Forensic psychology is the practice of psychology applied to the law. Forensic psychology is the application of scientific knowledge and methods to help answer legal questions arising in criminal, civil, contractual, or other judicial proceedings. Forensic psychology includes research on various psychology-law topics, such as jury selection, reducing systemic racism in criminal law, eyewitness testimony, evaluating competency to stand trial, or assessing military veterans for service-connected disability compensation. The American Psychological Association's Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists reference several psychology subdisciplines, such as social, clinical, experimental, counseling, and neuropsychology.
Criminal psychology, also referred to as criminological psychology, is the study of the views, thoughts, intentions, actions and reactions of criminals and suspects. It is a subfield of criminology and applied psychology.
Forensic psychiatry is a subspeciality of psychiatry and is related to criminology. It encompasses the interface between law and psychiatry. According to the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, it is defined as "a subspecialty of psychiatry in which scientific and clinical expertise is applied in legal contexts involving civil, criminal, correctional, regulatory, or legislative matters, and in specialized clinical consultations in areas such as risk assessment or employment." A forensic psychiatrist provides services – such as determination of competency to stand trial – to a court of law to facilitate the adjudicative process and provide treatment, such as medications and psychotherapy, to criminals.
The Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association is a bi-monthly peer-reviewed healthcare journal covering all aspects of psychoanalysis and is the official journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association. The editor in chief is Mitchell Wilson.
Pathological lying, also known as mythomania and pseudologia fantastica, is a chronic behavior in which the person habitually or compulsively lies. These lies often serve no obvious purpose other than to paint oneself as a hero or victim, depending on the circumstance. Pathological lying has been defined as: "a persistent, pervasive, and often compulsive pattern of excessive lying behavior that leads to clinically significant impairment of functioning in social, occupational, or other areas; causes marked distress; poses a risk to the self or others; and occurs for longer than six months." Others have defined pathological lying as "falsification entirely disproportionate to any discernible end in view, may be extensive and very complicated, and may manifest over a period of years or even a lifetime."
Palo Alto University (PAU) is a private university in Palo Alto, California that focuses on psychology and counseling. It was founded in 1975 as the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology and became Palo Alto University in 2009.
Alan Abraham Stone was an American psychiatrist who was the Touroff-Glueck Professor of Law and Psychiatry (Emeritus) at the Harvard Law School. His writing and teaching has focused on professional medical ethics, issues at the intersection of law and psychiatry, and the topic of violence in both law and in psychiatry. Stone served as president of the American Psychiatric Association. He also served for a number of years as the film critic for the Boston Review.
Psychological Reports is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal covering research in psychology and psychiatry. It was established by Robert and Carol H. Ammons in 1955. The editor-in-chief is Cory Scherer. It is published by SAGE Publications.
Transcultural Psychiatry is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes papers in the fields of cultural psychiatry, psychology and anthropology. The journal's editor-in-chief is Laurence J. Kirmayer. The Associate Editors are Renato Alarcón, Roland Littlewood and Leslie Swartz. It has been in publication since 1964 and is currently published by SAGE Publications on behalf of the Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry of McGill University. It is the official journal of the World Psychiatric Association Transcultural Psychiatry Section and is also published in association with the Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture.
Criminal Justice and Behavior is a peer-reviewed academic journal that covers research in the fields of psychology and criminology. The editor-in-chief is Robert D. Morgan. It was established in 1974 and is currently published by SAGE Publications in association with the American Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychologists and the International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology.
The Journal of Attention Disorders is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the field of psychiatry and attention disorders. This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The journal's editor is Sam Goldstein. It has been in publication since 1996 and is currently published by SAGE Publications.
David Philip Bernstein was professor of forensic psychotherapy at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, an endowed chair jointly sponsored by Forensic Psychiatric Center "de Rooyse Wissel". His work is also supported by the Expertise Center for Forensic Psychiatry (EFP). At Maastricht University, Bernstein leads the forensic psychology section, which is embedded within the department of clinical psychological science. Bernstein has served as President of the Association for Research on Personality Disorders, Vice President of the International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders and Vice President of the International Society for Schema Therapy.
The Journal of Traumatic Stress (JTS) is a peer-reviewed academic journal published bimonthly by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. As of 2021 the editor-in-chief is Patricia K Kerig. The journal covers research on the biopsychosocial aspects of trauma and publishes original articles, brief reports, reviews, commentaries, and special issues devoted to single topics.
Charles Arthur Mercier was a British psychiatrist and leading expert on forensic psychiatry and insanity.
The International Journal of Law and Psychiatry is a bimonthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering forensic psychiatry. It was established in 1978 by Pergamon Press and is currently published by Elsevier on behalf of the International Academy of Law and Mental Health, of which it is the official journal. The editor-in-chief is David Weisstub. According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2016 impact factor of 1.203.
Psychology, Crime & Law is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering forensic psychology. It was established in 1994 and is published 10 times per year by Taylor & Francis on behalf of the European Association of Psychology and Law, of which it is the official journal. The editor-in-chief is Theresa Gannon. According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2017 impact factor of 1.598.
The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Australian Association of Family Therapy. The journal was established in 1979. It covers research related to family therapy, spanning subfields of psychology such as clinical psychology, therapy, counseling, and psychoanalysis.
Psychiatry, Psychology and Law is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering forensic psychology and forensic psychiatry. It was established in 1994 and is published by Taylor & Francis on behalf of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law. The editor-in-chief is Mark Nolan. From 1994 to 2019 it was edited by Ian Freckelton. According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2018 impact factor of 0.744.
Herschel Albert Prins (1928–2016) was a British professor of criminology. His career spanned over 60 years in work pertaining to forensic psychiatry, and his appointments included positions at the universities of Leeds, Loughborough, Leicester and Birmingham. His roles included HM probation inspectorate, parole board engagement, and involvement in mental health review tribunals and the mental health act commission. He worked with people with malicious activity, antisocial and disinhibited behaviour, unusual sexual deviations and people who behaved dangerously.
