Psychology and the Legal System: Roles, Contrasts, and Complexities

Chapter 1 - What is the main role of a clinical psychologists? (Evaluation, expert testimony) – Different Types of psychologists perform different functions within the legal system (advisor, Evaluator, reformer) - Brown v. Board of Education (1954) – why is this relevant to psychology? (First time Psychological research was citing in court) – relevant to which types of psychology? (social) - Differences between law and psychology? (Goals, methods, and styles of inquiry) - What does it mean to say the law is adversarial in nature? (Truth will emerge because of Contrast between opposing sides) - What has research shown about get-tough interventions like Scared Straight? (Not to work And sometimes even exacerbates the original problem) - What are we referring to when we talk about gatekeeping within the legal system? (Assessing the scientific validity of potential testimony) Chapter 8 - What is competency? (Whether an individual has the capacity to perform necessary Personal or legal functions). What is the relevant time for competency? - What happens to someone when they are deemed incompetent to stand trial? - Who determines competency? (Ultimately the judge, but clinical psychologist evaluates) Is there a formalized process for this determination? - When is it legally permissible for courts to order forcible medication of defendants? - Are juveniles allowed to be tried as adults? Is this uniform across the US? Chapter 10

- What is insanity? (a legal term, not a psychological term). What is the relevant time? For insanity? - What are the two requirements for being held responsible for a crime? - M ’ Naughten rule, Durham standard, and ALI – differences, similarities? - Volitional capacity? (Inability to control his or her behavior) - Cognitive capacity? (Inability to appreciate the wrongfulness of one ’ s conduct) - Do states differ in their use of the insanity defense? (There are considerable variations from State to state in legal definitions of insanity) - Do all states have an insanity defense? (4 do not) - How often in felony cases is the insanity defense used? (1%) How often is it “ successful? ” (25%) - What happens to someone found NGRI? (Sent to a secure psychiatric facility and often Spend longer sentences than if found guilty. - Are jurors/lay people aware that this is the case? (Not really) - What happens when jurors are made aware that the individual won ’ t go free? - What is it about insanity evaluations that make developing a test to evaluate insanity Extremely difficult