Criminal Justice Articles

A day in the life of a Forensic Psychologist

Forensic psychology is the result of the field psychology being applied to the field of Criminal Justice. In other words, it is the process of a forensic psychologist examining the psychological perspectives of human behavior and applying them to the legal system.

The origins of the field of forensic psychology can be traced back to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1901, William Stern studied memory by asking his students to view a picture for 45 seconds. He than asked them to describe what they had seen. He continued the experiment by varying the degree of time the picture could be viewed. This research questioned the reliability of eyewitness testimony in court. Tests such as this, and others that came after has led to the increasing uses of the application of psychology in law and law enforcement. Today it is a well-established field in the courtroom and in law enforcement. A forensic psychologist performs many different duties within the Criminal Justice field.

The most important duty of a forensic psychologist is to act as an expert witness. This involves testifying in court, the ability to reformulate psychological findings to fit within the language of the legal system, and the ability to provide this information to legal personnel in a manner they will comprehend.

Before the trial begins, they verify if a defendant is competent to stand trial. This involves an evaluation of the defendant's sanity or insanity at the time they committed the offense. They may evaluate an individual's risk of re-offending, or becoming a danger to others or themselves.

Forensic psychologists may work with the Public Defender, the States Attorney, or private attorneys. They provide sentencing recommendations and treatment recommendations for offenders as well as evaluating the credibility of any witnesses. They are sometimes involved in the selection of jury members.

A forensic psychologist may be asked to help a judge determine what parent should receive custody of a child, or to determine if an accident victim has sustained either psychological or neurological damage. They may be asked to counsel the victims of a crime, and help them prepare to testify along with learning to cope with emotional stress.

Forensic psychologists aid in the training and evaluation of police and other law enforcement personnel, and provide criminal profiles when needed.

Many forensic psychologists chose to focus their careers on research. This may range from the examination of an eyewitness testimony to developing and improving methods used during an interrogation.

Another area of Forensic Psychology is public policy. Researchers help with the designing of correctional facilities and prisons. They may also counsel inmates and probationers.

Kaplan University

Kaplan University

Where are they? Iowa and Nebraska

What do they offer? If your goal is to change or advance your career, Kaplan provides help in obtaining the education needed for the life you want to live. If you are a working adult, Kaplan University is your smart choice to earn your degree quickly, with our online flexibility, personal attention, lower costs, and financial aid assistance.

Everest Institute

Everest Institute

Where are they? Florida, Pennsylvania, New York.

What do they offer? Everest Institute has a mission to offer students excellent academic programs that are reasonable, taught by a faculty of dedicated experts, and aimed to provide students with a firm foundation in the knowledge and skills that they will require in order to compete in the job market.

Westwood College

Westwood College

Where are they? California, Virginia,Georgia, Illinois, Colorado.

What do they offer?

Argosy University

Argosy University

Where are they? Georgia, Texas, Colorado, California, Tennessee, Arizona, Utah, Illinois, Virginia

What do they offer?

University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix

Where are they? Georgia, California, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Missouri...

What do they offer?

Top Searches

criminal justice ma online , schools in south carolina that offer criminal justice, pioneer pacific college criminal justice programs, kaplan university criminal justice programs, bradford school columbus criminal justice programs, schools in thornton colorado that offer criminal justice, diploma law clerk , criminal justice Wilsonville Oregon, bs criminal justice with concentration in homeland security , everest college of business technology and health care criminal justice programs, online bachelor of economic crime investigation , law enforcement Rockford Illinois, norwich university criminal justice programs, homeland West Palm Beach Florida, paralegal Moline Illinois, criminal justice Anaheim California, diploma criminal justice , blue cliff college criminal justice programs, computer cybercrime Chicago Illinois, paralegal Cary North Carolina, schools in murray utah that offer criminal justice, criminal justice in pennsylvania, paralegal Cedar Falls Iowa, paralegal studies aa , ba paralegal studies , paralegal in oklahoma, schools in westminster colorado that offer criminal justice, certificate in conflict resolution and reconciliation , criminal justice Altoona Pennsylvania, schools in monroe louisiana that offer criminal justice, schools in indiana that offer criminal justice, schools in cincinnati ohio that offer criminal justice, schools in southington connecticut that offer criminal justice, management administration Jacksonville Florida, criminal justice Altoona Pennsylvania, schools in tampa florida that offer criminal justice, criminal justice Hazleton Pennsylvania, schools in franklin ohio that offer criminal justice, consolidated school of business criminal justice programs, schools in muskegon michigan that offer criminal justice, criminal justice Houma Louisiana, schools in burnaby british columbia that offer criminal justice, criminal justice Manchester New Hampshire, bachelor degree criminal justice , corrections Fargo North Dakota, homeland security , paralegal certificate , public safety in kentucky, master of arts in conflict mgmt and resolution , schools in tempe arizona that offer criminal justice, homeland Bismarck North Dakota, criminal justice administration , south university campus criminal justice programs, schools in melbourne florida that offer criminal justice, management administration schools, associate of applied science paralegal studies , legal assistant in oklahoma, criminal justice Ravenna Ohio, homeland Melbourne Florida, post university criminal justice programs, court reporting in pennsylvania, criminal justice Pueblo Colorado, paralegal in illinois, schools in bloomington minnesota that offer criminal justice, paralegal Woodbridge New Jersey, online bachelor in cybersecurity information assurance , diploma in paralegal assistant , schools in california that offer criminal justice, ba social and criminal justice , paralegal certificate ,