Forensic Psychology : A Forensic Psychologist

Throughout my educational journey, my interest and attention was always captivated by classes which had even the slightest tendency towards Forensic Psychology. Yet, my passion remained unconscious until I took a class of Criminal Law in Business, class which seemed to hold the answer for the consuming question “What am I going to study at University?” From there, I began putting the puzzle pieces together, determined to find the source of the spark- Law, Criminology, Forensic Science all seemed to bring me closer to the right one for me: Forensic Psychology. Reading the first few lines of the field description was enough to assure me that there is no other subject could fascinate, intrigue and motivate me to give by best to apart from this. I became infatuated with the evidence that evil in a human being can be so incandescent, transparent and mischievous that it could bring down any barrier of normality. I became absorbed by its power to grow into the mind and punish the

It is no secret that forensic psychology is an example of an area where psychologists apply their knowledge of psychological approaches, methods and treatments to a specific problem. However, before assessing the implications, it is crucial to establish the research methods used in criminal

The clinician develops a professional relationship with the client in order to assess and treat their disorder. A Forensic psychologist work requirements are different from a clinician in the field of psychology because the services he/she provides are in areas where they have specialized knowledge, skills, experience and education. He/she administers assessments to determine competency to stand trial and can testify as an expert witness. The forensic psychologist does not have a professional relationship with the client as their main focus is assessing the individual in order to submit a report to the court (Hubaboom, 2002).

Forensic Psychologists play important roles in our legal system, from collecting knowledge and applying it to the law to evaluating the defendants (Greene, 2014). Every case has different factors that effect which Forensic Psychologist will be needed to achieve finding the truth in the court. Likewise with every case, each defendant has their own accountant of what had happened to bring them before the court. In the cases of Alisha Waters and Shawn Smith an Applied Scientist could be called to be an expert witness in both cases. In Adam Parker’s a Forensic Evaluator was called in to evaluate his mental state.

According to Chrisler and McCreary (2010), the American Psychological Association Code of Ethics and the Committee on Ethical Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists warn against dual roles of mental health professionals (p.590) because of the possibility of swaying from objectivity (Greenberg & Shuman, 2007, p.129). This provision perceives that forensic practice involves a relationship with patients that is different from a therapeutic practice. As Greenberg and Shuman (1997) state, these dual roles are incompatible. Chrisler and McCreary

Ross explains that he understands that forensic psychology is a relatively new specialty area. However, he added that working juvenile cases, domestic violence cases, and screening cases gave him a much broader and clear perspective of the field. In addition, he stated that working closely with law enforcement specialists and psychologists allowed him to gain more perspective. “Both lawyers and forensic psychologists assist law enforcement professionals in investigating and solving crime” (Baker & De Long, 2009). Ross states that many legal issues that tangles with psychological nature spawns from questions of human behaviors and mental states and processes of human beings. Ross explains that these past works enabled him to appreciate the area of forensic psychology. He further states some of the tactics and skills that this discipline provides. Forensic psychology furnishes his skills to determine the competency of a criminal defendant, the extent to which an eyewitness is reliable, psychological defenses a criminal defendant can rely on, and how much discretion should judges have in sentencing. Ross explains the new approach that this field offers and how it may use scientific research and empirical knowledge to handle these issues. (Counselor Ross was very general when answering).

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.

Many universities fail to provide appropriate education in their curriculum (e.g. practicum or internship) in forensic psychology. Therefore, as they obtain a career in this area they lack competency regarding the Code of Ethics, as well as other guidelines which can create ethical dilemmas in the future (Knapp & VadeCreek, 2001). Additionally, these individuals lack competency regarding the roles of the forensic psychologist. The role of a forensic psychologist is to function as an expert witness by the means of conducting evaluations, as well as interpreting the results for the legal system. With this being said the information provided assist with the outcome of the defendant sentences (Bush, Connell, & Denney, 2006). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the ethical concerns regarding the evaluation performed by Dr. Jones to determine if Mr. Smith is competent to stand trial and/or understand criminal responsibility. Furthermore, this paper will employ references from the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct written by the American Psychological Association and the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology written by the American Psychology-Law Society.

In order to understand how this may be done, allow me to define Forensic Psychology. You see forensic psychology is the practice of psychology related to the legal system. This involves relationships with federal, local, and state law enforcement agencies; attorneys and the court; corrections and treatment facilities; and working with people whose behavior or situation leads them into involvement with the courts.

A psychologist who counsels a patient and also give expert testimony on behalf of the client involves understanding the legal principle regarding expert witness. APA Ehtics provided guidelines that governs the role of a forensic psychologist. This paper looks into the details of what it means to be an expert witness for the plaintiff.

Are also matters that are handled from someone working in the forensics of psychology. Becoming a successful forensic psychologist requires at least the solid clinical psychology training and experience. Firm grounding in scientific theory and empirical research “understanding of scientific validity, research design, statistics, and testing” critical thinking skills thorough knowledge of social and cultural issues legal knowledge “including mental health law, case law, and courtroom procedures” excellent writing skills strong oral presentation skills and the ability to maintain one's composure under stress. Forensic Psychologists apply psychology to criminal justice. Although similar in some aspects, forensic psychology is different than forensic science.

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

Within this piece I will discuss the following, definitions of forensic psychology with a specific role of forensic psychology, then to create a story board which will included details of the day to day tasks that practitioners would complete.

I furthered my knowledge in the career of a forensic psychologist. As a forensic psychologist, the job requires analyzation skills and rereading previous found research from other professionals and then conduct certain types of their own research for comparison. Forensic psychologist use science based evidence. For example using forensics with an alternative light source to see bruising to determine what kind of struggle a victim had and determine a perpetrators train of thought and motives. Another related field in addition is the practices of a lawyer. They advocate for people in court and can be considered an attorney, counselor, solicitor, or chartered legal

From time immemorial, man has been fascinated with behavioral deviations from the normative particularly in the context of crime, or more generally, morality. In fact, classical playwrights and novelists such as Shakespeare and Dostoevsky owe their literary success to their incredible ability to glare into socially and morally deviant minds and weave stories around them. We see a similar trend today. Much of primetime television is filled with shows that have experienced psychoanalysts chasing sophisticated and grossly deviant criminals or some variation of this general theme. The general public tends to relate to the job of a forensic psychologists to that of a cat chasing a mouse. Forensic psychology, however, is a far less