Forensic Psychology Personal Statement

In 2014 the Barriers to Permanency Project conducted a case analysis of 455 children that had been in out of home care for 36 months or longer. The study found that 7% or 32 children were still in care due to custody not being established for the parent who had been deemed safe (K. B. Hawekotte, address, January 26, 2017). Judges, case workers, Guardian ad Litems (GAL), attorneys, and CASA (court appointed special advocates) are reluctant to terminate court jurisdiction of

This is possibly the hardest assignment I’ve had to do to date. It’s difficult to examine how much this little boy had to suffer at the hands of his father. The crimes that took place here were more than abuse. I believe that the case worker is culpable for refusing to protect the child and should have been disciplined if not charged with a crime. The mother deserved a more severe sentence for allowing this abuse to go on for so long and should have been charged as an accessory to the crime. This case did lead to outrage and sweeping legislation in the state of Washington was enacted. Most of the legislation was aimed at allowing and even mandating that child protective services make protecting the child a higher priority than keeping the family together.

Although it must be acknowledged that the conditions existing in this “protective custody” were

This caught my attention right away and hooked me in. Along with being a topic I was quite interested in (reference to last nonfiction book report), the first two sentences got me wondering. What could be told from a murdered person’s body? I already had a lot of background information from research and watching shows on mystery and homicide but this question led to a million answers. Some answers were cause of death, manner of death. time of death, weapon used, etc, all of which were related because this was sparked from the thought of a dead person and my ideas. From this, I read on to determine what could be told from an expert’s point of view.

One popular example is the case of Neville & Neville [2007] where there was a dispute on who had custody of the child. The courts ruled that since the child had a ‘strong emotional connection’ with the mother, that she was to live with her mother but also share substantial time with her father as both shares equal parental responsibilities. However, the best interest of the child is not necessarily what they personally explicitly want, as shown in the successful appeal by the father in the case Moose & Moose [2007]. In a situation such as this, despite the children apparently afraid of their fathers ‘sexual abuse’, the courts decided that a once- monthly visit in a supervised contact centre would be beneficial as he was a ‘person who can advance their welfare’ and that such a connection ‘should not be severed’. Such a decision may be deemed as questionable due to the severity of the claims.

“Guardianship may be necessary to protect a person with mental disorders who lacks the capacity to care for himself but it may potentially abuse the person's civil rights and autonomy and should therefore be implemented only as a last resource.” (Melamed, Y., Doron, I., & Shnitt, D. 2007)This was a baby, who had no voice, had no one to fight for him, the people who were supposed to stand up for him literally gave up on him the moment he was born. The hospital obviously saw that they were not acting in the best interest of the child. They could have sought out social workers or legal counsel in order to fight for the baby. As healthcare managers, you have to take risks and make these hard decisions and no one did this for Baby Boy Doe. I would have rathered fought for the child within the legal system, sought out other family members and social workers, rather than sit back and watch him through a long and painful

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

Forensic (criminal) psychology is a job field that deals with both psychology and law. The field has experienced dramatic growth in recent years due to the role of popular movies, television programs and books popularizing the field. Often these individuals are depicted as vivid components in solving vicious crimes or timing out a criminal’s next home. While these depictions of certainly entertaining, yet these portrayals are not necessarily precise. Forensic psychologists play an instrumental role in the criminal justice system while applying psychological principles to the legal system. The crossover of the two spheres is best decided in the Encyclopedia of Psychology,

These children need to be protected from these hostile environments. The caseworkers are overwhelmed with their caseloads how can they make sure these children are safe in these environments. I feel sorry for these children because they are supposed to be loved and nurtured by their parents and they must withstand being abused and put into situations that’s out of their control and to endure the pain and heartbreak they will need counseling and emotional support and nurturing from their foster

By the year 1967, all U.S. states had child abuse reporting laws. “Child abuse reporting laws and enhanced awareness of child abuse produced an increase in intervention” (Myers, 2013). As reporting laws came into affect, more and more cases of child abuse and neglect were shown. By the mid 1970s, over 60,000 child abuse cases were reported and the extremely high rate of children in foster care alarmed government officials. In 1980, the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act (AACWA) was passed. This act required every state to make reasonable efforts in keeping children with their families, and when removing the child was not avoidable, the child was required to have a plan to be placed back in the home or have their parents’ rights revoked. For the children whom returning home was not an option, Congress offered financial incentives for adoption. This effort to preserve the families was a main objective of AACWA. An influential investigation pertaining to this was done by Henry S. Mass and Richard E. Engler, as explained by Sribnick (2011). They concluded that many children were living a majority of their childhood years in foster care and institutions. Their findings showed that if a child stayed in foster care for more than a year and a half, it was not likely that he or she would ever be reunited with his or her family or be adopted. In response to this, the Child Welfare League of America lobbied for child welfare workers to consider

Since I was very young, I have always wanted to enter the Criminal Justice field. Between my father’s job as a Corrections Officer, and my constant reading of Marjorie Weinman Sharmat’s “Nate the Great” books, I knew I wanted a similar career where I help out my community by contributing to the Criminal Justice system. I found out later in school that I also loved learning about science and anatomy (Though, I can’t say dissecting an elk heart was all that pleasant). It wasn’t until high school that I discovered a career path that would satisfy my love of science and criminal justice; Forensics. I took a couple Forensics classes and became hooked.

I have decided to study Psychology after having looked in more depth at the course content. Although I have a particular interest in studying Forensic Psychology I am wanting to study Psychology to gain a wide perspective in all types of psychology and I am keeping an open mind in case any other types of psychology attract my interest more. I am looking forward to the analysis, research and exploration of these all in greater depth. I particularly looking forward to learning the Physiological & Cognitive Psychology as they will open my understanding to the processes of the mind, emotion and behaviour as well as the functions and anatomy of the Nervous

I am applying to study Forensic Science because I have always been interested in crime, whether that be in real life or on television. I am very aware that Forensic Science is not like how it is portrayed by television or media; however this has not curbed my enthusiasm and interest in how crimes are solved and how a crime scene is analysed. I am intrigued by the procedures that various forensic specialisms undertake to collect and analyse evidence. I am particularly interested in Forensic Archaeology, working in the field to undertake excavations of skeletal remains. As someone who is very organised and meticulous when it comes to work, I think I will thrive in a forensic setting, making sure that all work undertaken is detailed, accurate

1). Forensic Psychology is the application of the theories of psychology to law and the legal system. Issues of violence and its impact on individuals and/or groups delineate the main and central concerns in Forensics within the adult, juvenile, civil, and family domains. Forensic psychologists provide advice to legislators, judges, correctional officers, lawyers, and the police. They are called upon, for example, to serve as an expert witness, diagnose and treat incarcerated and probationed offenders, and screen and evaluate personnel in the law enforcement and judicial systems. Forensics encompasses a wide range of academic orientation. Synonyms for Forensic psychologists include criminal psychologist,

A young woman in Singapore, I now hold a BA in Psychology as well as a Diploma in Early Childhood Studies. I hope to earn the MSC Degree in Forensic Psychology at Manchester University so as to prepare myself for a long career fighting violence against children and helping the victims to heal, with a special focus on the sexual abuse of children, how to prevent, detect, and disclose it when it occurs, in addition to supporting and assisting the victims. Since young, I have a habit of always observing people and constantly be doubtful of somebody's intent. Growing up, I knew a career in Psychology is what I would like to do