Forensic Psychology: critical reflections on emerging demands and professional requirements

Abstract

The demand for psychologists in the Brazilian courts have caused the search for specific training, leading to discussions about ethical limits and their responsibilities in this type of their professional work. In this article we aim to point, from brief theory points to critical discussion on procedures involving the role of psychologists in cases of domestic violence against women and sexual illegal behavior against children, if these contents are required in working abilities for psychologists, in different courts of justice in Brazil. To this purpose, we evaluated its requirements that occurred in several states from 2006 to 2010. Comparison of the data collected leads to a mismatch between the theoretical knowledge required in selection processes and the discussions about the work of forensic psychologists in courts.