Problems of Forensic Sciences 2014 Vol. 100 (C) 318-340
ADVANCES IN FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS
Alicja CZEREDERECKA, Ewa WACH
Institute of Forensic Research, Kraków, Poland
Streszczenie
The article focuses on ethical and methodological problems in the work of expert psychologist and on the standards of opinion giving, and then it presents the most important directions of the development in various branches of forensic psychology. The first issue raised is the ethical dimension of the work of the psychologist, who, as an expert witness, is forced to combine the somewhat divergent expectations of the law and psychology. Presented here arethe solutions worked out in recent years in the United States, general standards of diagnosis suggested in 2014 by the Polish Psychological Association, and the original concept of the evidence evaluation criteria from a psychological opinion referring to law in Poland. Particular attention is paid to the scientific value of the research methods used in psychological diagnosis for courts. Then the article presents the problem of giving psychological opinions in family cases, which has become a source of strong controversy in recent years, but is now becoming appreciated and is the subject of studies and research. Shown are the most important dilemmas in this area, and some suggestions for solutions to them, as well as those issues which still remain unresolved. The section on the progress of the psychological evaluation in criminal cases focuses on advances due to changes and amendments to the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure. Attention is mainly focused on problems arising from the extension of privileges for witnesses-victims, interrogation in friendly conditions, and in the presence of a psychologist, not only for the interrogation of children, but also of adults. In new criminal laws the involvement of the possibility of using telecommunications networks or information and communication systems (ICT) to commit sexual crimes, persistent harassment and bullying (stalking) have increased the expectations on psychologists to speak about the emotional state of those interviewed based on recordings of their voices. The article mentions the pitfalls of giving opinions in such situations. An increasing number of psychological opinions also concern the assessment of the influence on certain persons’ behaviour of others and the contribution to their suicide (mental and physical abuse, mobbing), a psychological evaluation of suspects’ and defendants’ explanations, as well as the assessment of the risk of recidivism in sexual crimes. The problems associated with issuing opinions on these matters have been the subject of research programs carried out by the staff of the Department of Forensic Psychology of the Institute of Forensic Research (IFR).
Słowa kluczowe
Ethical and methodological problems of forensic psychology; Evidence evaluation criteria; Giving opinions in family cases; Giving opinions in criminal cases; Interrogation of victims and suspects; The causes of suicide.