Psychological expertise is a tool in the work of a clinical psychologist, as well as a forensic psychologist.
Fundamentals of psychological examination are the study of mental processes, conditions and properties of healthy people involved in criminal and civil cases.
The need for medical and psychological expertise is conditioned by the need to establish a possible mental "ill health" of a person. This is very important in the case when the measure and the degree of the onset of legal consequences depend on it. Without the conclusion of a psychologist, a person can not be considered incompetent in court.
The competence of medical and psychological expertise is:
- the establishment of the psychological consequences of a physical disorder;
- the determination of the presence of any mental characteristics caused by a physical illness;
- the study of the degree of awareness and understanding by the person of the significance of his actions, the adequacy of his behavior.
Socio-psychological examination of the child is to identify the characteristics of the child's mental development, his abilities, the degree of social adaptation in society.
Posthumous psychological examination is appointed by the court when the person who committed any contested act is deceased, while the court has questions and doubts about the mental state of the deceased at the time of writing the case.
Forensic psychological examination is a system of researching the personality and activity of a person under investigation, or a convicted person, as well as a witness and a victim. It is carried out by psychologists. The purpose of forensic psychological examination is to collect and clarify the important information for the investigation and court.
Reasons for the appointment of forensic psychological examination:
- lack of data on the individual psychological characteristics of the accused;
- signs of strong emotional experiences of the victim;
- settlement of disputes.
Types of forensic psychology
- Individual and commission expertise. A distinctive feature is the number of experts performing the procedure.
- Basic and additional examinations. The main expertise is assigned for the decision of experts of the primary issues. An additional examination is a new examination, appointed due to lack of clarity of the expert opinion on the first.
- Primary and repeated. If it is established that the defendant suffers from mental disorders, but he is able to give an account of his actions, this conclusion is not a basis for asserting his incapacity.
The competence of the forensic psychological examination determines the scope of the issues to be solved by the experts and the boundaries of the situations studied. It is also strictly limited by law.
The competence of psychological expertise is:
- assessment of the mental development of a minor;
- the study of the characteristics of the person's personality and those circumstances in which unlawful acts were committed;
- identification of the specifics of human cognitive processes;
- the definition of a possible physiological state of affect;
- testing for mental retardation;
- an assessment of the degree of awareness and understanding of one's actions;
- determination of individual characteristics that can influence the objectivity of the testimony.
Expert evaluation plays an important role and is necessary in order to establish fairness in the litigation in question.