Differences between Criminal Psychology and Forensic Psychology

What are the differences between these two booming sub-disciplines?

With the unfortunate increase in recent years of criminal acts in general, and terrorist acts in particular, scenarios such as courts of justice or social reintegration centers are experiencing a real boom due to the need to cushion the impact of violence.

Likewise, criminal acts also entail processes such as mediation and victim care, as a framework of action of growing relevance for psychologists.

Psychology around criminal acts: what does it consist of?

Psychology in criminal acts: what does it consist of? psychology has become a fundamental discipline in the administration of justice.. Their direct or indirect intervention in criminal proceedings is indispensable in the attention and treatment of delinquency or interpersonal and gender violence, as well as other conflicts of personal rights.

This need for specialization translates into a growing demand for forensic and criminal psychologists..

Differentiating between Criminal Psychology and Forensic Psychology

But to talk about Criminal Psychology and Forensic Psychology it is necessary to clarify the differences between these two 'disciplines' (or sub-disciplines). There is a great deal of confusion about their similarities and differences. terms are often confused and it is not uncommon for some people to consider that they are one and the same discipline..

Today we are going to learn about the differences between forensic psychology and criminal psychology, as well as discover their functions and areas of intervention.

General Concepts

In order to understand the nature of each discipline, it is necessary to know some general concepts that will allow us to better understand what they consist of.

Psychology

The psychology is a branch of science that studies psychic phenomena and operations.. It is, in other words, the scientific study of human behavior and experience, of how human beings (and even animals) think, feel, experience, learn and do in order to adapt to the environment around them.

Forensic

From Latin forensic alluding to the forumrefers to the place where an oral trial is held. This term usually causes a lot of confusion and commotion because it is immediately associated with thanatology. thanatology. However, when a discipline is added to this term, it simply means that it assists in the administration of justice. refers to the fact that it assists in or is related to the administration of justice. or is related to it.

Legal

It is a concept widely used in law. It refers to the sciences that study the legal system and what is related to the laws.

What does each one do?

We have seen a rough definition of each of these fields, but what is the role of each one? what is the role of each of them?

Forensic psychology: concept and scope of action

The Forensic psychology is that part of psychology that is developed within the specific legal field and/or in its dependent bodies, characterized by its own techniques that make it an auxiliary science in this field.

Forensic Psychology addresses the behavior and mental processes that need to be explained or determined during an oral trial.The main interest of this branch of psychology is to assist in the administration of justice. In addition, forensic psychology has the peculiarity of being interested in the study of the victim to determine the psychological consequences suffered after the crime.

What does the work of a forensic psychologist consist of?

We can also understand forensic psychology as that branch of applied psychology related to the collection, analysis and presentation of psychological evidence for judicial purposes.. Therefore, it is indispensable for the forensic psychologist to have an understanding of criminal law in his or her jurisdiction in order to make legal evaluations and interact appropriately with judges and lawyers.

Another important aspect of the forensic psychologist is that he/she must have the ability to testify in court about the expertise he or she has performed (say, to determine the (say, determining the defendant's mental state at the time of the crime). Generally, their work consists more of clarifying legal issues than psychological ones. Among the most important tasks of the forensic psychologist are: issuing opinions on issues in their area, evaluating and treating any justice administration personnel involved in the process, analyzing all those problems of a psychological or emotional nature and giving relevant recommendations as far as responsibility, mental health and safety of the subject are concerned.

Criminal psychology: concept and scope of action

The Criminal Psychology o criminology is in charge of the study of the behavior and mental processes of the individual who has committed a crime.. Criminal psychology, therefore, studies the psychological developments and processes involved in the ideation and perpetration of criminal acts.

He studies the whys and wherefores and how criminal behavior manifests itself distinctively from other behaviors, addressing the scientific observation of criminal behavioral types, types of offenders and crime as a psychosocial phenomenon.

What does the work of a criminal psychologist consist of?

Criminal psychology lays the theoretical and practical foundations to facilitate the work of criminal psychologists. They elaborate the psychodiagnosis with the intention of foreseeing a prognosis and considering an adequate treatment through the study of the criminal's personality. Likewise, criminological psychology integrates the therapeutic work aimed at modifying the subject's antisocial behavior.

This branch, contrary to what one might think, is not exclusively clinical, but also extends to studies on criminality. also extends to studies on criminality and on the psychological factors and about the psychological factors that influence it.

Among the many tasks that a criminal psychologist can perform are the following: conducting criminal personality studies to clarify the endogenous and exogenous psychological factors that led to criminal behavior, assisting the criminologist in establishing the dangerousness of a subject, criminal profiling in investigative agencies, offering psychotherapeutic treatment to inmates, etc.

Summarizing

Criminal psychology and forensic psychology play indispensable roles in law enforcement, the judicial system and criminology. However, the former is mainly used to determine the psychological motives for committing a crime and forensic psychology analyzes the effect of the crime on the victims and the mental condition of the offender.

Similarities and differences

It is worth having a comparative table to better understand the similarities and differences between each in a synthetic way.