Psychology and the Criminal Justice System

                                     Psychology And The Criminal Justice System

                                                             Student Name

                                                               Institution

In the recent times, the role of criminal justice system is rarely straightforward, and Psychological knowledge is often being used to help prevent crime, wrongful convictions and obtain evidence from eyewitnesses. Due to rise in demographic figures of inmates diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, there is an urgent need to use psychology to distinguish violent and nonviolent offenders diagnosed. It is better understand the causes of these behaviours and how to prevent them. Studies show that there are large differences between nonviolent and violent offenders for the following variables:

Individuals with a history of violence display major dysfunction in daily self-care, family adjustment, and community social adjustment (Swogger, Walsh, & Kosson2007). Researchers have shown that individuals with the above mentioned traits tend suffer from schizophrenia, which is closely associated with violent offenders. Other hand, nonviolent individuals tended to have sufficient social role adjustment but have more problems such as; depressed mood, agitation, and internal confusion than violent individual.

 Offenders that show disorganized behaviour, decrease in, or loss of, normal functions are normally associated with psychosis .Violent offenders with psychosis alone tended to be more violent than were those with either psychosis and another diagnosis or no psychosis (Brower & Price2001). Researchers conclude that there are definite differences in the type of crime as well as background factors in offenders who had been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder and those who had not been diagnosed with a Psychotic disorder.