Careers in Forensic Psychology

Quick Links to Subsections on this Page
Introduction	Education
Brief History	Employment
Important Terms	Learning More
Subfields	Outlook
A Typical Day	Summary
Pros and Cons	Acknowledgments

| Main Careers Page | Psychology Home | WCU Home |

Introduction

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.

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).

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.

Hugo Munsterberg is often called the first forensic psychologist. He wrote a book called On the Witness Stand. It was published in 1908, after the work of William Stern. Other psychologists before this, such as Alfred Binet and Sigmund Freud, had also constructed tests that could be used in judicial proceeding. They both did studies suggesting that the time it takes for a person to answer a question could be a factor in determining guilt or innocence.

In 1916, Lewis Terman, a Stanford psychologist, began to apply psychology to law enforcement. He revised Alfred Binet's intelligence tests and formed the Stanford-Binet intelligence test. These tests were used to assess the intelligence of thirty applicants for the police and firefighting jobs in San Jose, CA. A few years later, L. L. Thurstone used the same type of test in Detroit. Now, this type of testing is used in most police departments in the country.

The application of psychology in law and law enforcement continued throughout the 1920's and 1930's. To this day, there is still a special interest in extending psychology to police work. The demand for psychologists in the legal system has grown considerably over the past several decades. Currently, almost 2,000 psychologists belong to the American Psychology-Law Society.

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 potential verdicts of juries, and explaining actual trial verdicts.

Some Interesting Subfields

There are many things you can do in the field of Forensic Psychology. Here are some examples of interesting areas:

*Some Interesting Subfields Within Forensic Psychology*
	Clinical-Forensic Psychology	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 Psychology	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 Psychology	Much of the interest in this field, as applied to Forensic Psychology, is concerned with how jurors interact and arrive at a group decision.
	Cognitive Psychology	This field is closely associated with the social psychology subfield, but it looks more into how people make decisions in legal cases.
	Criminal Investigative Psychology	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.

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 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.

Pros and Cons of a Career in Forensic Psychology

There are both potentially rewarding and frustrating aspects to working in Forensic Psychology that need to be carefully considered before pursuing a career in this field. Listed below are some potential pros and cons.

*Some Potential Attractions of Careers in Forensic Psychology*
	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 Environment	When working in prisons and with juvenile offenders, every day can be different.
	Recognition	Those who act as expert witnesses are usually well known.
	Personal Fulfillment	When conducting research, psychologists' findings are often beneficial to society.

*Some Potential Drawbacks of Careers in Forensic Psychology*
	Continuing Education	Attending seminars and conferences throughout one's professional life is 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.

Education and Training for Careers in Forensic Psychology

NEEDED SKILLS, ABILITIES, and KNOWLEDGE: Those with a desire to work in Forensic Psychology must be patient, adaptable, comfortable working with others, and enjoy doing research. Often, one must be a good speaker because many people who do work in this field work as expert witnesses at some point during their career. An expertise in abnormal, motivational, clinical, and social psychology is also key to being successful in this field. Additionally, working in this field requires continuing education throughout one's career, even after 5-7 years of graduate school.

OPTIONS AND PAY RANGES WITH A BACHELOR'S DEGREE: There are not many opportunities for someone with only a bachelor's degree in this specialty. One cannot be a licensed psychologist without receiving a doctoral degree. To move toward a career in Forensic Psychology, it would be wise to to take a few important classes in the undergraduate years of schooling. Some key classes to consider taking are in criminology, criminal law, statistics, research methods, social psychology, and abnormal psychology. One of the most beneficial classes to take at this time would be motivational psychology. It would be a good idea to understand why people do the things they do and make the choices they do early on in one's education.If possible enroll in a bachelor of the sciences rather than a bachelor of the arts program.

To begin getting some experience and work before graduate school, one could begin working as a residential youth counselor, a case worker, or a probation/parole officer (see Entry Level Jobs). These positions are entry level positions with a bachelors degree and involve both psychology and the law. The jobs listed tend to be low paying, ranging from $19,000 to 20,600 annually to start (based on a 1995 survey; see APA), but they give one the opportunity to see what kinds of people they will be working with in the future and the types of problems they have.

OPTIONS AND PAY RANGES WITH A MASTER'S DEGREE: The pay for a psychologist with a master's degree in this field is between $20,000 and 25,000 annually to start (see Pay Ranges). People with M.A. degrees focused on clinical psychology usually work in institutions, where a Ph.D. will supervise them. Correctional facilities are a primary place for employing master's level forensic psychologists rather than doctoral level psychologists because they can be paid a lower income. Those with M.A. degrees who have attended a college with an emphasis on developmental, social, and cognitive psychology have more opportunities than those graduating with a clinical degree because they will not be assessing patients. They can work in research settings, for the government, and/or for non-profit organizations; in these capacities, they can also become involved in policy making.

*Some Terminal Master's Degree Programs for Pursuing a Career in Forensic Psychology*
	Forensic Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice	This program places emphasis on applying psychology to the criminal justice system and offers a broad range of classes involving psychology and the law.
	Forensic Psychology at Castleton State College	This program emphasizes Police Psychology, psychology and the law, and correctional psychology.
	Forensic Psychology at the University of Melbourne	This Australian program, focused on the criminology aspect of Forensic Psychology, moves students toward a career in social work.

OPTIONS AND PAY RANGES WITH A DOCTORAL DEGREE: The doctoral degree offers many opportunities for forensic psychologists. The salary usually starts out at between $35,000 and $40,000 annually (see Salary Data). with a doctorate, one can go into independent practice. Private practice areas might include counseling offenders, being an expert witness for hire, conducting assessment, conducting psychotherapy, and consulting on civil and criminal issues. Ph.D.'s can also work in colleges and universities. Along with this, they can now supervise those who only have their master's degree.

*Some Doctoral Degree Programs for Pursuing a Career in Forensic Psychology*
	Applied Forensic at California School of Professional Psychology	This Psy.D. program prepares students to work as practitioners and consultants in many different mental health institutions and also in the criminal justice system.
	Forensic Clinical Psychology at Sam Houston State University	This program focuses offender therapy and assessing offenders. The curriculum leans more toward clinical psychology as applied to the criminal justice system.
	Forensic Psychology at Widener University	Competency in clinical psychology is most important in this program. Students can then chose to specialize more toward forensic careers.

Employment Resources for Forensic Psychology

The best ways to learn about jobs in Forensic Psychology is to talk to someone in the field. Searching the Internet is a great way to find out about employment possibilities. Here are some employment-related resources to consider:

*Some Resources for Exploring Careers and Career Prospects in Forensic Psychology*
	Swenson's Forensic Psychology Website	This site will give you an idea of who employs forensic psychologists. It also contains links to some current job listings.
	Careers and Training	This great site shows what some people have done with their degrees.
	American Academy of Forensic Sciences	This site gives an updated list every two weeks of forensic position openings.
	Forensic Science Society	This site provides a list of job vacancies in the field and also mentions links to other pages with job opportunities.

Learning More About Forensic Psychology

If you would like to learn more about this field, try reading the daily newspaper as a start. Every day there are stories in the paper about what is happening in the mental health field and also in criminal justice settings. Half of the stories we read about concern court cases and what has gone on in some neighborhood. The forensic psychologist is usually not mentioned, often because he/she operates behind the scenes. Here are some good general resources to consider if you want to learn more about Forensic Psychology:

*Some General Resources for Learning More about Forensic Psychology*
	The Ultimate Forensic Psychology Database	To find out more about Forensic Psychology and also about psychiatry, try this site. It also gives ideas about what kinds of careers forensic psychologists pursue.
	What is Forensic Psychology? It's not "Silence of the Lambs"	Students may become disheartened to learn that certain media depictions are less than realistic but should be excited to learn about the real possibilities Forensic Psychology has to offer. This article describes the field, identifies possible careers, and suggests relevant training opportunities.
	Psychology Information Line	This is a great place to start if you are interested in Forensic Psychology.It also contains some good links to find out even more about this area.

Outlook

Forensic psychology has experienced steady growth in the past two decades. It is predicted that research work, consultation, and clinical practice in psychology and the law will continue to grow over the next ten years. The highest demand is predicted to be working with the courts, attorneys, and lawmakers. Jobs will also continue to grow in colleges and universities where most of the research is conducted. Laws are constantly changing, which can be good news for a forensic psychologist. Exploring different ways of dealing with juvenile offenders is also becoming a popular subject; decisions related to dealing with these offenders often require the expert advise of a forensic psychologist. Those who hold doctorate degrees will have many more career opportunities than those with only a master's degree. It is almost impossible to specialize in this field with only a bachelors degree.

Summary

There will always be a need for forensic psychologists in our society. To be involved in Forensic Psychology you must be passionate about what you do. The money you make does not usually compensate for the hours of hard work invested. The true personal payment comes in knowing that you can make a difference in a person's life and maybe even make society a little bit better. There are many different fields of specialization to get into in this field; this can be quite exciting at times.

Working in prisons or with juveniles can change from day to day and be very rewarding. However, the burnout rate is high because a psychologist may often try to change someone or something that cannot be changed easily. Testifying in court can also be stressful. If you contemplate a career in Forensic Psychology, it would be goot to keep in mind that to really get ahead requires extensive education.

Acknowledgments

This page was created by Lorraine Diviny and Kelly Hemple as a project for a Senior Seminar in Psychology (PSY400) class taught by Dr. Arvid J. Bloom at West Chester University in Spring 2000.