Forensic Psychology

One of the fastest growing fields of psychological study is forensic psychology, which applies psychology to the criminal justice or legal system. Forensic psychologists perform both forensic duties, which are related to the courts, and clinical duties, as they personally treat clients with counseling and therapy. Forensic psychologists also study problems of crime prevention, rehabilitation programs in prisons, courtroom dynamics, psychology and the law and help select candidates for police work. Practicing forensic psychologists hold PhD or Master's degrees in psychology.

Forensic psychologists perform the following duties:

• Do psychological evaluations of defendants to determine trial competency, or to diagnose that defendant prior to a trialwith athletes (both amateur and elite) to prepare them psychologically for competition
• Offer expert testimony on criminal forensic matters, including criminal responsibility, drug dependence or other psychological disorders
• Research psychological issues that have an impact on the legal system, such as testimony from children of from eyewitnesses
• Consult and treat those involved in the legal system
• Train law enforcement and criminal justice workers to handle individuals with psychological problems
• Teach students working toward their psychology degrees

Work Environment

Forensic psychologists work in a variety of environments, but are often employed by the local or state government to work in conjunction with that area's criminal justice system. Forensic psychologists can also work in universities, research centers, hospitals, medical examiners' offices, forensic laboratories, police departments or as independent consultants.

Training

To become any type of psychologist takes a lot of education and work, and often both a bachelor's and a graduate degree. In order to become a forensic psychologist, students should take a good deal of psychology and criminal justice courses at the undergraduate level. A bachelor's in psychology is an excellent beginning to a career in forensic psychology.

Once a student has an undergraduate psychology degree, the next step is to begin working toward a master's or doctorate in psychology or forensic psychology. Though the number is growing, there are few graduate degrees in forensic psychology. Many students instead receive a MA or PhD psychology degree and focus their graduate coursework on forensic psychology, which works just as well.