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CONCLUSION

The role of ethics is always a source of consternation for scientists and researchers. Ethics and research cross paths in a variety of settings. Any profession's soul is ethics, and without it, the meaning of profession is hazy and confusing. As the preceding article demonstrates, forensic mental health practice may be a demanding but gratifying endeavour; it is also an extremely difficult endeavour beset with several ethical and legal difficulties. It is critical to think about and be conversant with legal norms as well as one's professional ethics code.

With that said, I hope you enjoyed TALKING ISSUES WITH MOEJAH and I hope to hear your feedback on each issue. Like and comment so we can further discuss. Have a good one!

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ISSUE 6

LACK OF ASSESSMENT

Unless it is impractical, it must be based on sufficient facts, including a personal assessment. A clinical interview with the evaluee is a key aspect of the forensic examination in the great majority of cases; this is unquestionably the preferable and ideal circumstance. However, in some cases, an interview is not possible because the evaluee refuses to participate or because circumstances prevent it. When forensic psychologists have not had the opportunity to perform an examination of the individual adequate to the breadth of the assertions, opinions, or conclusions to be released, they avoid giving written or oral evidence about the psychological features of specific individuals. Forensic psychologists go to great lengths to perform such investigations. They make apparent the impact of such constraints on the credibility and validity of their professional products, evidence, or testimony when it is not possible or feasible to do so. While certain authorities would prohibit an expert opinion on an individual who has not been personally examined, the organization or psychologist believes that if a personal examination is not possible after a sincere effort, an opinion can be offered on the basis of other facts. However, in such instances, it is the forensic psychologist's job to ensure that their statement of opinion, as well as any reports of testimony based on those opinions, explicitly specify that no personal examination was conducted and that the opinions expressed are thereby limited.

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ISSUE 5

DOCUMENTATION

In any professional setting, keeping correct records is critical. Forensic practice is held to a higher level than general practice in this sense. All notes, paperwork, recordings, testing, and any other supporting materials used to form an opinion should be kept. It is critical to make no assumptions about privacy, privilege, or secrecy when creating forensic evaluation files. Even if they have been rewritten, contemporaneous notes should be kept. Personal notes may be exposed to discovery; which forensic evaluators should be aware of. Given the increased scrutiny that forensic MHPs must expect, professionals should carefully assess the information contained in their notes. If this is not done, the issue of a forensic purpose that is unclear and opinions that are not adequately explained will arise due to lack of evidence and inadequate data. 

Any ideas or findings based on psychometric instruments will be plainly undermined if they are not used and interpreted correctly. Furthermore, judges, jurors, lawyers, and law enforcement organizations with inadequate psychological competence are at risk of missing such errors. Given that forensic psychological reports' readers (or triers of fact) rarely have in-depth psychological understanding, it's critical that the reports be written plainly and simply, with any technical words explained. Despite the fact that documentation is critical to ethical forensic practice, an alarming number of forensic reports fail to record discussions with the examinee on these topics.

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ISSUE 4

MULTIPLE RELATIONSHIP

A psychologist should refrain from entering into a multiple relationship if the multiple relationship could reasonably be expected to impair the psychologist's objectivity, competence, or effectiveness in performing his or her functions as a psychologist, or otherwise risks exploitation or harm to the person with whom the professional relationship exists, according to the American Psychological Association (APA) (2016). If a psychologist is forced to play numerous roles in legal processes by law, institutional policy, or extraordinary circumstances, they must specify their job expectations and the scope of confidentiality at the outset and as circumstances evolve. Furthermore, forensic psychologists must not take on a professional position if they have a conflict of interest that could jeopardize their competency, objectivity, or efficacy when performing psychological work.  Dual relationships are troublesome in the sense that the secondary role has the ability to interfere with the professional's primary role responsibilities. The most important ethical issue should be sensitivity to potential negative effects for the customer. A recent instance in which the psychologist in question was ordered by the court to treat a kid who had been sexually molested and to submit periodic reports to the court on the same case exemplifies this. She saw herself as a therapist, not a forensic examiner, at all times. Later, the accused abuser filed a complaint alleging that the psychologist was incompetent because she did not follow the ethical requirements. The psychologist said that her position was therapeutic rather than forensic, and that she did not need to follow the criteria as a result. However, until the complaint was filed, she had not made this concern clear. In other words, she failed to make it clear when she accepted the child under her care that she was only providing therapeutic services and that her reports were not to be used for forensic purposes.

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ISSUE 3

CONTINGENCY FEE & EXPLOITATION

The money made to the forensic psychologist is a clear obvious issue. Contingency fees should not be accepted by forensic psychologists. This could jeopardize his integrity. The retainer fee is the amount he should receive. Many of the bungled court proceedings have been centered on money. As a result, it's advisable to keep it at arm's length to avoid it clouding one's judgment. Because the acceptance of contingent fees and the related legal prohibitions pose a threat to impartiality, forensic practitioners try to avoid offering professional services on the basis of contingent fees. This has the potential to lead to exploitation. A forensic psychologist must not use those whom he or she supervises or over whom he or she has authority, such as clients, patients, students, supervisees, research participants, and employees, to further political or business interests, or the research participants, students, or employees' best interests. Client solicitation, sexual interactions, or intimidating persons into seeking therapy are all examples of exploitation, which is a big concern not only in forensic psychology but also in our daily lives.

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ISSUE 2

CONFIDENTIALITY

According to Standard 4 of the Ethics Code, psychologists must "take reasonable precautions to preserve personal information" and communicate with people "the applicable constraints of confidentiality" and "foreseeable uses of the information generated" (APA, 2017, p. 7). When a forensic evaluator performs a collateral interview, this informed consent process should be repeated, as it is vital that everyone with whom the forensic evaluator interacts understands the aim of the interview and the confidentiality limits. It's also important to note that questions of informed consent may need to be addressed numerous times throughout the evaluation when screening people who have endured serious trauma and may be exhibiting symptoms of dissociation. Forensic experts should not make public pronouncements concerning pending legal cases in a court of law. Such statements may put a person's privacy and confidentiality in jeopardy. However, this can happen if the person with the privilege has given their consent or if the statement has already been made public. Even yet, the expert must strike a delicate balance between the amount of information he can provide to the public and the confidentiality of the party in question.

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ISSUE 1

FAIRNESS

Expert should place a high priority is impartiality and fairness. Almost everyone has their own biases, which we typically suppress in the name of politeness. A forensic psychologist, on the other hand, should shut down all of his prejudices so that he can examine the issues through relatively undistorted lenses. Only in this manner will he be able to preach the truth with the authority that it demands. It is commonly recognized that conflict of interest frequently leads to impartiality. This could be a financial, political, social, or other type of interest. If this happens, the forensic psychologist should step aside and let someone else handle the situation. Personal interests aren't always a bad thing. They could, however, be a mistake if a professional decides to distort facts to defend his or her personal interests. Deception should be avoided at all costs by a forensic psychologist. To make a legal decision and set a precedent for future litigations, he must provide accurate facts. As a result, any untruth emanating from him would constitute a grave injustice to society. The expert's ability to distinguish between what he observes and what he infers is just as important, if not more so. Personal prejudices have an uncanny ability to impair judgment. As a result, the expert must be completely convinced that what he has seen and the conclusion he is drawing are inextricably linked.

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INTRODUCTION

Hello there, I'm Moejah O'Connor. I'm currently attending the Northern Caribbean University where I'm completing a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice with emphasis in forensics.

Forensic psychology is the professional application of specific psychological knowledge to assist in the resolution of legal issues. One area of professional practice where a difficult balance must be struck is forensic psychology. This is because a forensic psychologist is more interested in the offender's inner sentiments than the personalities on exhibit. In addition, the forensic psychologist must be familiar with the legal requirements as well as the judicial system in which he works. As a result, the expert must bridge a large gap between two very different, and even competing faculties. Because his findings determine the outcome of the case, forensic psychiatrists might readily abuse their power. This is when ethics enters the picture. Having rules and statutes isn't enough. Professionals must adhere to specific codes of conduct without the need for supervision.

These post will serve as a modem of talking about the issues in Forensic Psychology.  “A fundamental responsibility of forensic psychologists is to provide treatment, assessment, research, and training in an ethical manner”, (Walden University). 

With that being said WELCOME TO TALKING ISSUES WITH MOEJAH.