There are a  vast amount of different jobs for Psychologist in the Criminal Justice Field. The jobs explained in this editorial represent the foundations of Psychological evaluations and assessment by the different departments located in the Criminal Justice Field. 

There are many areas and fields that use Psychologist on an everyday basis in the United States and in the rest of the world. Some of the Jobs other than social psychological therapy on a private basis are located in the field of Criminal Justice. As explained and recanted many psychological evaluations and experimental jobs are located in the Criminal Justice Field.  Criminal Justice agencies need qualified Psychologists to help them evaluate criminals, workers, and prisoners in the law enforcement arena. Let us begin by exploring some of the jobs that exist in each area of Criminal Justice such as Law Enforcement, Courts, and Corrections. 

Law Enforcement

 Psychologists play an important role in the Law Enforcement area of Criminal Justice. They evaluate criminals to find out what their mental state of mind is at the time that they have committed a given crime. This evaluation may lead to the capture of a repeat offender establishing that the criminal has possibly had mental disorders in the past that have been evaluated and attended to on a regular basses. If a criminal leaves a ransom note, you can tell if they are in distress by the type of handwriting that the criminal displays on the note. Psychological disorders such as mental disorders could prohibit the capacity of learning for the criminal. They may not understand that their actions are reckless, dangerous and go against the civil grain of society, such as people that are members of gangs that participate in illegal activities according to Gross and Magaletta (2009).

Another Law Enforcement job that Psychologists perform is to evaluate Police Officers. Psychologist evaluates Police Officers to recommend them for the Police Force every day. A Police Officer should have many different qualities that are common among the Police Department some of which qualities include being incorruptible, well adjusted, people oriented, free of emotional reaction, and logical, Green, Edie / Heilbrun, Kirk / Fortune, William H. / Nietzel, Michael T. / (2010).

Psychologist performs interviews that evaluate the stature of Police Officers and the way they respond to their surroundings. Personal interviews, observations, and physical tests all provide good information for the Police Force to make a hiring decision, Green, Edie / Heilbrun, Kirk / Fortune, William H. / Nietzel, Michael T. / (2010). Structured interviews provide the Psychologist with a sense of reliability and the validity of their information whether resume or report from the Police Academy. All information that is obtained by the Psychologist is reviewed and later written into a record identifying why the Police Department should hire the applicant or why they should not hire the applicant. Green, Edie / Heilbrun, Kirk / Fortune, William H. / Nietzel, Michael T. / (2010).

Courts and Evaluation of Witnesses

The Psychologist evaluates witnesses that are brought to court for extraneous reasons. They are called upon to evaluate the sanity of a witness that is brought to trial whether by the prosecution or defence. Problems such as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) are common disorders that the Psychologist should test for during interviews and assessments. Whether or not the witness is suffering from depression or any other mental barrier that may affect their competency during trial is a decision that the Psychologists needs to make known. Psychologist are also used to identify cases of witnesses  that have health and mental problems that exclude them from being able to testify in trail such as  a witness clamming to identify another person but the witness has  bad eyesight and is unable to confidently identify the suspect. The witness could have a number of problems with their eyesight ranging from glaucoma, color blindness, and blindness that could affect the prosecutions ruling during the court trial. Is the witness a sociopathic liar, a person that cannot be trusted, is this disorder built in to their personality or social being?  These are some of the questions that a qualified Psychologist can provide answers for.

While evaluating child abuse, the Psychologists is to decipher whether there are grounds for a case against the suspect. When a Psychologist evaluates a victim of child abuse, they must enquire a series of questions that eliminate the accusation of false testimony. After evaluating the child’s situation, the recommendation for relocating the child is the next step to evaluating child abuse. Psychologists perform a number of tests on the child, parents, and witnesses that give them information such as emotional state, mental problems, and physical wellness. This information will eventually present the courts with a recommendation, Psychology Information Online.

Child custody is another area that using a Psychologist may be beneficial to the court, while performing an assessment.  Families that go through divorce may need a mediator to examine the best solution for the child during the divorce process. In most cases, the Psychologist will offer emotional support to the parents that are obligated to be fair and equal during the litigation of child support. A Psychologist evaluates the parents for any psychological problem that may hinder their parenting decisions: Franklin, Donald PhD, (2010).   

Corrections

Counselling is a major area of psychology, the different types of counselling such as suicide assessment, improving individual skills, and group skills all build a stronger foundation for the patient. Drugs, abuse, crisis intervention, and the rehabilitation of sex offenders all play an important role for the Corrections Officer and Psychologist that work together helping prisoners deal with social problems in the correctional systems.  Other areas of corrections involve the assessment of institutionalized inmates. This involves a number of correctional studies that implement the evaluation of the inmates work environment, how the inmates react to their punishments and how to treat inmates for social and psychological problems. Evaluation of environment adaptation displays how inmates react to other inmates and workers in the prison system. Assessments, studies, and tests absolutely improve the success rate of the overall correctional system. Thomas and Jones (Sept 1999)

Much like a doctor is needed to fix physical problems with the body a Psychologist is needed to fix problems with the brain. There is a need for testers, analyzers, and assessors for studies in the psychological field. Many areas in Criminal Justice have to have on staff Psychologists in order to operate efficiently.

References

Franklin, Donald PhD, (2010) http://www.psychologyinfo.com/forensic/criminal_court.html

Green, Edie / Heilbrun, Kirk / Fortune, William H. / Nietzel, Michael T. / (2010) © Cengage Learning, Wrightsman’s Psychology and the Legal System, 6e

Gross, Nicole R. / Magaletta, Philip R. Ph.D.(2009) The National Psychologist,Corrections system has career opportunities from source: http://nationalpsychologist.com/articles/art_v18n2_2.htm

O’Brien, Thomas\ Jones, Derek J. (Sept 1999) American Psychologist News Paper, A Balanced Approach for Corrections Policy Needed

Psychologist In Jury Selection

The differences between the Scientific Jury Selection process and allowing the Defense and Prosecution to select Jurors on their own has changed the way the Defense and Prosecution selects possible Jurors during the voir dire Jury selection. Some Psychologists disagree with the manner of which the Scientific Jury selection is conducted. Most all-major law firm’s use contracted help for Jury selection. Having a proper Jury selection and expert witnesses will help the Prosecution and Defense prove guilt or innocents of a given suspect. Some complain that by having extra Contractors during trial may slow the due process of the trial. This paper is to determine whether Scientific Jury Selection improves the case or not.

Using Psychologists as consultants for jury selection has become a regular procedure for most Attorneys. This gives the client every conceivable chance that they need to win a case even grim cases with troublesome out come. During the Voir Dire process  of selecting Jurors attorneys  from both sides, the Prosecution, Defense, and  the Trial Judge can question the prospective Jurors this is the perfect time to use Contracted Psychologists  to help choose what Jurors are best for the trial: Garland, Norman (2006) Criminal Evidence Fifth edition.

Now of course the Defense is going to select Jurors that are similar to the Defendant such as job preference, living conditions, place of residence, race and culture, income and social grouping. This way the defendant and the Jurors will have something in common to base their decisions on. The Prosecution wants to expose the victim’s testimony rather than the defendant’s testimony. In this way, the Prosecution will try to obtain a Jury that is against the Defense. They would rather place the people that are complete opposites of the defendant’s life style on the Jury Panel. The Prosecution usually looks for middle-aged business minded people that have no record of wrongdoing. This allows the Prosecution to have an advantage over a defendant that is a non-law abiding citizen, thus selecting good citizens that have no prior records.  The Judge  is present to mediate the trial keeping  the selection of Jurors as even as possible in order to  make the judgment fair for both parties allowing the argument and the complaint to be rational, conducting the trial in a civilized manner. Choosing, a verity of people with different cultural backgrounds for the Jury could alter the outcome of the verdict. The Judge has to make sure that the verdict is fair and correct thus excluding any radicals that may hinder the trial process: Hutson, Mathew (2007) Psychology Today.

The Scientific Approach to Jury selection has been around since the early 1970’s. This approach suggests that the people on the Jury are able to effect the trial just as much as the evidence presented during the case.  While selecting the Jury a number of Psychological and Social experts are called in to determine who is best suited for the type of trial that they are about to enter. Jury selection has become so involved simply because  of the many different types of people that could possibly be chosen to represent the overall public. The process of hiring a Trial Consultant automatically makes your decision for the right Jurors better than average and extends a Jury to be made up of helpful individuals that may have some background or specialty in an area that you want to be examined closely. I think personally that hiring a consultant for Jury selection is a very good idea that increases your chance of winning your court case: Clary, Audrey (2002) Psychologist Villanova University.

Others do not like the fact that, if you as a Prosecutor or a Defense have the money you can hire yourself a contracted Psychologist that can work, close with the Lawyer staff to find the best combination of Jurors. The experts provided may make a better trial and can possibly allow the suspect to be let off if evidence is hard to determine. This makes the trial unfair for Defendants with low-income who only have enough to pay the lawyer fee. In this case, the Prosecutor has the ability to alter the trial and thus make it hard for the Defense to prove innocents. Some of the considerations for reforms of Scientific Jury Selection are to outlaw the actual process of using Coaches or Consultants during Jury selection. Another way to limit the Consultants is to restrict the questioning of would be Jurors during the Voir Dire hearing. Reducing the peremptory challenges by the attorneys could also limit the Consultants that are contracted.  The fact that the cost of Expert Contractors may be a little much for an average person using Contractors could over whelm the Defensive Attorney by handing them extensive research by the Prosecution during  trial: Clary, Audrey (2002) Psychologist Villanova University.

References

Clary, Audrey (2002) Psychologist Villanova University from source http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200703/unnatural-selection

Garland, Norman (2006) Criminal Evidence Fifth edition

Hutson, Mathew (2007) Psychology Today from source http://www.publications.villanova.edu/Concept/2005/jury_selection.pdf

Rape Victim

Medical evaluation and treatment of rape cases victims are a part of Police work that leaves Officers in a realm that makes them social workers and detectives at the same time.

When a rape victim is taken to the hospital they must undergo a series of questions and test. At the time the rape victim may be experiencing psychological issues such as hysteria or denial. Psychological issues present themselves as common responses to rape victims.

The Police Officer dealing with the rape victim must first be able to find a SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) that is able to help them.  SANE are certified to deal with Sexual assaults and provide vital information to the Police Officers in charge of the investigation.

First the Nurse will ask for general information to complete the rape kit. The questions they will ask are demographic data, name, address, Police Officer name, badge, date and location.

Next is the history section of the rape kit. This provides the circumstances of the attack, date, location of attack, information about the attacker, threats, restraints, weapon if one is used, sexual contacts and injuries.

Third the rape kit will include tests that the victim may or may not consent to. The tests consist of urine sample, saliva, smears of buccal mucosa, fingernail clippings, and fingernail scraping.

Feeny Norah  Ph,D (2009, Aug)  Merck & Co. Inc. Medical Examination of the Rape Victim from http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec18/ch252/ch252a.html

911rape.Org (2010) Rape Treatment Center, Medical Care from http://www.911rape.org/getting-help/medical-care/a-medical-examination

Child Abuse

When dealing with child abuse there are many areas that need to be explored such as the Psychological, Legal, and Professional stand points of the Prosecution and Defense. Forensic Investigation has to be preformed and the Police, Pediatrics nurse and or doctors and Lawyers all have to work on the same page in order to bring child abusers to justice.  

Child abuse is an unfortunate case that needs to be handled diligently by trained professionals. Psychologists should be trained to examine evidence presented by Forensics Investigators and by Criminal Investigator to figure out what type of person they are dealing with. If the sexual predator is still at large, the Investigators and Police Force need to be able to find them in order to remove the threat of violence off the street, Whealin, Barnett (2009).

A full medical examination by a specialized nurse should be performed within three days of the victim’s rape. The examiner should perform the proper rape kit. In the case of child abuse, a Pediatric doctor or nurse that is qualified to handle child abuse cases should examine the child for physical and mental abuse. The child may have feelings about the abuser that display conflicts between themselves and their abuser. The child could be under post stress disorder that may lead to psychological scaring, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2006).

When dealing with children that are abused one must be patient when asking questions, being too forceful will confuse the child and deter them from answering questions in the future. Most rape victims consider themselves to be the culprit, in their mind they think that it happened to them because they did something wrong. As the Psychologist, you must make every effort to let the child know that you are their friend helping them through a hard time. Explaining that they are not in the wrong is an important start Garland (2006) .

Children that have been sexually abused show the following symptoms according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2006): poor self image, sexual acting out, inability to trust or love others, aggressiveness, disruptiveness, illegal behaviour, anger and rage, self destructive or self abusive behaviour, suicidal thoughts, passive, anxiety and fears, school problems or failure, feelings of sadness or other symptoms of depression, flashbacks, nightmares,  drug and alcohol usage, sleeping disorders, with drawn or clingy behaviour,  and fear of entering into new relationships or activities.

Research  that shows children that may be in abusive situations display a number of reactions that effect their psychological well being such as irregular playing habits and the tendency to be shy or shun away adults that come close them, Maddocks, Griffiths, Antao (1998). 

Legally a child is able to testify as long as the presenter is able to prepare the child for court. First, a child witness must pass the voir dire hearing; this hearing is to make sure that the child is old enough to know they have to tell the truth in court. The Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment and the Hearsay Rule will most likely not allow statements of absent child victims. This means that if the child is a victim they must testify against the defendants. The creditability of the child may be an issue if they have had mental problems in the past; the defense is then able to claim that what the child witness says is a fictional story. Having other evidence to support what the child witness claims will help the court make its decision, Garland (2006).

The Legal Points of Sexual abuse require the perpetrators to be older than the victim. Most sexual abusers know the children from family or prior engagement. The sexual abusers that do not know the child usually make contact with children at school or over the internet.  In criminal cases, the prosecutor’s job is to protect the society from sexual abusers. The prosecutor usually decides what charges are going to be admitted to court and whether they are filed or dismissed Garland (2006).

In child protection cases the child is to be protected from the perpetrator in most cases they are the victims own parents or primary care givers. The child is placed under custody of other family or in foster care for the duration of their youth according to The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. When dealing with child witnesses it is very important not to mislead the child into responding the way you want them to respond to the courts questions. Taping the initial testimony is important for the Police Officers and Psychologists involved in the telling of the abuse and what occurred. Make sure to leave the witness with the decision of positive and negative responses to the questions asked by the psychologist and Police Officers to make sure that your questions are not misleading. In many cases, the child that is being abused tries to protect the defendant because of close relationship. The psychological effect on the abused child may lead them to dislike the witness, especially if they think the witnesses are lying, The National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

Child Sexual abuse can be a number of actions that take place between a younger child and an adult or older child. These actions may include kissing, fondling of genitals, oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse. Some of the ways perpetrators can abuse children include forcing children to watch pornography, flashing, verbal pressure for sex, and sexual exploitation for purpose of prostitution or pornography according to Whealin, Barnett (2009). The trial and the recovery for abused children may take a lifetime to combat feelings of social disorder and being misled by others last through the abused child’s whole life, The National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

References:

 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2006) Child Abuse the Hidden Bruises from source:  http://aacap.org/page.ww?name=Child+Sexual+Abuse&section=Facts+for+Families

Garland Norman M. (2006) McGraw Hill Criminal Evidence Fifth Edition

Green, Edie / Heilbrun, Kirk / Fortune, William H. / Nietzel, Michael T. / (2010) © Cengage Learning, Wrightsman’s Psychology and the Legal System, 6e

Maddocks, Alison/ Griffiths, Lesley/ and Antao, Vera Department of Community Child Health, Swansea NHS Trust, School of Health Science, University of Wales,Ystrad Mynach Hospital, Wales, UK. (1998) Detecting child sexual abuse in general practice: a retrospective case-control study from Wales

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network from source: www.NCTSN.org

Whealin, Julia and Barnett, Erin PhD National Center for PSD (2009) Child Sexual Abuse from source http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/child-sexual-abuse.asp