Criminal Justice Careers in Applied Psychology

Applied psychology is essentially the application of concepts studied in psychology to solve problems throughout society. One of the most well-known examples of this is when psychological principles are used to aid in the criminal justice system, a practice better known as forensic psychology.

Background

It is often essential for law enforcement officials to understand basic psychology in order to apprehend criminals. These principles are often taught in law enforcement training institutions and in criminal justice courses. However, many criminal cases and other areas of law enforcement require the expertise of a psychologist that specializes in forensic psychology. The following positions are often filled by professionals who hold degrees related to applied psychology.

Forensic Psychologist

Working as a forensic psychologist is the primary profession of people who hold degrees in psychology and work in the criminal justice system. These professionals are usually required to attain doctoral degrees. A forensic psychologist performs many different duties, such assessing the sanity of criminal suspects, evaluating sanity pleas, and overseeing custody or visitation rights cases.

Criminal Profiler

A criminal profiler is a law enforcement professional who combines principles of psychology, sociology and criminology to develop psychological profiles for criminal suspects. Their work is typically used to aid law enforcement officials in locating and apprehending violent criminals.

Criminal Psychology Researchers

Criminal psychology researchers play a vital role in the criminal justice system by analyzing the psychology behind criminal activity. These professionals attempt to obtain and distribute information that is incorporated into law enforcement programs in order to reduce and even prevent certain types of criminal activity.