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published June 22, 2009
Silas Reed
If a criminal suspect's state of mental health has been questioned as part of his defense, such as in cases where he is in a mental hospital or has been given psychiatric treatment, the forensic psychologist is called upon to evaluate his state of mind. If he is found to be competent to stand trial, the psychologist may be called upon in the hope of backing up the defense attorney's insanity plea on behalf of the client or suspect. Forensic psychiatrists are also commonly used to perform evaluations of those accusing someone of a crime and to evaluate whether a defense team is exaggerating the mental condition of the accused. These professionals get called upon to analyze whether or not a confession may not have been authentic, such as if it was made due to the fear of some kind of outside retribution, when in reality the defendant knows he did not do the crime.
The workday of a forensic psychologist largely revolves around paperwork. Their training involves being able to examine any previous medical records on the person in question to make sure that all relevant information has been presented. This medical records examination will be done before the actual meeting with the person in question takes place. This profession also involves taking copious notes on the actual examinations that are done. The psychologist will need all of those notes to be able to remember the most minute details of those examinations when they are called upon by a lawyer or judge to present the evidence for their accounting of that person's mental state or behavior. The forensic psychologist will also quite often have to write up an official report to be added to the court files on the case. They have sufficient special training enabling them to do this in such a way so that the information is understandable to uneducated laymen.
On top of all of the work that goes into these activities, most of these professionals are specialists in some branch of forensic psychology and they spend several hours per week writing about this subject matter. Such topics may be about how a harsh upbringing affects the possibility of a child growing up to become a criminal. It might be about how substance abuse affects behavior. The forensic psychiatrist will write articles and books about their specialty. This helps them to establish or solidify their professional reputation and the secondary income. These studies likewise help others in their profession nt gain a better understanding of the minds of criminals and suspects.
The training of a forensic psychologist involves a collegiate background in science and often at least an M.S. in psychology. It is even more helpful to get a double undergraduate degree including one in criminology. Then they often move to a position with a CSI lab where they learn how to see the connections between criminal activity and the way suspected criminals behave under different circumstances. By working with others in related professions, such as forensic technical scientists and forensic anthropologists, they will deepen their knowledge and get on the path to gaining the reputation of an expert witness that may need to be called upon for court cases and further their careers. While it may be helpful in establishing their reputation, forensic psychologists do not need to be on the American Board of Forensic Psychology. What matters the most is their proven ability in the field and the court room.
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