Forensic Psychology: A Comprehensive Synopsis (Vol. 2, Part 3)

The forensic psychologist plays an essential role in the correctional system, particularly in the treatment and evaluation of offenders with mental disorders. The primary correctional role is treatment, the application of a therapeutic intervention in order to control or eliminated the psychological disorder that has led to the offenders criminal acts.

Treatment success is highly variable. Certain disorders correlated to criminal behavior are often treated successfully. These disorders include such axis-1 disorders as obsessions, schizophrenia, bipolar depression, and addictions. Other disorders, particularly the personality disorder sociopathy/anti-social are fairly rigid and far less successfully treated. Clients within forensic psychological treatment include both offenders in prison with comorbid mental illness and offenders in forensic psychiatric facilities who have been found unfit to stand trial and/or take responsibility for their actions.

During and following treatment a key role of the forensic psychologist is the correctional evaluation. The correctional evaluator preforms diagnosis and psychometric testing (the evaluation of behavior, personality, and risk with psychological tests) in order to evaluate the clients risk of violence and recidivism (the likelihood of re-offense). Evaluations serve several essential roles and are essentially the final role of the psychologist with the offender. Ongoing evaluations can be used to assess treatment success and most importantly provide recommendations to parole and probation boards. With very little useful information being available regarding the client while imprisoned, the forensic evaluation can play a key and deciding role in the potential release of the client.

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