{"id":78405,"date":"2018-10-05T13:59:49","date_gmt":"2018-10-05T18:59:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/?post_type=insight_posts&p=78405"},"modified":"2025-09-30T09:38:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T14:38:19","slug":"forensic-psychology-sexual-assault","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/psychology\/forensic-psychology-sexual-assault\/","title":{"rendered":"What role does forensic psychology play in a sexual assault case?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Those working in the field of forensic psychology can deal with a wide range of case types and personalities throughout their career, such as individuals who have become depressed and anxious from a traumatic incident, acquired a brain injury from domestic violence attack, committed robbery for food to survive, committed murder out of premeditation or emotional rage, or juveniles who are trying to earn the respect of their peers and become involved with the legal system.<\/p>\n

However, as awareness about the prevalence of sexual violence has increased in recent times, we thought it is important to examine the critical role that forensic psychology may play in these specific cases.<\/p>\n

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Forensics vs. Forensic Psychology<\/h3>\n

First, let\u2019s clear up some any confusion about the difference between forensics, as commonly portrayed in popular media, and forensic psychology. It is important to understand that these are not the same thing.<\/p>\n

References to forensics that you may see on T.V. shows usually explore the interaction between science and the detection of crime (such as lab testing), otherwise known as forensic science. However, forensic psychology examines how the principles of psychology interact with the law.<\/p>\n

In a sexual assault case, a forensic psychologist will not be gathering or examining physical evidence from a crime scene. Instead, they may be evaluating victims, witnesses, an alleged perpetrator, or playing other roles that we further explore below.<\/p>\n

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What might a forensic psychologist do in a sexual assault case?<\/h3>\n

Once an allegation is made, the role of a forensic psychologist in a sexual assault case may vary depending on what is needed or requested of them\u2014and on who is making the request.<\/p>\n

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1. Evaluator<\/strong><\/p>\n

A forensic psychologist can be hired to evaluate the alleged victim or the alleged perpetrator. Some areas of the evaluation can entail the following:<\/p>\n