Legal Psychology is the field of psychology that brings together professionals who are dedicated to interaction between psychology and law. The main function of psychologists in the field of justice is to assist in matters relating to the mental health of those involved in a process.
To become a legal psychologist it is necessary to complete a postgraduate degree specializing in the area, or to take the exam of the Federal Council of Psychology in order to obtain the degree.
Legal Psychology is one of the fields of knowledge and research within psychology, with important contributions in the areas of citizenship, violence and human rights.
Among the activities of a legal psychologist is monitoring within the prison system. As an expert, you can work with the preparation of reports on the mental health of the parties, which can be added to the processes in order to assist the judge in his decision.
The legal psychologist also acts in the mediation of litigation, at the time of testimonies, and in fields delicate issues such as family law, domestic violence processes, adoptions, custody of minors, among others.
The term Forensic Psychology it is also used to designate legal psychology, although less used in Brazil.
Some authors indicate that the words define different fields, that "legal" is a more comprehensive over the entire field of law, while "forensics" is more focused on the forum or court. And as there is no consensus on its concept, what is known is that the use of one definition or another follows the professional's preference, if one wants to fit in as a legal or forensic psychologist.
Learn more about the meaning of forensic.
One of the fields of action within legal psychology is the criminal psychology, which is more specifically dedicated to Criminal Law. This type of psychologist is called to act in criminal proceedings in different ways, such as evaluating suspects, understanding the motivations of crime and detecting dangerous behavior.
See too:
- psychology
- Forensic Psychology