Becoming a Forensic Psychologist

David DeMatteo, Jaymes Fairfax-Columbo, Alisha Desai

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9780429948497
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: History & Theory in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

The paths to becoming a forensic psychologist are numerous and varied. Becoming a Forensic Psychologist provides insight into the process of pursuing a career in forensic psychology, from an introduction to the field itself to graduate school and beyond.

This comprehensive guide extends beyond mere definitions and overviews to discuss tips, strategies, and questions to ask at every step of the way to becoming a forensic psychologist. Told from the perspectives of individuals at different stages in their career, this book provides up-to-date information about existing forensic psychology programs and resources to assist aspiring forensic psychologists in career decision-making. Additional sidebars define key terms, highlight important court decisions that shaped the field of forensic psychology, and provide interesting facts about the field.

This book will help any individual pursuing a career as a forensic psychologist, including those about to start college who are narrowing their career interests, graduate students, and those already in the field of psychology who are considering a career shift.

Part I

Career Crossroads

CHAPTER 1

Forensic Psychologists

What Exactly Do They Do?

What Is Forensic Psychology?

If you are reading this book, then you probably want to become a forensic psychologist, or you are at least entertaining the idea of becoming a forensic psychologist. Some of you may always have had an interest in forensic psychology and are now seriously considering it as a career, while others may have just recently heard about forensic psychology from a television show, podcast, or movie. Regardless of how or when you became interested in forensic psychology, we can tell you that forensic psychology is an exciting field that is experiencing tremendous growth, and being a forensic psychologist offers the opportunity to engage in meaningful work in a variety of roles and settings.

If you are like most people, you may not be exactly sure what forensic psychologists do. When most people hear the phrase “forensic psychology,” lots of images come to mind, many of which are probably not accurate. Despite being one of the fastest-growing specialty areas in psychology, there are many misconceptions about what forensic psychology is and what forensic psychologists do. Some people think forensic psychology has something to do with autopsies, while others think it involves criminal profiling or collecting evidence at a crime scene. If you want to become a forensic psychologist, or you think you might want to become a forensic psychologist, it is important that you understand what forensic psychology is and what forensic psychologists do (and do not do!).

The confusion surrounding forensic psychology most likely stems from how the term “forensic” is used in movies, television shows, books, and the media. Over the past several years, use of the term “forensic” has become commonplace and there are quite a few portrayals of professionals who are labeled “forensic psychologists” in movies, such as Silence of the Lambs and Manhunter, and television shows, including CSI, Bones, Law and Order, and The Profiler. References to forensic psychologists in books, news articles, and Internet blogs are also becoming much more common. The increasing attention paid to forensic psychology has generated interest in the field, but ultimately resulted in several misconceptions about the nature of forensic psychological work.

A wide variety of activities and professions can be considered forensic, so it is important that we begin our discussion of forensic psychology by first defining the term “forensic.” The word “forensic” comes from the Latin word forensis, which is translated as “the forum.” In ancient Rome, the forum was the public center of commercial, religious, economic, and political life. The forum was also where speeches and debates occurred (hence the use of the term “forensic” to describe some high school and college public speaking and debate clubs) and where legal trials took place.

In its current usage, the term “forensic” simply means that an activity or profession is related to the law or a legal process. Perhaps the most common usage of the term “forensic” is among forensic pathologists. Forensic pathologists, who are more commonly referred to as medical examiners, are physicians who specialize in conducting autopsies to determine the cause and manner of someone’s death, typically when an individual has died suddenly, unexpectedly, or violently. This profession is “forensic” because determining the cause of someone’s death is a legal question, and the results of the post-mortem examination are documented on a death certificate, which is a legal document.

Many other professions can also be considered forensic. For example, forensic accountants apply the practice of financial accounting in the context of actual, pending, or anticipated legal disputes. Forensic accountants, who are also called forensic auditors or investigative auditors, may provide evidence in a variety of legal contexts, including tax fraud, money laundering, valuation of a business entity, corporate mergers and acquisitions, the location of money in a contested divorce case, or economic damages in a personal injury case or contract dispute. Another example of a forensic profession is forensic odontology, which is the application of dental science to legal questions. In some contexts, forensic odontologists may assist law enforcement in the identification of criminal offenders by comparing a suspect’s dental records to bite marks left on a victim, or they may identify human remains based on dental records. Incidentally, the serial killer Ted Bundy was ultimately convicted based on the testimony of a forensic odontologist.

Given the meaning of “forensic,” we can state that forensic psychology is simply the application of psychology to the law. As discussed in more detail later in this chapter, there are numerous ways in which the science and practice of psychology can be applied in a variety of legal contexts (see Costanzo & Krauss, 2018). Although the definition of forensic psychology seems straightforward, there is considerable debate and disagreement – even among experienced forensic psychologists – about how broadly forensic psychology should be defined.

At a basic level and using a broad definition, forensic psychology can be conceptualized as the application of the science and practice of psychology to questions and issues relating to the law and the legal system. Using the broad definition of forensic psychology as a starting point, there has been vigorous debate regarding what activities and roles should appropriately be considered as falling within the province of forensic psychology (Brigham, 1999; DeMatteo, Marczyk, Krauss, & Burl, 2009; Neal, 2017; Otto & Heilbrun, 2002). A narrow definition of forensic psychology only includes the provision of clinical psychological expertise to individuals involved in the judicial system. Under this restrictive definition, only those psychologists who conduct evaluations or provide treatment in legal contexts would be considered forensic. This definition would include, for example, conducting evaluations of criminal defendants to see if they were insane at the time of the offense, evaluating someone injured in a car accident to see if they have “psychological damages,” or providing restorative therapy to criminal offenders who have been found incompetent to stand trial. The problem with this narrow definition of forensic psychology is that it excludes psychologists who do not apply clinical skills, but instead conduct research in areas that are relevant to the law. As a result, researchers in areas such as social, experimental, cognitive, and developmental psychology would not be considered forensic psychologists under this narrow definition, even though the results of their research can significantly influence the legal system.

In this book, we endorse a broad definition of forensic psychology that is consistent with the definitions adopted by leading psychology and forensic psychology organizations. For example, the American Board of Forensic Psychology (ABFP), which is the premier advanced credentialing (board certification) organization for forensic psychologists in the United States, defines forensic psychology as the application of scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge of psychology to inform matters within the judicial system, legislative bodies, and administrative agencies. Similar to the narrow definition of forensic psychology, the ABFP definition encompasses evaluations in legal contexts, but it also includes treatment and research activities that are conducted in anticipation of future legal, contractual, or administrative proceedings.

Another broad definition of forensic psychology was adopted by the American Psychological Association, the world’s largest professional organization for psychology professionals and students. In the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology, which was adopted as official American Psychological Association policy in 2011, forensic psychology includes “professional practice by any psychologist working within any subdiscipline of psychology (e.g., clinical, developmental, social, cognitive) when applying the scientific, technical, or specialized knowledge of psychology to the law to assist in addressing legal, contractual, and administrative matters” (American Psychological Association, 2013, p. 7). This broad definition of forensic psychology encompasses clinical, research, and consultation activities, and it recognizes the widely varying roles that can be assumed by forensic psychologists in a variety of settings.

Consistent with the definitions of forensic psychology recognized by the ABFP and the American Psychological Association, we endorse a broad definition of forensic psychology that includes evaluations, treatment, research, and consultation activities that address some aspect of the law. This broad definition recognizes the contributions that can be made to various aspects of the United States legal system by psychologists working in clinical, research, and consultation capacities.

What Isn’t Forensic Psychology?

Before moving forward with our discussion of forensic psychology, we should clarify what forensic psychology does not include. The two most common – and highly persistent! – myths surrounding forensic psychology are that forensic psychologists are involved in criminal profiling and the collection of crime scene evidence. In fact, many of the inquiries we receive from prospective forensic psychology students reflect their interest in becoming “an FBI profiler” or working with law enforcement to collect evidence at crime scenes.

Criminal profiling is a law enforcement investigative tool that helps to narrow down the pool of suspects following a crime. Based on their examination of the crime scene and other evidence, profilers provide a description – or profile – of likely suspects. Profiling is based on patterns and correlations observed in large datasets of crimes, criminal offenders, and crime victims. For example, if the victim of a homicide is Caucasian, statistics suggest that the offender is most likely also Caucasian. Profiling is an actuarial science, which means it is based on the application of statistical models. A non-forensic example of actuarial science is the differing rates that are charged for automobile insurance. Automobile insurance companies typically charge the highest premiums to young, single, male drivers because they are the most likely to have an automobile accident; based on large datasets of accident data, drivers who are young, single, and male have been “profiled” to be the highest-risk drivers.

As you can see, there is not much psychology involved in criminal profiling, although having knowledge of human thinking and behavior can be informative, and most psychologists are not involved in profiling. Although criminal profiling was once the exclusive domain of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI; in the famed Behavioral Sciences Unit), local and state law enforcement agencies are increasingly utilizing criminal profilers. But these positions are filled by individuals who have extensive law enforcement experience, and psychological expertise is typically not a prerequisite for these positions.

The collection and processing of crime scene evidence, such as fingerprints, body tissues and fluids, and DNA specimens, is done by law enforcement professionals and other crime scene specialists. In television shows and movies, these individuals are often portrayed wearing police jackets with the word “forensic” prominently displayed on the back in large letters. Criminal evidence is referred t...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• PART I: Career Crossroads
• PART II: Graduate Training
• PART III: Professional Puzzles
• Index