FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY: THE MISUNDERSTOOD BEAST (PART 2)

The Institution - Corrections and Forensic Psychiatric Facilities

Most Forensic Psychologists work either in a correctional institution (i.e., prison, jail, or juvenile hall) or in a psychiatric hospital. In this environment they will preform a number of important roles. One of the most essential roles is therapeutic intervention. The Forensic Psychologist in these institutions will often provide a range of therapies in order to control or eliminate the psychiatric disorder that has led to the offenders criminal acts. Whether these interventions will be successful is highly dependant on the nature of the disorder. Certain disorders (i.e., obsessions, schizophrenia, bipolar depression, addictions) that can be correlated to criminal behavior can often be treated satisfactorily, others (i.e., sociopath, psychopathy) are far less successfully controlled. Before, and after, treatment the Forensic Psychologist may preform diagnosis and psychometric testing (the evaluation of behavior/personality via tests/surveys) in order to evaluate the clients risk of violence and/or recidivism (the likeliness that the criminal will recommit the crime). These evaluations are very important to future parole and competency hearings. A person who is found not guilty by reason of insanity for a crime that would typically hold a ten year sentence could potentially spend their entire life in prison or a psychiatric hospital if these evaluations raise concerns.

Conclusions

It is important that one realizes that no single Forensic Psychologist preforms all of these tasks. Each practitioner will focus on a specific area of the field, and thereby become an expert in that particular area. The Court Psychologist tends to have a experimental background, while the Correctional Psychologist is typically a Clinical Psychologist with forensics training. The investigative practitioner, however, is a fuzzier boundary. For the potential forensic psychology student, deciding which discipline interests you is very important. The court versus correctional disciplines come from very different origins, differing as early as at the Masters of Arts - Psychology level.

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