A forensic psychologist, also referred to as a criminal profiler, works in line with law enforcement to compile criminals’ profile based on common psychological traits. They usually read the behavior of the criminal and analyze anything according to psychological theories to legal issues. Some of them usually study both clinical psychology criminal justice.
In juvenile courts, forensic psychologists help handle concerns of the youth and those with special needs (Borum & Otto, 2004). More importantly, they concentrate on the benefits of rehabilitating the youth in these juvenile systems. They ensure that these rehabilitations are effective and they reduce the possibility of crimes re-occurring. They also offer guidance for those children that have been abused or neglected (Borum & Otto, 2004).
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Forensic psychologists can work to bring justice to the youths in two ways. Firstly, they can help the attorneys and judges to make critical decisions about the minors in question. This is because their forensic study provides information about the minor’s behavioral, emotional, and cognitive abilities (Femi, 2013). Secondly, they can offer treatments and other services to juvenile families. The most important aspect of this approach is to improve the youth’s behavioral and emotional welfare while decreasing the possibility of the youth committing another offense (Femi, 2013).
Forensic psychologists can also work to evaluate the youths in the legal systems. They can do this by performing the following functions: determining the custody of a child, parental capacity evaluation, terminating parental rights on the child (Tess, 2017). They can also work with the juvenile court systems to determine the juvenile’s treatment method if they are eligible for trial in adult courts, their psychiatric status, and if there is a risk of danger in the future (Tess, 2017). They also deal with youths being tried in adult courts and are raising the insanity defense.
References
Borum, R & Otto R. (2004). Evaluation of Youth in the Juvenile Justice System. Mental Health Law & Policy Faculty Publications. Pg. 1-24. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/mhlp_facpub/394
Femi, F. (2013). Role of Forensic Psychology in the Development of Court and Juvenile Behavior. Forensic Psychology. Pg. 1-12. https://www.academia.edu
Tess, N. (2017). Identifying the Forensic Psychologist Role. Research Gate . Pp. 1-17. Doi: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190258542.003.0001
