Criminal Psychology : A Glimpse Into The Mind Of A Criminal

To begin with, what type of jobs come to mind when you hear Criminal Justice? Most may say police officer, correctional officer or even judge but there are more intricate careers when dealing with the law. Psychology plays a major part in the Criminal Justice field. Psychology deals with the mind and behavior but it gets more complex when you involve law. There are four discrete roles of Psychology when discussing the law which are applied scientist, basic scientist, policy evaluator, and advocate. They all have important roles in order to complete the mission of case.

1. My interest in criminal psychology began in middle school. It began when I watched a documentary about the effect childhood traumas have on people in their adult life. Understanding how the brain works on a psychological level intrigued me. I grew up watching crime based tv shows, my favorite being Criminal Minds. The series follows the cases investigated by a team of FBI criminal psychologists/ profilers. The characters’ ability to take the smallest details about a suspect and piece together a detailed profile amazed me. The roles the psychologists play in solving cases is not completely accurate but the series sparked my attraction.

All around us people are bombarded with the glorification of crime and violence. America’s culture is filled with T.V series such as CSI and Criminal Minds, which explore the emotions and motives of serial killers. The history and need for psychologists in the legal system has lead to the growing field of forensic psychology. Competitive salary and job satisfaction attracts many young students to this demanding field.

The work environment of forensic psychologist varies widely. “Working hours are typically nine to five, with some flexibility required. Evening and weekend work may occasionally be necessary.” (Forensic Psychologist, 2012) Most of the time you will always be on the call. Being on call means at any time you could get a call and have to drop what you are doing and go tend to what the call was about. As a trainee you are supervised then as time progresses and you progress the supervision becomes less. “Forensic psychologist work not only with prisoners and offenders but also with other professionals involved in the judicial penal systems, and with victims of crime.”(Forensic Psychologist: Job Description, Ed. AGCAS, Aug 2012)

The idea of trying to determine a critical point at which offenders begin to reduce their criminal mind thought process and choices is an interesting one. I would hasten to bet, that if energy to reduce recidivism and provide support services to juveniles we would have a great deal of success in changing that criminal thought process especially given the ongoing development of juveniles brains. It is the thought that integrated therapeutic interventions in jail and prisons is essential to rehabilitation and I agree, however, I am not sure that the social construct of jails/prisons is considered as much as it should be. Initially, one would need to consider their safety and well-being, thus being truly vulnerable and open to therapeutic

Forensic psychologists: Roles and activities. (2004). In The concise Corsini encyclopedia of psychology and behavioral science. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Retrieved from http://search.credoreference.com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/content/entry/wileypsych/forensic_psychologists_roles_and_activities/0

Investigative psychology is a fairly new part of applied psychology, an expert field within forensic psychology working within the criminal justice system to thoroughly study, analyze and assist in solving crimes. The goal of using the investigative psychologist is to help identify the offender based on the behavioral evidence gathered from crime scene analysis. In earlier times at the start of offender profiling and crime scene analysis during the 1970’s there was an issue as there was no use of empirical evidence and therefore the information found that could lead to a conviction of an offender was not substantiated (Laureate Education, 2009). Forensic psychologist within the subspecialty of investigative psychology work with law enforcement

The field of psychology is so broad. Many people assume psychology is just counseling, and yes that is true but that is only a small part in the bigger world. It can be from counseling children and adults, to case workers, school teachers, researchers, animal advocates, and even working for corporate offices. There are so many opportunities nowadays for people with a psychology degree. First, I will present the life of an adolescent development researcher, then a forensic psychologist. Then, I will compare and contrast the two jobs. I will conclude with a personal application of my own interest and values with these two jobs.

Very interesting post this week! You have selected an excellent field to work for. I love criminal psychology specially forensics I think the science behind it is so interesting and with the technology we have now a day the process of investigation is less complex I’ll say. Criminal psychology includes behavior analysis which is an amazing field because you are basically analyzing the minds of the criminals to determine a profile based on their history. I am a fan of shows like CSI Miami, Forensic Files and Criminal minds! I can honestly spend hours if I had the time watching these shows. Overall, any field within psychology is very fascinating but this one by far is one of my favorite ones. The downside just like you said on your post is the

The client is facing a lengthy sentence and their only hope is to plead mental insanity, their only hope is their forensic psychologist. The thrill of not knowing what will come of your day can be perfect for someone who craves adrenaline. Forensic Psychology is an unsung hero becoming recognized. One could wake up in the morning and have to travel or go to court and help decides someone’s fate. It may not be the most popular job or the career with the most recognition but for many it is morally satisfying.

Upon researching careers that pertain to the field of Psychology, I have discovered that I do not exactly know what aspect of Psychology I want to pursue, but several of the careers on the Careers4Terps database appealed to me. One such career was that of a Forensic Psychologist. A Forensic Psychologist interviews family members of friends and of victims, and uses medical and psychological health records in order to create a psychological profile of both suspects and victims. Forensic Psychologists also may be called upon to consult during court cases and jury selection.

Forensic psychology relates to the combination of psychology with the criminal justice system. It revolves around dealing with legal issues such as public policies, new laws, competency and also whether a defendant was not of sound mind at the time when a crime occurred. All of these issues are relevant towards weaving together psychology and law topics and are crucial to the discipline of forensic

This would include applying results from studies to legal questions. Along with focusing on criminals to obtain theories of why they commit crimes, what type of person commits crimes, and how to prevent people from committing crime. The job duties of a Forensic Psychologist are

There numerous situations a forensic psychologist can be ask to consult on. Forensic psychologists are responsible for assisting law enforcement personnel in the development of police

Season 3 episode 4 was all it took to have me hooked. I never thought that one single tv show could capture my attention so well. This show makes you think and analyze every detail, and if you're not paying close attention it could play with your mind. The title criminal minds speaks for itself.