History of Forensic Psychology - Term Paper Example

?Running Heading: History of Forensic Psychology History of Forensic Psychology Introduction Forensic psychology is a field of study that is linked to both criminal justices system and psychology. The study of forensic psychology aids in the process of criminal justice by providing psychological insights regarding different aspects of criminal justice system. A good example of how forensic psychology helps in criminal justice is related to witness testimony. Forensic psychology can help evaluate a particular witness to ensure he or she is being honest in their account. There are host of other ways in which forensic psychology aids in criminal justice process. The field of forensic psychology is very old and its history dates back to early 20th century, although it did not become popular after the Second World War. It was in early 20th century when forensic psychology was used in order to understand and help criminal justice system by using psychological concepts however its scope was very limited. It took forensic psychology sometime to come in the mainstream and only in the later part of 20th century forensic psychologists were regularly used in the criminal justice process. In this paper we will discuss the history of forensic psychology in great detail and will try to understand how it has evolved over the years. The aim is to understand how forensic psychology has flourished into what it is today. Forensic Psychology Forensic psychology is formally defined as “any application of psychological research, methods, theory, and practice to a task faced by the legal system” (Fulero & Vrightsman, 2008, p.1-2). This is a very broad definition and encompasses many different aspects of the subject and therefore it is very appropriate definition of forensic psychology. The discipline of forensic psychology has developed greatly today and therefore it is difficult to accurately explain the concept through a definition. There are a variety of applications and uses of the forensic psychology and that is why it is often confusing for non academic people. One common factor in all definitions of forensic psychology is its application of psychology concepts to the field of criminal justice. Forensic psychology deals with court room issues like jury selection and with evaluation of evidence. The role of forensic psychologists now a day is also vital in public policy formulation (Fulero & Vrightsman, 2008). Forensic psychologists usually use their knowledge of psychology to help justice system in evaluation of witness testimony and insanity pleas. They also help in reducing bias and prejudice from the criminal justice system. Therefore the role of forensic psychologists is very dynamic in today’s world. It is important to discuss the variety of misconceptions about the field of forensic psychology in the popular culture. Movies and television serials depict psychologists as people who have this amazing tendency to read minds and solve crime mysteries. Especially shows like Criminal Minds have played a major role in distorting the image of forensic psychologists (Fulero & Vrightsman, 2008). Forensic psychologists do not directly play a role in catching criminals but they only help law enforcement agencies and justice department understand psychological evaluations and do personality assessment usually in cases of child custody. Therefore the popular public image of ‘mind readers’ is not entirely accurate for forensic psychologists. History of Forensic Psychology The theoretical foundations of forensic psychology were laid down back in early 20th century. This was a time when the discipline of psychology was in its early stages and academics were starting to consider how psychology can help in different areas of life. It should be noted that in early 20th century the efficacy of psychology and its application was in debate and the discipline did not receive wide spread acceptance. The first area of interest of early forensic psychologists was witness testimony. In a way it can be said that the field of forensic psychology developed as a result of the pursuit to objectively evaluate testimony of a witness. Psychologists were interested in knowing whether witness testimony can be taken at its face value or not. The experiment by James Cattell can be regarded as the experiment that kindled the interest of psychologists in forensic psychology. In his experiment, which was an informal one, he asked a variety of questions to students that are commonly asked in courts and also measured how confident they were in their answers. He found out that people were confidently giving incorrect answers and some were hesitantly giving the right answers (Cattell, 1895). This is the experiment which kindled the interest of psychologist in the field of forensic psychology. Hugo Munsterberg is often regarded as the father of modern forensic psychology (Thorne & Henley, 2005; Benjamin, 2006). Although there were other psychologists as well who gave similar insights at the same time as Munsterberg but he is regarded as important because he made inroads with his text and greatly influenced the development of the subject (Bornstein & Penrod, 2008). The role of Hugo Munsterberg is great in bringing forensic psychology in the domain of popular sciences. His famous book “On the Witness Stand” for the first time discussed how psychologically can influence court trails and criminal justice procedures. He can be credited to show the world how psychology can be used to aid legal proceedings. His importance is also noted in the field of applied psychology as his efforts informed the world about applications of psychology to daily life. At the time of Munsterberg academics were somewhat aware of the inherent problems in testimonies. However Munsterberg showed clearly through his book how personal biases and perceptions can affect a person’s thinking and in-turn his or her testimony. He was also the first person to make the world realize that psychology and its concepts should be used in legal proceedings because judges and jurors might not be fully equipped to detect untrue testimonies. Munsterberg showed through his work how flawed the criminal justice system was and how easily a person might manipulate it. The work of Munsterberg revolutionized the field of forensic psychology as he explained how two people might testify same events differently even when their self interest is not on the line in anyway (Munsterberg, 1909). This can be considered as revolutionary since it was not previously argued by any other psychologist in a way Munsterberg did. The contributions of Munsterberg to the field of forensic psychology are great and no history of the subject can be written without talking about the work of Munsterberg. The work of other psychologists like William Stern and William Marston is also important in regard to development of forensic psychology. William Stern showed through an experiment that testimonies of witnesses might be prone to inaccuracy and also found out that emotions can play a role in distorting reality and perception (Stern, 1939). The role of emotions in recall and accuracy of testimonies was explored by Stern back in 1939 and therefore his name is also central to any discussion of history of forensic psychology. William Marston also was the first person to explore the biological signs of inaccurate accounts. He showed that when people lied their systolic blood pressure increased (Marston, 1917). This discovery helped in the invention of polygraph which is still used today in criminal justice system. He therefore is also regarded as an important figure in forensic psychology. The theoretical foundations of forensic psychology were surely laid down in early 20th century but its application to the criminal justice system did not start until the end of Second World War. It was not after the war that different aspects of forensic psychology were used in the court room and criminal justice process. The field of forensic psychology achieved wide spread fame in only later part of 20th century and this was the time when it was properly used in different departments of law making and criminal justice system. Evolution of Forensic Psychology Forensic psychology evolved in the middle of 20th century after the end of the Second World War. In this period time courts started to allow psychologist give expert views on different cases. This is probably the era where forensic psychology evolved from an academic field into a practical profession. When courts started to accept and understand that psychologists could offer expert opinion on various subject especially regarding mental health of defendants, the forensic psychology started to spread from academic circles to public arena. It is true that the above mentioned experiments played a great role in the development or genesis of forensic psychology but the field evolved when people in the criminal justice system started to take help from academics in different cases. Before this time only experts understood the implications of psychological theory and experiments on different legal areas but the field evolved significantly when courts and judges started to take help from academics on different matters. An important case in this regard is the case of Brown and Board of Education. In this particular case for the first time many psychologist testified from both parties (Cherry, 2012). This was the first time when psychologists played a major role in a court case. The case is therefore regarded as pivotal in the evolution of forensic psychology. Through this case psychologist gain wide spread acceptance in the legal arena and were often ask for their opinions on different matters. Brown and Board of Education case is important because it attracted public attention. The case was about segregation in public schools and therefore is considered a landmark case in the history of American courts. The help of expert psychologists in this case made them recognized among the general public. This is why this case played a great role in evolution of forensic psychology. Another important court case of Jenkins versus United States of America is important in paving the path of entry for psychology into the legal arena. In the case, judges ruled in favor of using psychologists as experts when mental ailment is in question (Dye, 2012). This was the first formal acceptance of psychology in the realm of legal system. With this case courts set a precedent of allowing psychologists to act as experts in areas of mental illness and courts also accepted that they were not the expert to understand the issue better than psychologists. Even today when psychologists are called to give their expert opinion, it is because of the judgment given in Jenkins versus United States of America. After this psychologists were regularly used in criminal justice system and their expertise was accepted. From 1970s forensic psychologists started to play a role in legal system by helping lawyers and juries. The role of forensic psychologists also changed significantly over the years and now they are playing a primary role in criminal justice process. Application of Forensic Psychology There are now numerous applications of forensic psychology in the criminal justice system. Forensic psychologists apply their knowledge to find and evaluate mental health of a patient. Their role is also to evaluate competency of the defendant. Forensic psychologists also play a role in finding out the mental health of an accused at the time of committing the crime. Courts also take help of forensic psychologists in sentencing mentally ill criminal. Often forensic psychologists are also used in evaluations of parole and probation. The main application of forensic psychology is in finding the true mental condition of the person on trial. Forensic psychologist help understand the whether a defendant is acting out or is really mentally ill. Many criminals try to fake their mental health in order to get reduced sentences. Forensic psychologists are required to detect such attempts. The issue of competency is important in law as a person on trial should be competent enough to understand what is happening in his or her surroundings. This is another area where forensic psychologists are used in criminal justice process as they are asked to evaluate competency of a defendant. Sometimes defendants also claim insanity and argue that they were not mentally sane at the time of committing the crime. It is very difficult to confirm or deny insanity pleas and therefore forensic psychologists are regularly used in this regard. They are asked by courts to give their expert opinions on the mental health of a defendant at the time of committing the crime. Forensic psychologists also play a vital role in helping judged determine appropriate sentences for mentally ill criminals. Courts often ask forensic psychologists to give their input on how much a person should be punished when mental health is in question. Sometimes forensic psychologists are also asked to evaluate whether a person is fit for early parole or not. Forensic psychologists are asked to evaluate whether a particular person is posing a risk to the society or not. Issues regarding probation are also handled by forensic psychologists and their judgment is often based on their expert opinion. Another important application of forensic psychology is in dealing with prisoners. In 1970s forensic psychologists also worked closely with prisoners in order to understand their behavior (Tartakovsky, 2011). This is another area where forensic psychology can be applied and used. Forensic psychologists can help in developing rehabilitation programs in prisons. They are used to design different programs for inmates in order to make them calm and sensitive towards the society. Forensic Psychology Today Forensic psychology has developed greatly today as now it is being used in different areas of legal arena. From the time of Munsterberg when the focus was on testimony evaluation, the field has grown greatly and many new aspects have been included in the domain of forensic psychology. The evolution of forensic psychology spans over almost a century and different events played a role in its development. Today forensic psychologists not only play an important role in courts and criminal justice system but also contribute to public policy and law making which shows how the profession has evolved from a shady science to a well accepted profession, even in the public domain. Forensic psychology is also now also playing a role in jury selection (Brigham, 1999). Forensic psychologists are commonly used to select people for jury and they use their insight to select the least prejudiced jury. Forensic psychologists are also used today to help lawyers build their case. They help in almost all areas of legal system. Forensic psychology is also an accepted profession and many universities are offering specialized degree programs of forensic psychology which shows again how the field has developed over the years. Conclusion The field of forensic psychology has evolved greatly over the years. The theoretical foundations of forensic psychology were laid down in the early 20th century but it was no until the end Second World War that the field was introduced officially in the legal domain. Hugo Munsterberg is regarded as the father of modern forensic psychologists as his works played a major role in convincing people that the field had great things to offer to the legal arena. Today forensic psychologists are used in prison system and are also used in the development of public policy. Professional degrees of specialization in forensic psychology are offered in many reputable universities. References Brigham, J. C. (1999). What is forensic psychology, anyway? Law and Human Behavior, 23: 273–298 Bornstein, B. H., & Penrod, S. D. (2008). Hugo who? G. F. Arnold’s alternative early approach on psychology and law. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 22: 759–768 Cattell, J. (1895). Measurement of the Accuracy of Recollection. Science, 2(49): 761-766 Cherry, K. (2012).History of Forensic Psychology. Psychology About. Retrieved on July 26, 2012 from http://psychology.about.com/od/historyofpsychology/p/forensichistory.htm Dye, S. (2012). Court Cases. Forensic Psychology Blog. Retrieved on July 26, 2012 from http://forensicpsych.umwblogs.org/psychology-and-law/court-cases/ Marston, W. (1917). Systolic blood pressure symptoms of deception. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 2(2): 117–163 Munsterberg, H. (1909). On the witness stand: Essays on psychology and crime. New York: Doubleday Solomon, M. & Vrightsman, L. (2008). Forensic Psychology (3rd ed.). New York: Cengage Learning Stern, L.W. (1939). The psychology of testimony. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 40:3–20 Tartakovsky, M. (2011). How Forensic Psychology Began and Flourished? Psycentral.com. Retrieved on July 26, 2012 from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/06/07/how-forensic-psychology-began-and-flourished/ Thorne, B. M., & Henley, T. B. (2005). Connections in the history and systems of psychology (3rd ed.).Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co Read More