There are many subsets of psychology. No doubt one of the most fascinating is forensic psychology. Forensic psychology is basically the intersection of psychology and the legal system.
It’s quite a broad field. Psychologists work in a variety of settings, including police departments, prisons, courts and juvenile detention centers. And they do everything from assessing whether an incarcerated individual is ready for parole to advising attorneys on jury selection to serving as experts on the stand to counseling cops and their spouses to creating treatment programs for offenders. Most are trained as clinical or counseling psychologists.
So how did this interesting specialty emerge and expand? Here’s a brief look at the history of forensic psychology.
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Flourished? Perspective and interpretation are certainly individual specific. Metastasized is, for me, the more operative word for what forensic mental health interventions have become.
Sorry, forensic psychiatry has done more harm than good, from what I have observed as a psychiatrist since I finished residency almost 20 years ago.
I would been very interested in other colleagues’ opinions in this thread.
Dr. Hassman: I read your comment and was curious about any specific issues you believe are now problematic in the field of forensic psychology. I am completing my PsyD in Criminology — it sounds as if you are talking about another field with “interventions” and “metastasized”. Criminal behavior has always been a fascination to me, trying to understand what makes some people believe it is OK to murder, steal, etc.
Lyn Brown Leighton, MSHA, JD
I do not practice forensic psychiatry, as the comment would allude to, and frankly find the focus of money first, and finding a diagnosis to any behavior either for the defense or prosecution to be at least dumbing down the field, if not being just plain whorish.
I was beyond lucky to have been exposed to a leader in the field during my training who was the mensch in practicing responsible forensic psychiatry, that being Jonas Rappaport in Baltimore back in the 1990′s, but he is gone and so is much of the integrity with him.
What is my lasting memory in my training regarding forensic psychiatry? The first lecture about this specialty in residency was by someone who started with this question: “what is the most important thing in forensic psychiatry?” The lecturer’s answer: getting paid for your time!
There are responsible and ethical psychiatrists who practice in this specialty, and I appreciate their efforts. In my opinion though, they are equaled or outnumbered by those who are not focused on serving the court and the public.
Hey, as I said in my earlier comment, I would love to hear other colleagues’ feedback. It has been a few days, can I assume silence is reinforcing my position?
I am not a psychiatrist by any means, but have been involved in the mental health field through both need and interest.
Dr. Hassman, you sound bitter indeed. Not all are like the ones you speak of. I guess the money is good for most of the psychiatrists though I have found many going more of the medication route than the counseling route. Guess that’s what counselors and psychologists are for.
I found the beginning of forensic psychology interesting. I was never quite sure what it was and it is as complex as the rest of psychology.