Forensic Psychology
Adapted from:
http://www.wcupa.edu/_ACADEMICS/sch_cas.psy/Career_Paths/Forensic/Career
08.htm
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 dive 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.
Individuals interested in pursuing a Forensic Psychology career would have take psychology
and criminal justice courses in their academic studies. There is a very limited number of
academic institutions that specifically offer a Forensic Psychology degree. 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.
A Brief History
Forensic Psychology dates back to at least the turn of the twentieth century. William
Stern studied memory in 1901 by asking students to examine a picture for forty-five
seconds and then try to recall what was happening in it. He would see how much the person
could recall at various intervals after seeing the picture. These experiments came before
more contemporary research about the reliability of eyewitnesses testimony in court.
Stern concluded from his research that recall memories are generally inaccurate; the
more time between seeing the picture and being asked to recall it, the more errors were
made. People especially recalled false information when the experimenter gave them a
lead-in question such as, "Did you see the man with the knife?" The person would answer,
"yes," even if there was no knife present. Lead-in questions are often used in police
interrogations and in questioning witnesses.
Important Terms and Definitions
The following are terms that are important to be familar with when learning about
Forensic Psychology:
Some Important Terms in Forensic Psychology
Competency
The mental condition of the defendant at the time
of trial is brought up every now and then by the
defendant. If a defendant is found to be
incompetent, our justice system will not usually
punish him/her.
Insanity
Sometimes forensic psychologists are asked to
determine whether a defendant was mentally
capable at the time an offense was committed,
commonly by employing the McNaughton rule and/or
the substantial capacity rule.
Expert
Witness
The majority of forensic psychologists testify in
court for both the defense and also for prosecuting
attorneys about the sanity and competency of
defendants, the accuracy of the eye witness, in child
custody cases, and also a variety of other things.
Criminal
Profiling
With a lot of experience and schooling, one could
work closely with local police and also federal
agencies to create psychological profiles of
defendants.
Jury
Consulting
Many forensic psychologists work with attorneys in
selecting jurors, analyzing the
A Typical Day Practicing Forensic Psychology
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
juror 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.