Conference in Munich: Focus on the future of legal psychology!

Conference in Munich: Focus on the future of legal psychology!

The 21st conference of the Legal Psychology Section of the German Psychological Society took place in Munich from September 8th to 10th, 2025. Under the title “Law and Justice – Diverse Perspectives in Legal Psychology”, the event offered a platform for over 20 scientific contributions from the Legal Psychology Working Group at the MSB Medical School Berlin. The conference highlighted the ongoing exchange between research, teaching and the promotion of young talent, with students, graduates, doctoral candidates, employees and professors at the MSB actively contributing to the scientific discourse.

A central part of the conference was the symposium “Risk factors and prevention of sexual violence”, led by André Körner. Recidivism prognoses for sexual offenders were presented here, with particular focus on the results of Uta Grosse Wiesmann's MSB master's thesis. In addition, the research project WRITE (Written Risk Indicators Triggering Exploitation) was presented at the symposium “Between Fiction and Reality” under the direction of Rebecca Reichel. Contributions came from Robert J. B. Lehmann, Laura Quinten and Frederic Gnielka.

Symposia and research projects

Another symposium on the topic of “Consumption of Abuse Images”, led by Joscha Hausam (Charité), presented the master’s theses of Bela Bentfeld and Marlene Engelbrecht. Findings from the cooperative research project COMBAT (Characteristics of Online Child Sexual Abuse Material Offenders) were also discussed. Laura Quinten led the symposium “Risk Factors for Online Sexual Offending”, in which results of the international research project RAPPID (Risk Assessment for the Prevention & Promotion of Internet Deterrence) were presented.

Patricia Rasch provided information about a pilot project for the Credible Messenger approach. She also presented results on secondary traumatization in police work. Larissa Pauleck presented her master's thesis on linguistic influences on the perception of sexual violence. At the general meeting, Laura Quinten was again elected treasurer of the legal psychology specialist group in the DGPs.

New findings from the therapy of adolescents

In parallel to the presentations at the conference, there was current research on the effectiveness of the Forensic Therapy Program for Appropriate Sexual Behavior (ThePaS) for adolescents with sexual boundary violations. This study The aim is to prevent recidivism among delinquent young people. It shows that there is little scientific evidence available for the various treatment programs based on cognitive behavioral therapy.

When comparing the therapy programs ThePaS-I and ThePaS-II, differences in relapse rates were found. ThePaS-I, which focuses on specific relapse prevention strategies, demonstrated lower relapse rates than ThePaS-II, which focuses on general skills training. The results could encourage methodologically sound studies to be carried out on delinquent young people and adults.

Credibility assessment in sexual criminal proceedings

The credibility assessment method is often used in sexual violence proceedings. This method is particularly relevant when there is no other evidence. The Expertise This highlights the limitations and limitations of credibility assessments from the perspectives of psychology, psychiatry and law.

The tension between “therapy and credibility” is discussed, with empirically supported trauma-theoretical psychotherapy procedures being put into context. Furthermore, the theoretical and methodological foundation of the credibility assessment is analyzed and the experiences of those affected with assessment situations are discussed. The rights of the injured parties are also taken into account in this important discourse.

The conference in Munich thus illustrates the central role that legal psychology plays in supporting and providing information on issues of law and justice.