What Is Forensic Social Work?
Forensic social work is a field that is commonly associated with the mental evaluation of criminal defendants. Forensic social work, however, extends beyond the courtroom as well. A broad description of the field includes any social work activities related to the law or legal system.
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Specialization
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Forensic social workers must be familiar with the adversarial legal process and understand how that process relates to their social work responsibilities. Forensic social workers also must have a strong familiarity with the functions of both civil and criminal court cases.
Consulting
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Forensic social workers often serve as consultants for various factions of the legal system. They share their professional expertise with law enforcement personnel, lawmakers, lawyers and judges to create a better understanding of a particular legal situation as it relates to social work.
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Diagnoses
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Forensic social workers often assess the mental capacities of members of a trial before those people take the stand. This includes defendants, witnesses, law enforcement personnel and anyone else involved with the trial.
Expert Witness
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Forensic social workers may frequently be called to serve as an expert witness in a trial. Often, mental or domestic evaluations are the source of such testimonies.
Limitations
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The professional responsibility of forensic social workers is to stay within the boundaries of social work. They must be careful not to overstep their bounds when heavily involved in casework.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Pawel Loj
