Forensic Psychology Glossary

A statistical approach to predicting future behavior using empirically derived factors and algorithms, producing probability estimates of recidivism or violence.

The legal requirement that a defendant possesses sufficient mental capacity to understand court proceedings and assist in their own defense.

The analysis of crime scene evidence, victim characteristics, and offense patterns to infer the likely demographic, behavioral, and psychological traits of an unknown offender.

The tendency for individuals to more accurately recognize faces of their own racial group compared to faces of other racial groups.

The legal standard for admissibility of expert testimony in federal courts, requiring that the testimony be based on reliable scientific methodology.

A legal doctrine allowing evidence of mental abnormality to negate the specific intent element of a crime, reducing the severity of the charge.

The ethical challenge forensic psychologists face when their obligation to the court or retaining party conflicts with concern for the welfare of the person being evaluated.

A person qualified by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education to provide specialized opinion testimony in court on matters beyond the understanding of laypersons.

The process by which a witness to a crime identifies the perpetrator from a lineup, photo array, or showup procedure.

An admission of guilt for a crime that the confessor did not commit, which may be voluntary, compliant, or internalized.

A psychological evaluation conducted for legal purposes, such as competency evaluations, risk assessments, or sanity evaluations, using specialized instruments and procedures.

A verdict available in some jurisdictions where the defendant is found guilty but recognized as having a mental illness, resulting in criminal punishment with access to mental health treatment.

A structured professional judgment tool for violence risk assessment comprising 20 items organized into Historical, Clinical, and Risk Management scales.

A legal defense claiming the defendant was unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of their conduct or conform their behavior to the law due to a severe mental disease or defect at the time of the offense.

A scientific approach to criminal profiling developed by David Canter that applies psychological theories and empirical methods to criminal investigation.

The earliest and most widely used legal test for insanity, requiring that the defendant did not know the nature and quality of the act or did not know it was wrong due to a disease of the mind.

The deliberate fabrication or exaggeration of physical or psychological symptoms for external gain, such as avoiding prosecution or obtaining financial compensation.

The distortion of memory that occurs when misleading post-event information is incorporated into a witness's recollection of the original event.

A 20-item clinical assessment tool developed by Robert Hare for evaluating psychopathic personality traits, widely used in forensic and correctional settings.

The tendency of a person who has been convicted of a crime to reoffend, often measured by rearrest, reconviction, or reincarceration rates within a specified follow-up period.

A structured police interrogation method involving behavioral analysis and a nine-step accusatory process, widely used but criticized for contributing to false confessions.

A risk assessment approach combining empirically supported risk factors with professional clinical expertise to reach a final risk determination.

A multidisciplinary approach that examines the therapeutic and anti-therapeutic consequences of laws, legal rules, and legal procedures on the well-being of individuals.

The process of evaluating the probability that an individual will commit violent acts in the future, using clinical, actuarial, or structured professional judgment methods.

The jury selection process in which attorneys and the judge question prospective jurors to assess potential biases and suitability for service on the jury.