Hey everyone, this is Jillian and today I have a really exciting court junkie brief for

you on the topic of forensic psychology with a specific focus on competency to stand trial

and criminal responsibility.

So the majority of us have heard of some pretty well-known experts in the field of forensic

psychology, perhaps most notably as experts in some high-profile cases that we have followed,

such as Dr. Richard Samuel's from the Jody Aries case, or Dr. Frank D. Cattaldo from

the Michelle Carter case.

We know these names because these experts testified a trial on behalf of either the prosecution

or the defense.

But there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes with forensic psychology that we don't often

get to see.

For example, think about those cases in which the defendant's competency to stand trial

is at issue, or a case where the defendant has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Something that I have always wondered is, how is the defendant's competency determined?

Enter the forensic psychologist.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Jennifer Johnson who specializes in just that.

First of all, Dr. Johnson, what is forensic psychology?

Basically, forensic psychology is an intersection between psychology and the law.

So, a lot of the times when I mention to people about forensics, they're automatically

like, oh, I like to watch CSI and I'm like, that's cool, but I don't do any of that stuff.

A lot of what I do is more education with the court, to be honest with you, because we

go to testify, we explain to the court about what is mental illness, what is criminal

...