The 8 main functions of Legal Psychology

Psychology is a discipline that presents a very varied horizon of areas of intervention since its constitution as a scientific discipline. For this reason, in recent years, as Psychology has diversified, more and more psychologists decide to train in this branch.

It is a field of specialization in which the relationship between law and behavioral science is evident: the study of the mind and human behavior have legal implications to take into account, both at the micro (individual) and macro levels (social). But... What are the areas of activity that occur in this branch of Psychology? Here you will find a summary of the functions of Legal Psychology.

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What is Legal Psychology?

Throughout the decades there are many areas of knowledge and human activity that have made use of the application of psychological research methods and strategies to solve all types of needs and issues. One of the areas where the use of psychology is essential is legal, where knowing and analyzing in depth the behavior of people and their motivations is of great relevance to settle all kinds of disputes, clashes of interests and possible cases of commission of crimes or crimes.

In this sense, Legal Psychology helps to explain the behavior of people, understood as legal actors in the context of law, law and justice.

We can also conceive Legal Psychology as the conjunction between the world of Psychology and Law, where its qualified professionals use a wide variety of techniques, instruments and procedures based on scientific evidence and the most advanced psychological theories. updated to try to give an explanation about the psychological processes that have already taken place, or to try to predict as far as possible those that could take place in the future.

These two pillars, the understanding of what happened and the description of what could happen, are the facets with the greatest value from a pragmatic point of view, but the information they generate must then be analyzed through the lens of Law. For this reason, psychologists trained in Legal Psychology maintain a technical professional role, and are not involved in making the main decisions in judicial processes. They are limited to providing relevant data that must be used by lawyers, judges, prosecutors...

These strategies based on the scientific method serve legal psychology professionals to evaluate, study, understand, advise or treat all types of of psychological alterations that influence behavior and relationships between people of all ages, always in a manner adapted to their needs and characteristics.

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Functions of Legal Psychology

Although Legal Psychology has a relatively recent history in most countries, in Spain the professionals in this discipline can already develop the following functions in their professional performance diary.

1. Evaluation and diagnosis

Both psychological evaluation and diagnosis are some of the essential functions carried out by legal psychology professionals.

On the one hand, the evaluation and diagnosis of legal actors immersed in judicial or criminal proceedings is common. of all kinds, whose psychological phenomena, behaviors or relationships may be relevant in a legal process of any kind. guy. In this context, psychologists do not act purely as psychotherapists, since their role has to do with serving the judicial process in the first place, and not to the subject that is analyzed.

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2. Advice

Advice to judges and judicial bodies on issues in which psychology professionals have extensive experience is one of the essential functions in any procedure legal.

Both guidance and advice based on conclusions obtained through the scientific method will be crucial in any type of legal proceeding to help prove guilt or lack thereof.

In addition to that, these professionals can also participate in divorce proceedings, gender violence, guardianship and custody, disabilities or both criminal and civil proceedings.

3. psychosanitary intervention

Intervention in legal psychology is carried out through the planning of training programs intervention adapted at all times to the needs and specificities of each person who must be intervened.

This psychological intervention will always be done with the well-being of the person as the primary objective to improve their quality of life, well-being and mental, psychological and physical health.

Interventions can be carried out both individually or collectively, in the prison context or with the aim of rehabilitating and reintegrating into society any person who has gone through a specific legal process.

4. Investigation

Legal Psychology is, as indicated, a very young discipline in most countries of the world, that is why it is required in most of them a process of investigation and further study of a great variety of areas of this branch of psychology. It establishes synergies with sciences such as Criminology, Environmental Psychology, Health Psychology, etc.

Research in legal psychology offers a great variety of possibilities and different fields and all the knowledge obtained usually has a direct practical application.

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5. Training

Training and education is essential in legal psychology, as it is also in any other branch of psychology.

Train professionals in the legal system and even members of the State security forces and bodies It is very useful to have the best experts and specialists both in the field of the judiciary and the prosecutor's office as well as in police officers, lawyers and prison professionals. And it also helps in the elaboration of laws by offering relevant information to entities of the legislative power.

6. Social prevention campaigns

The development of social prevention campaigns they are always carried out through the use of techniques and knowledge based on scientific evidence and are intended to inform and educate the general population in various fields and important issues.

These campaigns can be used to prevent crime in society or to address any problem that concerns society as a whole.

7. victimology

Victimology is a branch of legal psychology consisting of developing intervention plans to improve the situation of victims of all kinds and their interaction with the legal system.

A greater knowledge in this field of intervention and a greater expenditure of public resources to have and train quality professionals will ensure a fairer legal system prepared to address all types of problems for people who are victims of any crime.

8. Mediation

Mediation is another of the functions in which legal psychology professionals specialize. and it is one of the most requested alternatives to classic legal processes.

Professionals must know how to channel mediated solutions to conflicts of all kinds between people and also at the family or couple level.

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