Forensic Neuropsychologist In Los Angeles Does Testing For Criminal Court Cases

By Miranda Sweeney


There is a requisite level of education required to perform the tasks of a forensic neuropsychologist. He or she must be qualified in several fields, including forensic psychology and clinical neuropsychology. The forensic neuropsychologist in Los Angeles must meet the legal standards required in the State of California.

He or she will finish an education that prepares him or her to be a licensed practicing psychologist. Additional training is needed to be board certified. Only those with the highest qualifications are eligible to be board certified.

The job involves evaluating litigants who are charged with a crime. There is extensive testing in specific areas. Some alleged criminals are skilled at hiding their true state of mind. For example, he or she may try to fake insanity to avoid being sent to prison.

The intense testing has safeguards against the examiner being tricked. The information provided to the court in preparation for trial has questions posed in various ways to confirm whether the testee is being honest. This is the testing used to assess brain injuries by medical doctors.

The difference is that the methods are applied to testing those persons charged with a crime. Testing should reveal whether the litigant has a brain dysfunction in the neurological or non-neurological sense. The results are presented as a requirement as requested by either the prosecuting or defense attorney.

The psychologist who elects to work in this profession is going to be interested in the law. The subjects of the tests are alleged to have committed hideous crimes. Murder, kidnapping, child abduction and home invasions are some of the crimes. Often the litigant will be charged in a death penalty case.

The testing is done for the purpose of helping the attorneys. In some instances a jury has already found the litigant guilty and he or she is imprisoned. Then an appeal is filed and this is when the forensic neuropsychological exam becomes crucial to the outcome of the appeal.

A high income is possible for the psychologist working in this capacity. The testing procedure is grueling. Many specific facets of the litigants personality are reviewed. Social maladjustment and the inability to hold a job are often discovered.

A serious malady such as borderline personality disorder is often found. Many of these alleged criminals are psychopaths, individuals with no concern for the feelings of their victim. These are not valid excuses since they do not meet the requirements of legal insanity. Insanity and legal insanity differ in several ways.

The testing may be exhausting, often lasting for more than two days. Cognitive ability is evaluated. Other areas of interest are perception, large and small motor skills and coordination. The attention span is checked for visual or auditory acuity.

In addition to those there is a personality assessment and checking for the existence of an emotional disorder. Language, nonverbal skills, learning rate and memory are important components of the assessment. Another two are learning abilities and cognitive flexibility.

A report is completed and presented to the attorney. When it is time for the trial, a forensic neuropsychologist may be hired to serve as a courtroom witness. The individual being tried is often violent and charged with kidnapping, rape or murder. It is crucial to keep such a person off the streets so no more victims can be hurt.




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