Psychology and the US Legal System Psychology and the US Legal System The term forensic is applicable to many areas today. A number of years ago the general public typically thought that forensic meant working with the deceased. This common mistake had its genesis in a popular T.V. show about a forensic pathologist. However, the term “forensic” refers to anything pertaining to the law, both civil and criminal. Thus, forensic psychology refers to how psychology is practiced within the legal system. Forensic psychology differs from traditional psychology in that it is practiced in a legal system not historically known for understanding, compassion, and rehabilitation. In essence, forensic psychology professionals take their skills and “play in someone else’s ballpark.” The definitions and terms that a forensic psychology professional uses now are applied to a legal setting. In this Discussion you become more familiar with the field of forensic psychology by exploring how psychological knowledge and principles are applied to and impact the legal system. To prepare for this   Review Chapter 1 of the course text, Introduction to Forensic Psychology. Pay close attention to how psychological theory, practice, and research have influenced and do influence the legal system. Review this week’s DVD program, “Foundations of Forensic Psychology. ” Think about how all areas of psychology contribute to the legal system. With these thoughts in mind: Post by Day 4 an analysis of how psychology in general has contributed to the legal system. Provide at least two specific examples and explain their impact. Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources. You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes. Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages. Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor. The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument. Order Now