FORENSIC Psychology:

investigates the psychological factors relevant for the purposes of judicial evaluation. For example, in the criminal field the psychologist can be called as a party or ex officio technical consultant to evaluate the capacity of understanding and will, the social dangerousness, the capacity to stand trial, the capacity to testify or in the court of supervision for probationary assignment to social services, can hold the role of honorary judge (alongside the professional judges) within the college of the supervisory court and the juvenile court. In the civil field he deals with consultancy for the custody of minors, in measures for the limitation of parental rights, adoption, authorization of marriage for emancipated minors, alternative family custody, termination of pregnancy for minors, compensation for damages, interdiction/ inhibition/administration of support, change of sexual gender, assessment of incapacity for the annulment of transactions (marriage, contract, will, donations).

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TYPES OF FUNCTIONS AND CHARACTERISTIC PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

a) Carrying out, as an expert, in the criminal field, expert reports appointed by the judge.

b) Carrying out, in the civil sector, technical-judicial consultancy as CTU (Office Technical Consultant), Technical Consultant of the Public Prosecutor (CTPM) and party (CTP), upon appointment of the party's lawyers.

c) Carrying out consultancy and drafting expert reports for the ecclesiastical tribunal in canonical processes of nullity or dispensation of marriage.

d) Implementation of psychological interviews, administration of integrated batteries of tests and structured observations, home visits, collegial visits to carry out expert assessment activities.

e) Psychological consultancy for the hearing and in the juvenile courts and surveillance courts.

f) Assessment and diagnosis of the accused's personality for the evaluation of the capacity of understanding and will, of the social dangerousness and of the safety measures.

g) Selection or construction, adaptation and standardization, administration and interpretation of psychological investigation tools functional to psychodiagnostic synthesis (tests, inventories and questionnaires on cognitive abilities, interests, motivations, personality, attitudes, group and social interactions, pathological syndromes, suitability psychological to specific tasks and conditions, etc.).

h) Assessment and counseling for people at high risk of social aggression, in the community, in correctional contexts and in work contexts (for example, for mobbing).

i) Evaluation of the suitability and reliability of the testimony (including minors).

l) Assistance in listening and protected questioning of the minor and expert evaluation in the event of sexual abuse or mistreatment of a minor.

m) Assessment of the maturity, imputability and degree of responsibility of minor offenders.

n) Evaluation of parental capacity and suitability for adoptions and foster care, family mediation.

o) Psychological consultancy and supervision in the case of pre-adoptive foster care, institutional foster care, family foster care.

p) Evaluation of the psychological state of the person, for example in cases of interdiction and incapacitation, proposal for support administration, request for sexual gender change, etc. q) Psychodiagnostic assessments for pension purposes, for suitability to carry weapons and assessments regarding psychological damage and existential and moral damage.

skills of the legal psychologist

In summary, the psychologist who works in the legal field must possess the following skills:

know how to conduct a psychological interview be a good observer have psychodiagnostic, test administration and processing skills know how to contextualize one's own diagnostic and intervention tools develop the ability to interprofessional collaboration write a usable report constantly update oneself be neutral have an in-depth knowledge of the theory of individual psychological development, both normal and pathological, have a specific knowledge of group dynamics and family structures have a non-superficial knowledge of the relevant laws and judicial procedures

my legal areas of experience

separations/child custody damage from sexual abuse damage from psychological violence against women (gasligthing) damage from marital mobbing damage from bereavement work mobbing

CTU and CTP

Technically, we speak of "Technical Consultancy" in the case in which the psychologist operates in the civil field and of "Expertise" in the case in which he operates in the criminal field; the legal psychologist, if appointed by the Judge, is indicated in the criminal field as "Expert" and in the civil field as "Office Technical Consultant" (CTU) while, in both civil and criminal matters, if appointed by the private citizen, the expert is referred to as "Party Technical Consultant" (CTP).

The psychologist who acts as an expert or office technical consultant is asked to acquire information on the psychological conditions and personal, family, social and environmental resources of the subject, in order to provide the judge with additional elements on which to base his decision.

Each of the parties involved, once a CTU has been appointed by the Judge, has the right to appoint its own Party Technical Consultant, who will assist them during the consultancy process and who will evaluate the methodological correctness of the CTU's work, producing, where necessary, further clinical documentation and developing critical observations to bring to the attention of the Judge.

While in the criminal field each party has the right to appoint its own technical consultant even if the judge has not ordered an expert opinion, in the civil field the parties can appoint a consultant only after the Judge has appointed his own, and within the deadlines set by the Judge himself.