High Specialization Course in Forensic Psychology – The criminal field

The course aims to provide specialist training in the context of the criminal justice system.

The first two days will develop according to the different perspectives of forensic psychiatry and neuroscience, thanks to the expertise of two of the leading national experts in their respective disciplines. Dr. Lagazzi will address, from a psychological and psychiatric perspective, the treatment of the mentally ill perpetrator of the crime in the trial (e.g. imputability) and in the penitentiary phase (e.g. social dangerousness), and then go into the question of psychological contributions to investigations on reports of alleged abuse of minors and the diagnosis of the child's suitability to give testimony. Dr. Lo Prior on the last day of the course, proposing examples taken from real forensic cases, as well as short psychodiagnostic exercises based on the same.

On the second day of the course, Prof. Bottini will address the theme of the interaction between Neuroscience and Law. Forensic Neuropsychology is the discipline that deals with the relationship between the two areas, an interaction that with the progress of technologies to explore brain neurophysiological correlates is intensifying and leads lawmakers to ask increasingly complex questions to those who work in the field of Neuroscience. Themes such as free will, moral responsibility, punishment and rehabilitation are of interest to these two disciplines and the questions proposed by the legislative sphere have an immediate application implication that requires a clear methodological rigor.

The course closes with the speech of Avv. Busignani who will provide participants with some tools to understand procedure and roles in acting within a criminal trial.

Starting from hints on the Italian substantive and procedural penal system, the following will be illustrated: possible areas and limits of operation, from the verification of witness capacity to partisan advice; consultancy in the preliminary investigation phase; the expertise in the trial and in the evidentiary incident; the functions of the psychologist in the juvenile trial; the examination and cross-examination of the expert witness.

In conclusion, the risks associated with the professional responsibility profiles of psychoactive action will be reported.