Abstract:
This study investigated the practices in Psychological Assessment carried out by Rio de Janeiro judiciary forensic psychologists in judicial proceedings involving suspected intrafamilial child sexual abuse. For that, six forensic psychologists linked to the Court of Justice of the State of Rio de Janeiro were interviewed. Participants included four judicial analysts occupying positions of psychologists and two psychologists who are judicial experts. Based on Bardin’s content analysis, three categories emerged. Psychological Assessment: perceptions and resources; psychological expertise in cases of intrafamilial child sexual abuse and difficulties faced by forensic psychologists in the context of the Court of Justice. We found diverse evaluative practices and scarce spaces for the use of psychological instruments besides interviews. The temporal spacing between the occurrence of violence and expertise, the high volume of work, and the short procedural deadlines configured complicating factors according to all participants.
Keywords:
child sexual abuse; judicial expertise; forensic psychology; psychological assessment