Forensic Psychology in Spain: Reasons for its Recognition as an Official Specialty

Abstract

The consulting provided by forensic psychology professionals to judges and courts on matters related to fundamental rights and freedoms or public safety requires enormous professional specialization. Paradoxically, in Spain despite the fact that as a scientific discipline it has developed exponentially in recent decades. This article presents up to ten arguments to support the urgent creation of the specialty of Forensic Psychology. The specific Spanish legal framework that regulates the skills necessary to carry out assessments in the field of mental health, along with the important legal repercussions associated with mental disorders, means that this specialty must include clinical skills for forensic psychology professionals.