Ethics and Professional

Issues
Aliya Imtiaz
Objectives

 Roles & responsibilities of the forensic

psychologist
 Professional issues
 Ethical & legal issues
Roles & responsibilities of the forensic psychologist

• May take on many and varied roles

• No one particular path to becoming a forensic psychologist
• The many roles
• trial consultant,
• expert witness,
• evaluator,
• treatment provider,
• researcher,
• academic,
• and correctional psychologist.
Trial Consultant (or jury consultant)
• someone who works with legal professionals, mainly attorneys, to
assist in various aspects of case preparation
• including jury selection, development of case strategy, and witness
preparation.
• Rely on their research training in helping attorneys
• to develop and execute research that will assist attorneys in preparing a case.
• Research include:
• community surveys, focus groups, jury simulations, and mock trials.
• may be involved in both civil and criminal cases and may assist at any (or all)
stage(s) of the proceedings — in preparation for
• trial, during trial, or after trial.
The Expert Witness
• provides testimony in court about specialized knowledge in their field.
• particularly in criminal and civil cases, offering insights into mental health or
psychological theories.
• Clinical forensic psychologists evaluate defendants and testify about their
mental state in relation to legal issues, such as insanity or competency.
• They typically hold roles in research, academia, or evaluation alongside their
work as expert witnesses.
The Evaluator
• assessing criminal defendants or parties in civil process concerning
mental health issues related to the legal case.
• In criminal cases, evaluations may focus on a defendant’s competency to
stand trial, mental state during the offense (insanity), or risk of future
dangerousness.
• In civil cases, psychologists may assess families in custody disputes.
• The evaluator role is closely linked to the expert witness role, as psychologists
often testify in court about their findings.
• Forensic psychologists typically work in forensic hospitals, state psychiatric
hospitals, community mental health centers, and private practices. They
usually hold clinical psychology credentials and specialize in forensic
psychology, often requiring licensure.
The Treatment Provider
• offer psychological interventions to individuals in both criminal and
civil contexts.
• In the criminal realm, they may work with individuals deemed incompetent to
stand trial, those found insane at the time of a crime, or those deemed at
high risk for violent behavior.
• In civil cases, they may provide treatment for individuals experiencing
psychological trauma or assist families in divorce proceedings.
• They often work in settings such as forensic hospitals, state psychiatric
hospitals, community mental health centers, and private practices.
The Researcher
• design and implement research on various issues relevant to forensic
psychology or psychology and the law, both criminal and civil.
• may conduct research on mental health law and policy or program evaluation.
• may be employed in a number of settings
• including universities and colleges, but also at research institutes, government
or private agencies, and psychiatric hospitals or other mental health agencies.
The Academic
• involved in teaching, conducting research, and providing training and
supervision to students.
• typically hold advanced degrees, such as a PhD, in psychology, and can
specialize in areas like clinical psychology.
• Academics are usually employed by universities or colleges and may also
engage in other forensic psychology roles, such as evaluation or treatment
provision.
The Correctional Psychologist
• works in a correctional setting with inmates and offenders.
• often engage in direct service delivery — both evaluation and
treatment — of individuals who have been imprisoned or who are out
on probation or parole.
• correctional psychologists may also take on the role of researcher or expert
witness.
Professional Issues
• Licensure and Certification:
• In every state psychologist must be licensed to practice independently
• A doctoral-level degree required
• Some have provisions for becoming licensed as psychological technician with
a master’s degree (under the supervision)
• You don’t need a license to work in many of the roles mentioned earlier. However, to
work as an evaluator, treatment provider, or expert witness (especially in individual
cases), you must be licensed.
• On the other hand, roles like trial consultant, researcher, academic, correctional
psychologist, and expert witness (when giving general testimony about psychological
theory) do not require a license to practice as a psychologist or psychological technician.
Professional Issues
• Psychology is a self-regulating profession, where decisions about a
psychologist’s competence and conduct are made by both
professionals and the public on a regulatory board. The board’s main
goal is to protect the public.
• Each state has its own board that oversees licensing, periodic competence
reviews, ethical conduct enforcement, public education, and disciplinary
procedures for psychologists.
• To become licensed, an individual must complete specific courses, supervised
practice hours, and pass a licensing exam.
• The board ensures that only qualified and ethical psychologists practice,
setting the standards for the profession.
Resolving Ethical Issues
• Complaint about the professional behavior of a psychologist
• bring the complaint to the attention of the offending psychologist.
• Multiple relationships? Simply bring to attention
• If ineffective?
• the complainant may file a complaint with the licensing board of the state in which the
psychologist practices.
• If member of APA-a complaint may also be registered with the APA
• which has an ethics office to hear and deal with complaints about a psychologist ’ s behavior.
Ethical Principles