CMY3706 CONTEMPORARY CRIMINOLOGICAL ISSUES.

CMY3706 CONTEMPORARY CRIMINOLOGICAL ISSUES. Forensic psychology is the application of psychology to the criminal justice system. Many people confuse Forensic Psychology with forensic science. Although the two are closely related, there are many differences. The primary difference is that forensic psychologists delve into the vast psychological perspectives and apply them to criminal justice system. On the other hand, forensic psychologists frequently deal with legal issues, such as public policies, new laws, competency, and also whether a defendant was insane at the time a crime occurred. All of these issues weave together psychology and law topics and are essential to the discipline of Forensic Psychology. Forensic Psychology knowledge is used in various forms, such as in treating mentally ill offenders, consulting with attorneys (e.g., on picking a jury), analysing a criminal's mind and intent, and practicing within the civil arena. Individuals interested in pursuing a Forensic Psychology career would have take psychology and criminal justice courses at the core of their academic studies. There are a very limited number of academic institutions that specifically offer a Forensic Psychology degree. Clinical, social, cognitive, criminal investigative, and developmental psychology also help to prepare one for this speciality. A forensic psychologist may chose to solely focus his/her career on research, ranging anywhere from examination of eyewitness testimony to learning how to improve interrogation methods. Another form of Forensic Psychology work is public policy, in which researchers can help in the design of correctional facilities and prisons. More generally, Forensic Psychology covers territory between the traditional options of criminal justice (i.e., academic training, law enforcement, and corrections). A Brief History Forensic Psychology dates back to at least the turn of the twentieth century. William Stern studied memory in 1901 by asking students to examine a picture for forty-five seconds and then try to recall what was happening in it. He would see how much the person could recall at various intervals after seeing the picture. These experiments came before more contemporary research about the reliability of eyewitness’s testimony in court. Stern concluded from his research that recall memories are generally inaccurate; the more time between seeing the picture and being asked to recall it, the more errors were made. People especially recalled false information when the experimenter gave them a lead-in question such as, "Did you see the man with the knife?" The person would answer, "yes," even if there was no knife present. Lead-in questions are often used in police interrogations and in questioning witnesses. Hugo Munsterberg is often called the first forensic psychologist. He wrote a book called On the Witness Stand. It was published in 1908, after the work of William Stern. Other psychologists before this, such as Alfred Binet and Sigmund Freud, had also constructed tests that could be used in judicial proceeding. They both did studies suggesting that the time it takes for a person to answer a question could be a factor in determining guilt or innocence. In 1916, Lewis Terman, a Stanford psychologist, began to apply psychology to law enforcement. He revised Alfred Binet's intelligence tests and formed the Stanford-Binet intelligence test. These tests were used to assess the intelligence of thirty applicants for the police and fire fighting jobs in San Jose, CA. A few years later, L. L. Thurstone used the same type of test in Detroit. Now, this type of testing is used in most police departments in the country. The application of psychology in law and law enforcement continued throughout the 1920's and 1930's. To this day, there is still a special interest in extending psychology to police work. The demand for psychologists in the legal system has grown considerably over the past several decades. Currently, almost 2,000 psychologists belong to the American Psychology-Law Society. Outlook Forensic psychology has experienced steady growth in the past two decades. It is predicted that research work, consultation, and clinical practice in psychology and the law will continue to grow over the next ten years. The highest demand is predicted to be working with the courts, attorneys, and lawmakers. Jobs This study source was downloaded by from CourseH on :21:29 GMT -06:00 will also continue to grow in colleges and universities where This study resource was shared via CourseH 9/25/2019 Criminology - Unit Thirteen most of the research is conducted. Laws are constantly changing, which can be good news for a forensic psychologist. Exploring different ways of dealing with juvenile offenders is also becoming a popular subject; decisions related to dealing with these offenders often require the expert advise of a forensic psychologist. Those who hold doctorate degrees will have many more career opportunities than those with only a master's degree. It is almost impossible to specialize in this field with only a bachelors degree. There will always be a need for forensic psychologists in our society. To be involved in Forensic Psychology you must be passionate about what you do. The money you make does not usually compensate for the hours of hard work invested. The true personal payment comes in knowing that you can make a difference in a person's life and maybe even make society a little bit better. There are many different fields of specialization to get into in this field; this can be quite exciting at times. Working in prisons or with juveniles can change from day to day and be very rewarding. However, the burnout rate is high because a psychologist may often try to change someone or something that cannot be changed easily. Testifying in court can also be stressful. If you contemplate a career in Forensic Psychology, it would be good to keep in mind that to really get ahead requires extensive education.