Psychology and criminal justice

This chapter is designed to give the reader a flavour of a few areas in which psychology has been applied to criminal justice. It begins by providing some historical context and showing the development of some applications of psychology to criminal justice. The chapter is broadly split into 3 sections: Pre Trial; Trial; and Post Trial. In most of this chapter, the areas considered assess how psychology has had an influence on the law and how psychologists work within criminal justice settings. Additionally, in the sub-section on limitations to culpability and diversionary schemes, special attention is given to consideration of how the law has changed psychology practice. By the end of this chapter, you should have some basic understanding of the criminal justice areas in which psychologists are working.