Forensic psychology studies how psychology interacts with the criminal justice system. The capacity to testify in court, reformulate psychological results into the legal language of the courtroom, provide information to legal experts in an understandable manner and evaluate witness credibility are all crucial aspects of forensic psychology. As a result, a forensic psychologist must evaluate eyewitnesses and their statements.
It is critical to examine statements and material scientifically to test and preserve the credibility of eyewitnesses. The two most crucial premises that a scientific method seeks to evaluate are dependability and correctness.
Reliability and Accuracy − Investigators look for information on the perpetrator's acts, comments, and qualities, as well as data about the background and the involvement of others. The eyewitness narrative aids the investigator in unravelling the facts. To get the most out of an eyewitness statement, the investigator must constantly challenge its trustworthiness and correctness.
Victim as a Witness − In many situations, the witnesses are also the victims. In such instances, the investigators must be motivated to investigate. Although considering a spectator to a crime scene as an unaffected witness might be questioned, it becomes more complicated when the victim assumes the position of an eyewitness. As a victim, the perpetrator's demands and the danger threw at their rise. As a result, one of their study interests has been the amount of arousal and tension felt by witnesses and victims of crime.
Children as witnesses − Using children as witnesses in criminal and civil court procedures has long been a source of contention. Children are generally thought to be less accurate and more suggestible than adults when recalling memories. According to laboratory research, the difficulty with young witnesses is not their capacity to observe correctly but rather their ability to accurately and meaningfully describe their memories of these events. Unless he or she receives any external indications or clues, the younger witness may have difficulties reporting the experience. Thus, numerous considerations about topics like the age restriction of witnesses, the type of questions to be asked of child witnesses, and the trustworthiness of a kid's statement as opposed to an adult's are critical to investigators.
With a growing number of crimes, physical evidence left at the crime site is nonexistent or negligible, making it difficult for investigative agencies to acquire evidence that will lead them to the perpetrator of the specific crime. Furthermore, even if an investigative agency locates a specific suspect in a crime, the prosecution must establish in court that the suspect is implicated. To that end, the legal system has prioritised oral or documentary evidence to convict a person of a particular crime. There has recently been much attention on emerging scientific approaches utilised to help in the investigative process. Some of the tools used in India are Polygraphy Test, Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling (BEOSP) and Narco analysis.
It is a device that monitors and records physiological indices, including blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity. It is predicated on the assumption that dishonest answers/information would elicit physiological reactions distinct from those associated with non-deceptive answers/information. A polygraph examination is divided into three main sections. These are
Pre-test Phase − During this phase, the examiner completes the necessary formalities and procedures before beginning the test. These are as follows
Inform the examinee of the specific issue under investigation
Advise the examinee of his or her constitutional rights, the right to an attorney, and the voluntary action of submitting to a polygraph examination
Complete the necessary documentation
Provide the examinee with a detailed explanation of the polygraph instrumentation and its components, as well as how these work
Answer any questions that the examinee may have
Obtain the examinee's version of the facts about the specific problem under inquiry
Formulate and go through with the examinee all of the questions that will be asked of him or her during the polygraph test.
Before proceeding to the in-test phase, the examiner will attach different non-painful components on and around the examinee's body, thus linking him or her to the polygraph device. These components are outfitted with sensors that collect, measure and record the examinee's physiological data obtained from three major systems in the body as he or she answers the set of previously formulated and reviewed questions during the polygraph examination on polygraph charts.
In-test Phase − During this stage, the polygraph examination takes place. Once the examination begins, the examiner will administer three tests, each lasting approximately 5 minutes. A maximum of six tests, during which the examinee's physiological data will be continuously collected, measured, and recorded onto polygraph charts as he or she answers the set of questions formulated and reviewed during the pre-test phase. Between each test, the examinee will receive a two-minute break. After the in-test phase, the examiner will analyse, interpret, and assess the examinee's physiological data obtained during the polygraph examination.
Post-test Phase − The examiner will tell the examinee the polygraph examination results during this final step. If the physiological data captured on the charts demonstrate the examinee's reactions to the relevant questions, he or she will be allowed to explain these reactions. After completing the post-test phase, the examiner will offer the client a verbal summary of the polygraph examination and its results. This will be followed, as soon as possible, by a written report containing a factual account of all information gathered during the polygraph procedure and the examiner's professional opinion of the examination results based on the analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of the polygraph data.
Electrical Oscillation in Brain Signature profiling was created in 2003 by Dr C.R. Mukundan after extensive investigation. It is obtaining electrophysiological proof of a suspect's involvement in a crime. It is a non-invasive scientific procedure with high sensitivity. It is a Neuropsychological form of questioning and is also referred to as 'brain fingerprinting'. During waking hours, the human brain gets millions of arrays of signals in many modalities. These signals are categorised and saved in terms of their perceived relationship as a consequence of an individual's experience and accessible knowledge base, as well as new relationships formed during sequential processing. Encoding occurs mainly when an individual is engaged in or experiencing an activity.
When knowledge is gained from a secondary source, such as books, discussions, hearsay, etc., there is no core experience component, and the brain deals primarily with conceptual issues. Primary encoding is deeply ingrained and has distinct source memory in terms of time and location of the experience because the individual himself/herself shared or participated in the experience/act/event at a particular moment in his/her life in a specific place. It has been discovered that when an individual's brain is engaged by a piece of information from an event in which he or she has participated, the individual's brain will respond differently than that of a person who has gotten the same information from secondary sources (non-experiential).
It is psychotherapy performed while the patient is in a trance-like condition produced by barbiturates or other medicines, usually to release suppressed feelings, ideas, or memories. Its application is limited to situations where there is an urgent requirement for the subject's answer. This approach is also employed in forensic investigations and is referred to as the "truth serum" at times. Because narcoanalysis is an intrusive process used for non-medical objectives, it is only performed in a forensic setting when a jurisdictional court order is obtained. Various sources of information are consulted to do a narcoanalysis on the issue. Records such as the Post Mortem report, F.I.R., Inquest Panchanama, crime scene images, and the Investigating Officer's brief account of the case are obtained and reviewed.
A pre-test interview is held.
Acquiring informed consent
After completing all pre-test requirements, a team of anaesthetists, psychiatrists, and forensic psychologists administer the narcoanalysis by injecting a substance (pentothal Sodium) and performing a Narco Interview. If the person refuses to give informed permission, no narcoanalysis is performed, and the jurisdictional court is notified.
A post-test interview is held.
Eyewitness testimony and accounts significantly influence criminal investigations and judicial decisions. A forensic psychologist's assessment of eyewitnesses and their statements become a vital responsibility. When the witness is a kid or a victim of a crime, the examination of eyewitnesses must be treated differently. Real-world observations of witnesses/victims and study models of criminal activities are used in eyewitness evaluation studies. Both of them have advantages and disadvantages.
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