HONOLULU, HAWAII, USA, January 27, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Sometimes even judges don’t have all the information they need to make rulings. In these instances, our justice system relies upon expert witnesses whose testimony assists in rendering decisions on questions before the court.

Forensic psychology is a marriage between psychology and the law. Dr. Reneau Kennedy is a clinical and forensic psychologist who specializes in providing expert witness testimony for both criminal trials and civil litigation.

“Behind every one of these incidents is a very important story and I listen to every person’s story,” says Dr. Kennedy. “My job is to learn about an individual’s worldview to see where it clashes with legal questions and help courts make determinations that are fair and equitable.”

Forensic psychologists are most commonly used to determine an individual’s sanity at the time of a crime. Once a determination has been made about how an individual goes into the system, the question remains how long can they be kept within the confines of the system before they can be released. Psychologists like Dr. Kennedy study these individuals to understand the concept of dangerousness: the risk factors associated with recidivism.

Dr. Kennedy did her doctoral dissertation at Bridgewater state hospital studying men who murder and comparing her findings against a group of nonviolent individuals at the facility. The dissertation earned Dr. Kennedy the nickname: The Murder Maven which led her into the field of evaluating individuals who have murdered in terms of their risk factors when they are released back into the community.

“What we perceive as crazy or violent is very different from what I have seen. It’s usually people making an awful decision in a moment of time,” says Dr. Kennedy. “I wanted to know: ‘Can we understand the components of mental functioning that allows someone to murder?’ What I created was a way to study the concept of dehumanization. How does someone you love become your enemy? How is it that a person feels it is necessary to destroy someone?"

Whether Dr. Kennedy is hired by the prosecution, defense, or the court itself, her opinion is the same regardless.

“It’s one thing to study someone who is still very angry, psychotic, dangerous,” explains Dr. Kennedy. “It’s another thing to sit across from someone who is in deep remorse for taking the lives of someone they loved. Those moments require us to understand how they came to be where they are. We do what we can to protect society, but we also help these individuals make meaning of their life as they go forward.”

CUTV News Radio will feature Reneau Kennedy in an interview with Jim Masters on January 31st and February 7th at 11am.

Listen to the show on BlogTalkRadio.

If you have a question for our guest, call (347) 996-3389.

Lou Ceparano
CUTV News
(631) 850-3314
email us here

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