- About AP-LS
- About Psychology & Law
- Education & Training
- Research & Publications
- Students & Early Career
Information about Psychology and Law
General Information
The field of psychology and law involves the application of scientific and professional aspects of psychology to questions and issues relating to law and the legal system. There are many different substantive and methodological approaches in the broadly-defined field of psychology and law. Terms such as forensic psychology, legal psychology, or law and psychology may be appropriate descriptions as well, but all encompass an interaction between human behavior and the law or legal system.
You can refer to the following publications for other discussions of the definition and study of psychology and law:
- Ogloff, J. R. (2002). Two steps forward and one step backward: The law and psychology movement(s) in the 20th Century. In J. R. Ogloff (Ed.), Taking psychology and law into the twenty-first century (pp. 1-33). New York: Kluwer–Plenum.
Other sites with links about Psychology and Law (or Forensic Psychology generally):
- All About Forensic Psychology (includes information about history, profiling, psychological testing, eyewitnesses, juries, confessions, interrogations, and psychopathy)
- Forensic Resource and Criminal Law Search Site (sponsored by Forensic Bioinformatics)
- Forensic psychology and legal issues (from Intute)
- Google Listing of websites related to psychology and law
- PsycLaw.org (from the American Psychological Association)
- Psychology and Crime News (blog)
- From Wikipedia: "Forensic psychology" and "Legal psychology"
- What is Forensic Psychology? It's Not Silence of the Lambs!
About AP-LS
The American Psychology-Law Society outlines three goals that reflect the many activities, specialties, and contributions made by our members:
- Advancing the contributions of psychology to the understanding of law and legal institutions through basic and applied research
- Promoting the education of psychologists in matters of law and the education of legal personnel in matters of psychology; and
- Informing the psychological and legal communities and the general public of current research, educational, and service activities in the field of psychology and law.
More information about the research conducted by psychologists, legal professionals, and others can be found through these links (and other places throughout our Web site):
More information about the education and training options available to psychologists and legal personnel can be found through these links (and other places throughout our Web site):
More information about the activities of psychologists, legal professionals, and others can be found through these links (and other places throughout our Web site):
For more information about AP-LS, you can read the July/August 2006 article in APA Monitor, A Closer Look at Division 41: Science for practice (by Erika Packard)
Professional Organizations and Activities
The following organizations also support psychology and law:
- Academy of Behavioral Profiling
- American Academy of Forensic Psychology
- American Academy of Forensic Sciences
- American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
- American Bar Foundation
- American Board of Forensic Psychology
- American Board of Professional Psychology
- American College of Forensic Examiners
- American College of Forensic Psychiatry
- American College of Forensic Psychology
- American Society of Criminology Division on Corrections and Sentencing
- Association for the Scientific Advancement in Psychological Injury and Law
- Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law
- Australian College of Clinical Psychologists
- British Psychological Society's Division of Forensic Psychology
- Centre for Investigative Psychology
- European Association of Psychology and Law (EAPL)
- European Association of Psychology and Law's Student Society
- Institute for Forensic Psychology
- International Academy of Law and Mental Health
- International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology
- International Investigative Interviewing Research Group
- International Society for Justice Research
- Psylaw-L List Serve
- Society for Terrorism Research
- Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists List Serve
- Swiss Society of Psychology and Law
- U.Va. Institute of Law, Psychiatry & Public Policy - ILPPP
PSYLAW-L email listserve
Instructions for the PSYLAW-L email listserver are linked on this Web page. PLEASE NOTE: This listserv is not owned, moderated or an official product of AP-LS.