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Home » Careers in psychology » Prison Psychologist

Learn how to become a prison psychologist

Are you intrigued by the delivery of mental health services in unique environments such as prisons and rehabilitation centers? Are you up for the challenge of treating people who may have severe and undiagnosed mental health problems? If you would enjoy a career in which you help incarcerated people change their behavior so they can live normal lives upon their release, then a career as a prison psychologist may be right for you.

A prison psychologist works to make a difference in the lives of people who need help most. Also called correctional psychologists, these mental health professionals work to provide incarcerated individuals with the same types of treatment available to those outside the correctional system. The challenges of a prison psychologist involve treating a diverse set of patients who often have complex cases. The rewards include helping people rehabilitate so they can lead meaningful lives when they return to society.

Should I become a prison psychologist?

You should consider a career as a prison psychologist if you have a desire to specialize in the application of evidence-based psychological practices toward helping people involved with the correctional system. In this subfield of psychology, you can use your knowledge of human behavior and brain function to evaluate and advance individuals toward the goal of living law-abiding lives in their communities. You can also contribute to creating a safer atmosphere for everyone involved in the correctional system. Successful outcomes can reduce offender risk and improve public safety.

“You should consider a career as a prison psychologist if you have a desire to specialize in the application of evidence-based psychological practices toward helping people involved with the correctional system.”

Working as a prison psychologist involves delivering care within the constraints inherent in the correctional system. However, the role remains based on the foundational psychological principles of general psychology since the mental health problems involved aren’t necessarily unique to the correctional system. Any type of licensed psychologist (clinical, counseling, social, etc.) can work as prison psychologist since a prison psychologist is first and foremost a psychologist, and an inmate is first and foremost a patient.  

“The profession doesn’t just involve prison psychologists or correctional psychologists. I’m a clinical psychologist and very proud of that. The folks that are represented within corrections are individuals who come from our communities, and they can have varying degrees of existing pathology and mental-health-related concerns that are often untreated or undiagnosed in the community. Some of their first interactions with mental health professionals in an in-depth manner may occur in corrections,” said Melvin Hinton, PsyD, President of the International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology (IACFP) and Chief of the Office of Mental Health Management Services for the Illinois Department of Corrections.

As a result of inmates being undiagnosed or undertreated in the community, prison psychologists must be prepared to deliver care that often involves complex treatment. However, the impact of a prison psychologist is measurable in the progression and improvements that they can promote.

“These are individuals with some of the most severe pathology that I’ve ever treated and ever seen,” Hinton said. “It’s rewarding to know that you are working with folks who have very complex mental health needs and that you are qualified and capable of helping with those complex mental health needs.”

How do I become a prison psychologist?

If you think being a prison psychologist is right for you, follow these steps to a career in this profession:

How much does a prison psychologist make?

Salary data for prison psychologists are not reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). However, the BLS category of psychologists (all other) includes salary data for all psychology specialties, such as prison psychologists, not separately listed in the BLS.

Factors that impact salary

Prison psychologists who have a doctoral-level degree and state licensure can qualify for the highest-paying positions with the most responsibility. Entering the field of prison psychology with a master’s level degree limits the types of roles you can assume, which likewise may reduce your earning potential.

Many prison psychologists work for publicly funded government organizations, where their salaries can be impacted by budgets that may not have as much flexibility as those in the private sector. “Funding is one of the things you often can’t control, and it can be difficult. What I’ve learned over the years is that you could very easily lobby a mayor, governor or legislator, and say that we need more money for a certain program, but it becomes harder when you understand that when they give me more funding, that has to come from somewhere else in the community,” Hinton said.

While the BLS does not include data on self-employed psychologists, being self-employed may give you some control over your earnings. Prison psychologists who work as consultants may be able to pursue a wider range of positions than may be available for full-time employment.

Optional post-graduate credentials can help demonstrate your level of professional expertise and possibly increase your salary potential. Professional certifications, for example, are proof that you’ve met established educational, experience and examination criteria to demonstrate your knowledge in an area of expertise.

Though usually not required for employment, having professional certifications in the field of prison psychology may help boost your salary and stand out in a crowded field of candidates. Certification criteria typically include requirements for education, experience, submission of work samples and written and oral examinations.

While no professional certification specifically names prison psychology, the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) offers 17 professional certifications for psychologists. Depending on your experience, interests and goals, one of the ABPP board certifications may be applicable to your work as a prison psychologist:

• Clinical Psychology 
• Counseling Psychology 
• Forensic Psychology 
• Group Psychology
• Police and Public Safety
• Rehabilitation
• Serious Mental Illness

What being a prison psychologist is all about

Being a prison psychologist involves using psychological principles in a role that impacts inmates, the correctional system and society. Psychologists in this role foster a humane and secure environment by working with prisoners to treat existing mental disorders and help them avoid committing additional crimes upon their release. Prison psychologists also ensure public safety by preparing inmates and others overseen by the correctional system for successful reentry into their communities. 

A prison psychologist also makes unique contributions to other aspects of the correctional system. This can involve supporting staff members, administrators and government officials with mental health services, psychological education and evidence-based professional guidance and testimony.

What does this job look like from the practitioner’s perspective?

As a prison psychologist, you can pursue work in a wide range of areas, depending on your areas of concentration and interest. With a patient population subject to constant change, you are likely to encounter a wide range of individuals and mental health problems.

“People come in with trauma backgrounds. People come with addictions backgrounds. People come in with mood disorders and anxieties, you name it,” Hinton said. “There’s nothing that isn’t represented in corrections that isn’t listed in the DSM [Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders]—that’s one of the fascinating parts of working within corrections.”

The goals of the correctional system involve the retribution, rehabilitation and supervision of criminal offenders through the system of incarceration, probation and parole. A prison psychologist has the knowledge and skills necessary to impact patients at any of those junctures to an end that can benefit both the patient and society.

“There is without question an over-representation of minorities within correctional facilities in the United States. As an African American male, I see people who look like me and it’s super important to me and super rewarding that I provide them good quality mental health services. I know that I am helping someone who, for whatever reason, may have gone untreated in the community or undertreated in the community or not had that type of consistent access. I get to give that to them,” Hinton said.

What’s the day-to-day like?

The day-to-day routine of prison psychologist can vary based on many factors such as your work environment, position and changing patient needs. While every day can look different, a prison psychologist is likely to be involved in one of the following tasks that involve the application of counseling and clinical techniques to criminal and juvenile offenders in penal and correctional facilities, detention centers, courthouses and other areas of the correctional system:

• Complete rounds to determine levels of care for hospitalized patients
• Conduct inmate psychological screening and classification
• Participate in crisis intervention and other mental health crises
• Assess correctional personnel
• Participate in a parole board
• Conduct clinical research
• Present professional training on mental health issues to correctional staff
• Collaborate with caseworkers, attorneys and correctional facility staff members to modify or eliminate the behavior of a patient
• Work with social workers to facilitate family reunification services
• Counsel government officials at the local, state or federal level on the structure of the correctional system
• Testify regarding a patient’s mental state in a courtroom

No matter what you do in a day, the unique work environments of the correctional system have inherent structures that affect your daily tasks and the way you perform them. “You have to realize that it is not your private practice. You’re working oftentimes in a governmental system or you’re working for an agency or section of it, but it’s not your private practice, so there are rules to follow, system procedures and a system awareness that you need to have,” Hinton said. “You also have to realize there are multiple entities. When I’m working in corrections with justice-involved individuals, I have to be aware not only of their mental health concerns, but their physical health concerns, their educational concerns and their legal concerns.”

What does this job look like from a client’s perspective?

The correctional system looks to the prison psychologist to provide a broad range of services as a mental health expert and provider in many aspects of daily operations and facility and system management.

“All aspects of my educational training are of use. The traditional sitting down one-to-one and providing some level of talk therapy happens, but there are other things as well. We conduct group therapy sessions for those who are in recovery; evaluations of all sorts, from suicide evaluations to evaluations for judicial commitment; training for staff, whether that is basic understanding of mental illness, first aid, crisis intervention, therapy or simply educating people on various topics such as cultural awareness, conflict resolution or de-escalation. These are the things that the system looks to the psychologist and to the mental health or behavioral health divisions for guidance,” Hinton said.

The skills (and competencies) you’ll need

A prison psychologist needs a combination of personal and professional skills to succeed in this profession and make an impact.

The tools and technology you’ll likely use

A prison psychologist uses many different tools in evaluating, diagnosing and treating people in the correctional system. Some common tools include:

• TCU (Texas Christian University) Drug Screen V
• DAST (Drug Abuse Screening Tool)
• SSI-SA (Simple Screening Instrument for Substance Abuse)
• Mental Health Screening Form III (MHSF-III)
• K6 and K10 Scales
• Brief Jail Mental Health Screen
• Correctional Mental Health Screen (CMHS)
• The Level of Service Inventory–Revised (LSI-R)
• Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS)
• COMPAS (Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions) Scale Scores
• Risk and Needs Triage (RANT)
• Trauma Screening Questionnaire (TSQ)
• PTSD Checklist–Civilian Version (PCL-C)
• Microsoft Office and/or other office programs for communication and project management

Job titles

Job titles for a prison psychologist can vary. Considerations such as your specific responsibilities and the industry in which you work can also affect your job title. While the role of a prison psychologist can be closely related to a forensics psychologist or criminal psychologist, these jobs involve working with different aspects of the legal system.

Common job titles for a prison psychologist include:

• Staff psychologist
• Correctional psychologist
• Clinical psychologist–corrections
• Licensed psychologist
• Licensed psychologist manager–corrections
• Psychologist–site mental health director–corrections

Work environments

Prison psychologists can work in a variety of environments that include traditional prisons and detention centers, but some work environments may not align with the types of places you expect to find a prison psychologist.

“People may have a notion or vision of what correctional psychology is like from whatever television show, movie, book or whatever, and then there is reality of what it really is like. There are certainly tough maximum-security places within the United States in particular, and around the world, but there are also places where you walk in and it’s a dorm setting. It’s much more laid back, perhaps in cottages, so it looks and feels very different and certainly affects who you’re working with,” Hinton said.

When seeking employment as a prison psychologist, you may find opportunities in the following types of workplaces:

• County family services organizations
• Federal prisons
• State prisons
• County jails
• City detention centers
• Asylums for the criminally insane
• County, state and federal courthouses
• Private correctional facilities
• Jails
• Juvenile detention centers
• Women’s prisons
• State department of corrections
• Federal Bureau of Prisons

How to make yourself stand out as a candidate for a prison psychologist job

Factors such as your geographic location, professional interests and experience can sometimes make it challenging to get the type of position you want as a prison psychologist, especially early in your career. You can improve your chances of securing a position you desire by earning the type of experience and skills that employers value.

Standing out as a candidate for a position as a psychologist job involves is best initiated long before you earn your license. With so many ways to use your psychology degree, internships are one way to test the waters and gain valuable experience before your job search.

Other types of experiences, such as learning a second language, may enhance your qualifications in certain situations. “If you can communicate with someone in their native tongue, that’s an enhanced way to build that rapport, to have an understanding and for people to have a little trust in you from the aspect that we can communicate and you can understand what I’m trying to say,” Hinton said. “If you’re able to communicate in other people’s native language, and you have the ability to learn about other cultures, other traditions and other ways of life, that makes you uniquely qualified to work in a given global jurisdiction.”

Though professional certification is not required for most positions, it may be another way to stand out from a crowded field of candidates. These types of credentials can be worth pursuing if you’re passionate and you think it would be helpful to your career, Hinton said. “However, if you don’t have them, it doesn’t mean that you are less than or something in that sense,” he said. 

“If you’re able to have the ability to communicate in other people’s native language, and you have the ability to learn about other cultures, other traditions and other ways of life, that makes you uniquely qualified to work in a given global jurisdiction.”

Professional organizations to join along the way

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Membership in a local or national professional organization can help you connect with like-minded professionals and gain access to a wide range of resources that can be valuable at every stage of your career. As a member, you’ll have a chance to learn about different roles and emerging research in the field of prison psychology. While offerings vary by organization, most groups provide member perks that include continuing education, mentorship/career planning support, job boards and meetings/conventions targeted to members’ interests. 

American Psychological Association (APA): The APA is the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. Members include doctoral-level psychologists and students who work in settings that include academics, research, private psychology practice, K-12 schools, hospitals, business and many other industries.

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International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology (IACFP): The IACFP works to advance research and support for effective mental health service delivery in community corrections internationally. IACFP members include graduate students and individuals with advanced degrees in behavioral sciences who engage in the administration, practice, teaching or research related to incarcerated populations and those under community supervision.