What do forensic psychologists do?
Forensic psychologists work in the family, civil and criminal court systems helping attorneys evaluate defendants, offer treatment recommendations to judges and help legal authorities understand the psychological findings of cases. Forensic psychologists are also employed as expert witnesses during trials.ResponsibilitiesIn the family court system, forensic psychologists perform child custody evaluations and investigate reports of child abuse. In the civil and criminal court systems, forensic psychologists conduct evaluations to determine mental competency and provide sentencing recommendations and treatment recommendations for adult and juvenile offenders.EducationForensic psychologist training is obtained by enrolling in a doctoral degree through a college or university.
If we use the broad definition of the term, they do a lot of different things: Basic and applied research on the legal system itself and/or any of its participants (study of legal issues and practices, criminal behavior, police officers, jury behavior, eyewitness testimony, memory, perception, etc.
