Application of forensic psychology in criminal assessment and its impact on Ecuadorian legal processes

Abstract

Forensic psychology has had a wide development within the legal sciences, providing adequate means and tools to facilitate the evaluative criteria of human behavior. In criminal matters, it leads, among other issues, to clarify the motivations of the accused and thus provide greater evidentiary certainty at the time of sentencing. The main objective is to analyze the application of forensic psychology in criminal evaluation and its impact on criminal proceedings, to understand its relevance, effectiveness and contribution to judicial decision making. To achieve this objective, the qualitative approach has been applied, with scientific methods such as analytical-synthetic, historical-logical, and inductive. Among the results, it has been shown that forensic psychology is not commonly used, due to the lack of accredited and specialized professionals, as well as of specific norms that lead to the promotion of a culture of its function and contribution to criminal law. It is essential to have medical, technical, and professional criteria that allow the application of fairer rules aimed at the protection of constitutional rights to ensure proper training and social reintegration of persons criminally punished.