Legal and Forensic Psychology: Key Branches and Applications

Legal Child Psychology: Educational Measures

The following measures are applied within the legal framework for minors:

• Reprimand by the judge in court.
• Community service benefits.
• Internment in closed or semi-open regimes for severe cases.
• Inpatient treatment for alcohol or drug addiction.
• Attendance at a day center.
• Probation.
• Socio-educational activities.
• Outpatient treatment.
• Weekend detention.
• Placement with a family, person, or educational group.
• Revocation of moped driving privileges or weapon permits.

Core Branches of Legal Psychology

Judicial Psychology

A branch of psychology that studies the influence of extralegal factors on court decisions.

Criminology and Criminal Psychology

Disciplines that explain criminal behavior and provide control measures. Criminological psychology focuses on studying the criminal act to prevent future offenses.

Forensic and Legal Psychology

Forensic psychologists assess intellectual ability, personality, psychopathology, recidivism risk, and sincerity during diagnosis. This field develops knowledge to assist judges in courtroom decision-making.

Police Psychology

Applied to police work, this field sits between criminological and forensic psychology, as police interact directly with offenders before cases reach the courtroom.

Internal Application

Psychological skills applied to members of security forces during admission and throughout their service.

Operational Implementation

Psychological interventions performed by specialists on individuals related to police activities.

Prison Psychology

Functions defined by prison regulations, focusing on rehabilitation programs and prisoner classification systems.

Military Psychology

A field with functions similar to those found in police psychology.

Criminological Psychology

Analyzes the biological, familial, social, and cultural factors that lead an individual to engage in delinquent behavior.