Just Say No to Abuse Declaring War on Terrorism. The first half described the application of psychological knowledge to criminal investigations. In the court system, Forensic Psychologists are frequently used for both criminal and civil cases. In the criminal realm, the forensic psychologist is often asked to assess competency.
Competency assessments can serve a number of purposes.
These types of decision have been frequent in the news. Secondly, Psychologists may also be asked to make an evaluation regarding the defendant's mental state at the time of the offense. Frequently, people forget about the applications of forensic psychology to civil law. Often a forensic psychologist is asked to make evaluations of defendants or plaintiffs disability or level of trauma. From these evaluations the court can decide whether compensatory damages should be provided.