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Forensic Psychology is a branch of psychology that combines psychology and law. It is the use of psychological practices and principles and applying them to the legal system, mainly in court. This branch of psychology may also sometime be referred to as legal psychology. Though it hasn’t been a discipline in psychology for very long and still in the process of becoming an emerging field, there has been evidence of it throughout history. In 1893 James McKeen Cattell at Columbia University was the first to research and study the psychology of testimony, which is tied to Forensic Psychology. Cattell’s research and his findings sparked others psychologists interested in related topics and areas.

According to many, a forensic psychologist is just a clinical psychologist who uses clinical practices within the legal system. The American Psychological Association Council of Representatives i n 2001 recognized Forensic Psychology as a specialty but they needed to know how to define it. “It was ultimately decided that the petition for specialization should define forensic psychology narrowly, to include the primarily clinical aspects of forensic assessment, treatment, and consultation” (Otto & Heilbrun, 2002, p. 8). The more broad definition for forensic psychology includes two parts. The first part is the to research human behavior that is and/or can be related to the legal process. The second is the use of psychological practice to consult on and within the legal system, including both criminal and civil law.



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History of Forensic Psychology
The branch of psychology known as Forensic Psychology has history which can be dated back to the nineteenth century. Despite it's history, major developments have only been really taking place for a little over 50 years. This branch of psychology has gone through many changes throughout the years.

These Changes have been possible due to a development in different ways to assess psychological factors. These assessments are used in courtrooms in order to work to understand behaviors which are criminal or abnormal. These tests include but are not limited to: The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, the Rorschach Ink Blot Test and The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.

The ancient Greeks and Romans were the ones to first introduce the concept of insanity to the law. One of the first cases was Rex v. Arnold in 1723 in which Edward Arnold "Mad Ned" shot and injured Lord Onslow. As a result, Edward Arnold was found guilty and sentenced to death. But, Lord Onslow was not satisfied with this decision and said instead he should remain in prison for life. The judge ruled in his favor and that the behavior after the crime was admissible. This ruling set the stage for future trials to consider medical testimony and examinations performed after the crime.

Hugo Münsterberg
Hugo Münsterberg was a pioneer of applied psychology who published a controversial book in the eyes of forensic psychology. His book was titled On the Witness Stand and was published in 1908. This book contained many of his ideas on how human witnesses are not always reliable. He also refers to humans thoughts to be "illusions".

Areas of Application

 * Custody Disputes
 * Lawsuits
 * Insurance Claims

Lawsuits are the premise of what forensic psychologists are involved in. Some work in family courts with psychotherapy services and investigate reports of child abuse. They also provide competency assessments, second opinions, and psychotherapy to crime victims in civil courts.

Role at Trial
During trial and hired by trial attorneys, a trial consultant assists in the prepping of trial by evaluating the effectiveness of what will be presented during trial, and the formulating possible procedures of the jury to be prepared. A forensic psychologist is not thought to be a trial consultant, and not all trial consultants are trained in the field of psychology or identify as psychologists. Almost 40% of consultants receive their education in communication or communication studies, others in political science or social welfare. When what was called scientific jury selection was introduced in the 1970s, the focus from special jury analysts and psychologists shifted to assisting the defense attorney on which jury members to dismiss. Social scientists became more active as consultants, and so did their activities which included assisting in preparation of witnesses for testifying, to directing focus groups of mock jurors to identify central issues or themes in the case, to carrying out mock trials, and even helping attorneys develop a theory of the case.

Child Custody
Forensic Psychology is used in the assessment of risk involved (including emotional distress) in relocating a child due to legal custody disputes. Custody dispute many take place in a variety of different situations including parental divorce, guardianship, neglect, abuse, and termination of parental rights. When parents separate and the custodial parents decided to relocate, it presents much more complicated and emotion involving issues. The way these issues are handled vary from state to state but often include using the best interest of the child to determine what will happen. Psychology can also be involved with the law when determining and assessing the risk involved with the likelihood of violence in these cases (and assessing mental health of these individuals). In these cases, courts must involve mental health professionals in order to help make decisions pertaining to this.

Sexual Harassment
The number of lawsuits involving sexual harassment has significantly increased in recent years and often involves the consultation of a forensic psychologist. In cases where a victim is claiming sexual harassment is taking place, the forensic psychologist may be asked to evaluate the behavior of the man or woman in order to compare it with the reactions of others who have been harassed. In addition to this, the psychologist may also be required to evaluate if there is other psychiatric reason to not believe the claims being made by the reported victim.

The Rorschach Inkblot Test
The Rorschach Ink Blot Test was developed in the 1930s by a man named Hermann Rorschach. With this test, subjects were shown an ambiguous blot of ink on a page and were asked to describe what they see. Based on the response of the subject, they are then evaluated using a scale which can then provide inferences about their personality characteristics as well as emotional functioning. Based on the contributions of this test, it has been used in multiple court proceedings including but not limited to criminal, civil, domestic, and quasi-legal.

The Minnesota Multiphastic Personality Inventory
The Minnesota Multiphastic Personality Inventory is another test used in conjunction with forensic psychology. This particular test is an objective personality test/inventory. This test was created in 1939 by Dr. Starke Hathaway and J.C. McKinley. This test has remained a useful and reliable inventory throughout the years and is still widely used.

Careers in Forensic Psychology
Although, Forensic Psychology is a fairly recent specialty there are many career choices for someone with a degree in Forensic Psychology or were part of a law/psychology program and were interested in the field. There is the academic route as long as they received their doctorate. They can teach in any of the following psychology departments, law, and justice departments (meaning public justice, criminal justice, and administration of justice). Jobs are also available in applied psychology position meaning acting as a consultant to legal practitioners, applied legal setting by practicing law/being a lawyer, and involvement with public policy positions. It has been argued by "Hafemeister, Ogloff, & Small (1990) argue in detail that public policy positions are probably the most appropriate employment contexts for persons jointly trained in psychology and law". There are many job options available for those interested in public policy positions. They range from either working for the state and/or federal agencies and even the President, government positions in law enforcement, health, mental health, education, or social services which positions can contribute to the administration of the state and federal justice. Although, there is a job market for forensic psychology sometimes they run into the problem that most job descriptions don't specifically ask for a background in both law and psychology. In this case the forensic psychologist is competing with people that have a background in either law or psychology not both; so they need to be very on top of the field that most applies to the position. There are jobs that do specifically look for a person that has a background in law and psychology but they are very selective and competitive. The person qualification in either one or both fields must pass the scrutiny along with have superior credentials as well.

Education and Training
Education and training for Forensic psychology is very costly and time consuming. People on the quest to become forensic psychologist have to go to either a combined law and graduate school program where they receive both a JD and PhD, or they get the one and then go back to school and get the other.Depending on what option you take your looking at around six to eight more years of schooling after college and it's not fun and games. There are joint degree programs for law and psychology and even though you have those degrees it doesn't make you a forensic psychologist. In order to be considered a forensic psychologist your specialization needs to be clinical psychology and the focus is on "criminal and civil clinical issues". While studying for their degrees there are many psychology and law class available at the graduate and law school level but not every school offers it. Almost every school does offer at least an introductory course in either social science and the law or psychology and law. University that have a psychology and law program offer the core courses as well as a variety of other courses relating to the field. In most law and psychology curriculum you will find courses that deal with forensic psychology including forensic assessment and other issues relating to forensics.

Salary
The starting salary in the career of forensic psychology differs by three aspects: years of experience, place of employment, and by qualification. A starting salary with no experience to at least a year of experience is $53,000 a year. Two or more years of experience bumps up to $57,000 a year. An applicant with five to eight years of experience can receive a salary of up to $66,000 a year. A highly experienced psychologist, also known as a senior forensic professional with more than 19 years of experience can earn an average of $74,988 a year for salary. Salaries for those with 20 or more years of experience range up to $86,000. This demonstrates the importance of gaining experience and the consequential increase of salary.

An individual could see an average salary from $57,000 to $64,000 per year, depending on the place of employment. State and local government pay an average of $64,000, while private forms and self-employed peoples earn up to $63,000 per year. Big industries and companies averagely pay $61,000 a year, general hospitals and psychiatric/substance abuse centers pay around $62,000 a year. Federal government pays up to $60,000 while non-profit organizations pay $56,900 per year. Non-profit organizations are the best way to gain experience.

A master's degree can guarantee an average salary of $59,440, while a doctorate degree ranges from $53,000 to $93,000 per year. Forensic psychologists are also more preferred by women as 63% of the job population.

Academic Researcher
Forensic psychologist academics revolves around the teachings and research of forensic psychology. Those who wish to take on this occupation take on the role to train and supervise students, by receiving training themselves in either general psychology or another specialty, like clinical psychology. A PhD is typically the type of degree one would need to pursue an academic career in forensic psychology, and teach at higher institutions like colleges or universities.

Correctional Psychologist
Correctional Psychology is one of the fastest growing specialization in forensic psychology. Even though psychologist who do provide clinical service to the correctional department of the law are forensic psychologist, many do not call themselves forensic psychologist. These types of psychologists have an involvement in correctional institutions. The number of psychologists who are now considered to be prison-based has doubled in the last 20 years. This career is considered highly stressful and may include but is not limited to: assessment, treatment, training, and consultation of patients Correctional Psychologist are used for their abilities and knowledge when it comes to the following:"inmate classification, psychological assessments, program/treatment evaluation, crisis intervention strategies, and substance and alcohol treatment approaches. The patients may be incarcerated, ending their sentence, and on probation or parole. Correctional psychologist also give the following assessments: intellectual, personality, aptitude, vocational, and educational. They take the results and interpret them, which are then used by them to create comprehensive reports.  These are often important when deciding if an inmate gets released and paroled and the correctional psychologist opinion is taken into account. The correctional department also uses them for consultative services for staffing, along with there other duties. This can involves but is not limited too: "screening selection, employee assistance counseling, and mental health consultation with hostage negotiation or crisis support teams". While working in the correctional setting they collect research that is relevant for both corrections and the court room.

Evaluator
This role generally refers evaluating criminal defendants to civil litigation, in terms of the state of their mental health, related to the legal issue in pursuit. However, it could also be referred to the evaluation of competency of treatment programs or to stand trial. Forensic psychologists may be called to evaluate the defendants mental state at the time of the defense, their risk for future danger, and other such issues. They are also taking on the responsibility to be employed to a wide range of occupational settings, like forensic hospitals, health centers, state psychiatric hospitals, and private practice. Forensic psychologists who evaluate defendants or parties to civil litigation usually have been trained as clinical psychologists with some specialization in forensic psychology, and are also usually required to be licensed as psychologists.

Trial Consultant
Trial consultants, also known as jury consultants, work with legal professionals to assist in certain aspects of case preparation, like jury selection, witness preparation, and the development of case strategy. They may be involved in both civil and criminal cases and may have to assist in some or all of the proceedings, including preparation for trial, during trial, and after trial. They often interact with the judge and lawyers and can provide for them: performance of assessments, testifying about an individuals ability to stand trial both civil and criminal, "criminal responsibility (insanity defense), involuntary civil commitment of mental disorder, child custody determinations, and criminal sentencing".

Hypnosis
Hypnosis is another technique that is sometimes used with forensic psychology. It comes as a surprise to most that this technique is involved with the legal system. When someone enters a hypnotic state, they may even loose consciousness for an amount of time. Some people would argue that it is even possible to hypnotize someone without them knowing it, which is when this technique could begin to become a problem. The main benefit that can come from this is that it can be arguably used as a "truth serum". This idea had also brought up other issues such as faking hypnosis. This particular issue arose in the case of the Hillside Strangler (Aldridge-Morris, 1989; Laurence & Perry, 1988). In this case, Kenneth Bianchi was accused of killing 10 women and had admitted to 7 of the murders. Kenneth Bianchi then tried to plead not guilty and plead insanity due to information (multiple personality disorder) that was discovered while he was under hypnosis. Then there were questions of if he was faking the hypnosis, and Dr. M. Orne ended up confirming that information that he was faking the hypnosis.

Malingering
This deals with the exaggeration of illness in order to excuse consequences. Mostly, defendants who inhabit malingering are faking their mental state to be excused of their crime. A forensic psychology must be able to detect such exaggerations, because malingering is considered in most cases as an obstruction of justice. A forensic psychologist will be asked to observe this defendant in other settings, to observe the consistency of their problematic symptoms, and to conclude if their mental state is cohesive with their personal statement.

Competency & Sanity Evaluations
A forensic psychologist will be appointed by the court when the defendant's competency to stand trial is questioned. A recommendation will be made to the court whether or not they can proceed in trial after a forensic assessment. If they are considered incompetent, a report will include recommendations in an attempt to restore the defendant's understanding of court and legal proceedings, in addition to the participation in their defense. This evaluation takes place in a psychiatric treatment facility until they are deemed competent. This same assessment is applied for evaluating the state of mind of the defendant at the time of the offense. In most situations, this correlates with the defense attorney pleading that the defendant is not guilty of said crime by reason of insanity. In this case, the defense may hire their own forensic expert. A plea for insanity is used in 1 in 1000 cases. The Mental State at time of Offense (MSO) would be one of the assessments conducted to determine the defendant's mind state at the time of the offense. Any judgements about the defendant's mental state at the time of the crime are usually made before the trial begins by the court

Sentence Mitigation
There are situations where the defendant's mental disorder does not meet criteria to be deemed not guilty by reason of insanity. In these cases, the defense may attempt a sentence mitigation, where they lessen the severity of their possible time served. The forensic psychologist is an integral asset to providing these facts for the defense to mitigate a sentence. Investigation by the forensic psychologists to be granted a sentence mitigation would include the defendant's immediate and extended family, medical history, and family and social history (including physical and mental abuse, exposure to traumatic events, and criminal violence).