirical knowledge in forensic psychology. Even though it is still a young field, the field is beginning to mature. This includes the publication of forensic research in highly respected psychology journals; scientific journals dedicated to the field; professional associations that are devoted to forensic psychologies in the United States and Canada; annual professional conferences; hundreds of books on forensic topics.
Forensic Psychology Research Subjects
– Criminal behavior topics
– Criminal responsibility topics
– Death Penalty Topics
– Child Custody and Divorce Topics
Eyewitness Memory Subjects
– Forensic Assessment Subjects
– Juvenile Offenders Topics
– Subjects Related to Legislation on Mental Health
– Psychology topics for police officers
– Sentencing & Incarceration topics
– Trial Consulting Subjects
– Subjects of Victimization
– Topics for Violence Risk Assessment
Another practice isforensic psychology. A wide range of criminal, civil and law enforcement cases are served by forensic psychologists. Social psychologists are trial consultants and assist lawyers in jury selections and trial preparation. Expert witnesses are available for both civil and criminal proceedings. These are just some examples of law and psychology practice. Practitioners use the knowledge and tools provided by both the traditional domains and specialized domains in forensic psychology.
Postgraduate education and professional growth are influenced by law and psychology. Undergraduate psychology programs are becoming more popular in forensic psychology, with many of these courses being filled by undergraduates who are exposed to justice- and criminal-themed literature and media. Undergraduate students are often drawn to the practical application of psychology in real-world criminal investigations. The development of master’s and doctoral programs in forensic psychology has provided additional intellectual capital for the service and research industries. Forensic psychology professionals can be certified and trained post-doctorally to help them address the unique issues of mental health in a variety of legal contexts.
As a field of research, practice, education, and scholarship, forensic psychology has many societal benefits. This is in line with the trend towards interdisciplinarity. While this is a positive development, it poses many boundaries challenges. Forensic psychologist is an interdisciplinarity field that includes law and psychology. Intersubdisciplinary, it also includes all of the traditional subdisciplines in psychology. This is because there is no one discipline or subdiscipline that “owns” this field. Therefore, it is extremely important to have comprehensive references sources such as textbooks, handbooks, and encyclopedias. This collection of forensic topics for research in psychology is intended to address the large gap in online resources. This resource is intended to be an invaluable help to students, researchers, practitioners, as well as lawyers and psychologists.
