My search for information - I have done quite a bit of research throughout this project. I read multiple articles and books regarding psychology in criminals (predominantly violent criminals) in order to better understand the criminal psyche and its processes. I additionally interviewed my mentor, Rosie Flores, and questioned her about her experience with psychology in the criminal justice system, as she has direct contact with it daily. I have read two books as well detailing psychology in violent criminals, predominantly in serial killers as they tend to have the most dehabilitating and severe mental illnesses. I made a cognizant effort to use unbiased and credible sources throughout this project so that my research would be more legitimate and a realistic representation of the actual justice system.
What I discovered - In a way, what I've discovered throughout this project is both equivalent to what I've assumed prior to research, yet is also quite contradictory to what I had originally thought. I discovered that psychology is actually far more important in trials than what I had originally assumed, I didn't realize that courts would actually postpone trials in order to allow lawyers to gather evidentiary support to prove that their clients were not mentally stable, this was actually quite reassuring. However, in terms of fraudulency affecting a judges/jurors acceptance of mental instability, I had already assumed that many were not as accepting of legitimate cases and viewed them as scapegoats due to other dishonest cases of psychological issues. The main thing I discovered throughout this entire project was that educating the court about mental illness and what it can really mean for a client is the most beneficial way to assure that the client's psychosomatic issues are taken fully into account.