Forensic Psychologist Research Paper

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What is a Forensic Psychologist? A forensic psychologist is a legal expert that provides critical psychological services for the court system. While most forensic psychologists work directly with the courts, they may also work in corrections, law enforcement and academia. What is Forensic Psychology? Many people are familiar with forensic scientists who work within the criminal justice system to investigate crimes. However, forensic psychology integrates principles of psychology and criminal justice in order to provide unique legal services. The focus of applied forensic psychology tends to be establishing witness credibility and providing expert testimony. Therefore, forensic psychology focuses on psychological aspects related to the trial process, such as memory, awareness and witness integrity. In addition to this, they must also be legal experts in order to integrate their services into a smooth trial process. This means that forensic psychologists must be legally well-versed in topics such as hearsay evidence and common adversarial system. Forensic Psychologist Most forensic psychologists have a doctoral degree in legal, clinical and social psychology. However, PhD degree programs may focus on civil, family or criminal court systems. Being licensed by the state and having…show more content…
For example, forensic psychologists must have excellent logic, analytical and observational skills. Because forensic psychologists establish witness competency, they must be able to correctly interpret people’s attitudes, behaviors and body behaviors. Consequently, forensic psychologists must be confident, independent and impartial. Finally, they must have excellent verbal and written communication skills because their documented testimonies will play major roles in court trials. In fact, since their expert testimony can be the deciding factor in life and death decisions, they must have the highest ethical

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