Scribd
Upload
73 views3 pages

Forensic Psychology

Forensic Psychology applies psychological principles to the criminal justice system, addressing legal issues such as competency and insanity. Forensic psychologists may work in various areas, including clinical, developmental, social, cognitive, and criminal investigative psychology, often engaging in research and consulting roles. The career offers both rewards and challenges, including the potential for high salaries and the risk of burnout.

Uploaded by

Amanuel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
73 views3 pages

Forensic Psychology

Forensic Psychology applies psychological principles to the criminal justice system, addressing legal issues such as competency and insanity. Forensic psychologists may work in various areas, including clinical, developmental, social, cognitive, and criminal investigative psychology, often engaging in research and consulting roles. The career offers both rewards and challenges, including the potential for high salaries and the risk of burnout.

Uploaded by

Amanuel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Forensic Psychology

I. What are forensic psychologists?

Forensic Psychology is the application of psychology to the criminal justice


system. Many people confuse Forensic Psychology with forensic science. Although the
two are closely related, there are many differences. The primary difference is that
forensic psychologists delve into the vast psychological perspectives and apply them to
criminal justice system. On the other hand, forensic psychologists frequently deal with
legal issues, such as public policies, new laws, competency, and also whether a defendant
was insane at the time a crime occurred. All of these issues weave together psychology
and law topics and are essential to the discipline of Forensic Psychology. Forensic
Psychology knowledge is used in various forms, such as in treating mentally ill offenders,
consulting with attorneys (e.g., on picking a jury), analyzing a criminal's mind and intent,
and practicing within the civil arena.

II. What exactly do they do?

Individuals interested in pursuing a Forensic Psychology career would have take


psychology and criminal justice courses at the core of their academic studies. There is a
very limited number of academic institutions that specifically offer a Forensic
Psychology degree. Clinical, social, cognitive, criminal investigative, and developmental
psychology also help to prepare one for this speciality. A forensic psychologist may
chose to solely focus his/her career on research, ranging anywhere from examination of
eyewitness testimony to learning how to improve interrogation methods. Another form of
Forensic Psychology work is public policy, in which researchers can help in the design of
correctional facilities and prisons. More generally, Forensic Psychology covers territory
between the traditional options of criminal justice (i.e., academic training, law
enforcement, and corrections). Here are some particulars on the primary areas of focus
within forensic psychology:

Clinical- Forensic Psych


This subfield is very similar to clinical psychology. Clients here are not
only suffering from some type of mental problem, but their issues are of
importance to legal decision making as well.

Developmental Psych
This area has to do with juveniles, the elderly, and the law. The focus is on
policy making rather than treatment of those with mental problems.

Social Psych
Much of the interest in this field, as applied to forensic psych, is
concerned with how jurors interact and arrive at a group decision.

Cognitive Psych
This field is closely associated with the social psych subfield, but it looks
more into how people make decisions in legal cases.

Criminal Investigative Psych


This area deals with police psychology, criminal profiling and
psychological autopsies. Experts may chose to conduct research and/or
work closely in analyzing the minds of criminal suspects.

III. Is this the right career path for me?

Are you interested in the criminal justice system? Are you intrigued by the
research methods utilized within psychological research? If so, this may be a career path
to consider. The typical day of a forensic psychologist can vary. In general, it is oriented
toward research activities. However, a psychologist may do other things as well, such as
helping with jury selection. In this case, the psychologist would wake up fairly early and
gather information on studies done on juries especially relevant to a pending case. They
would then go to a courthouse or to an attorney's office to sift through papers or conduct
interviews of possible jurors. The psychologist might also help attorneys narrow down
the joror pool by eliminating people whose views may affect the outcome of the trial in
an undesirable way. This process can sometimes last several weeks or even longer.

IV. Pro’s and Con’s of Forensic Psychology

Pro
Helping Others Forensic psychology can be very rewarding when you make a
difference in someone's life.
Opportunities There are many different subspecialties within the field.
Changing When working in prisons and with juvenile offenders, every day
Environment can be different.
Recognition Those who act as expert witnesses are usually well known.
Personal When conducting research, psychologists' findings are often
Fullfillment beneficial to society.

Con

Continuing Attending seminars and conferences throughout one's professional life is


Education important for keeping current in the field. Also, it is not easy to get a job
directly out of the doctoral program without additional training.
Risk of Injury The people that forensic psychologists work with in prison settings are
sometimes very violent.
Teamwork Some people would rather work independently. In this field, people are
constantly working with the courts, police, and a variety of other
professionals.
Pay The pay range for someone in this field does not always compensate for
the hard work and long hours.
Burnout Risk Forensic psychology can be a very stressful job. Often, people and
situations cannot be changed easily.

V. Salary differences between Masters and Doctorate Students

Avg. Median salary for Masters: $35,000

Avg. Median salary for Doctorate: $58,000

*this numbers are tentative and subject to change based on area of specialty as well as
whether one acts as an expert witness in criminal trails (they tend to make a lot of money
depending on the case… sometimes $500 per hour! Not to shabby eh?)

You might also like