Abstract

This article aims to discuss the configuration of legal psychology whenever its goal is to discover the truth in justice systems. The methodology adopted in the research was the analysis of the institutional discourse. Data was obtained through semi-structured interviews with six psychologists who worked in bodies of the Justice system in the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina, Brazil. Several clashes over the practices of legal psychologists appeared in the participants’ discourses, revealing that these practices often conflict with the professional ethics of Psychology. The psychologists stated that they often had no clarity as to whom they should serve, whether the Justice system or the person in question. The object to which juridical psychology claims exclusivity is the truth, and this often leads to disputes about its possession with law practitioners. Psychologists imagine themselves capable of discovering the truth through clinical psychology. To the researchers’ surprise, it became clear that the truth was not only what the law practitioner wanted, but also what psychologists wanted. Therefore, we see the practice of legal psychology through a clinical approach as a tool to achieve a truly blind Justice system.

Truth; Justice System; Legal Psychology; Institutional Discourse Analysis