The status and problems of forensic psychology in Turkey

The Status and Problems of Forensic Psychology in Turkey Law, is the whole set of rules that organizes human and group relations. It is the doty of the jurisprudence to come to decent decisions in forensic cases. In most of these cases, finding the truth involves the work of many disciplines. For such a purpose, many specialities have come together to form the Forensic Sciences. Some of the disciplines in Forensic Sciences have developed recently and Forensic Psychology is known to be one of them. Forensic Psychology is a discipline considered to be way behind its potential in Turkey. The main reasons for it are thought to be the laws involving the responsibilities of forensic psychologists and the forensic psychology graduate programs available in Turkey. In this study, the possible effects of these two factors on the development of forensic psychology in Turkey were investigated. Beginning with a detailed literature review, the forensic psychology graduate schools were visited. Data were collected on the program curriculum, the finished theses and using an open-ended questionnaire, 5 of the graduates' observations and suggestions about working conditions and job opportunities in these programs were evaluated with the content analysis method. Also, one of the graduate programs was evaluated in terms of the courses' content by three exeminers. The two groups of data were analyzed using the Triangulation Method. Our findings suggest that, despite a number of developments in the field, the laws and the educational system involving forensic psychology practices are not at the expected level in Turkey. However, with the efforts of psychologists and other related professions and their organizations and governmental and state institutions, we believe that forensic psychology practices will reach its desired status in Turkey.Key Words: Education, Forensic Psychology, Forensic Sciences, Laws.