The Role of a Forensic Psychologist in a Police Setting - Term Paper Example

The Role of a Forensic Psychologist in a Police Setting Introduction Forensic psychologists play various roles in the law enforcement agencies and independently as well, partnering with police departments. They often perform the role of Fitness-For-Duty Evaluation (FFDEs), hostage team negotiation, criminal profiling and psychological autopsies among others. They not only act as advisors, but also assist police departments to describe any crime. Based on this aspect, the paper attempts to discover one role that forensic psychologist professionals play throughout the process of crime investigation with police department, defined as ‘psychological autopsy’ (Bartol & Bartol, 2011). The paper hence explores the qualification, certification and licensure requirements of forensic psychologists on performing this role. The ethical, legal and diversity considerations have also been described in the paper. Furthermore, various challenges faced by forensic psychologists in order to undertake the task of psychological autopsy have been addressed in the discussion henceforth. Description of the Role Psychological autopsy is a way to describe if a death of a certain individual was suicide, accident or homicide, i.e. identifying the cause of death, which often acts as a foundation of police investigation. The objective of psychological autopsy is thus to evaluate the situation surrounding death in combination with other important facts of the victim’s life, moving ahead of merely identifying the cause of death. Therefore, it not only helps to discover the reason but also the mode through which an individual die (Murthy at al., 2010). To be precise, psychological autopsy is a process for evaluating the death of an individual through renovation of the thoughts and emotional states that the person was during the occurrence. This renovation is subject to information collected from personal documents, police records, clinical records and face to face interview with the family members, friends and other individuals who had contact with the deceased individual. Fundamentally, there is no well-developed conceptual basis for deriving conclusion from the information gathered from various sources. It appears that forensic psychologists utilize their unique experience and relate various facts as well as symptoms in order to arrive at a conclusion. The information gathered from interviewing the relatives, friends and employers among other connected people to the deceased deliver important information for renovating the psychological background, personality traits and personal relationships of the victim(s). Why This Role is of Interest? The area of forensic psychology has witnessed significant upraise in its role playing in police investigations since the past few years. At present, increased attention is being paid to the role of forensic psychologists in police departments. It is most likely that forensic psychologists are called in order to testify on various subjects related with legal practices. Among various roles performed by forensic psychologists, the role of psychological autopsy is quite interesting, as it helps to determine the reason for crime and document possible characteristics of the convicts, accelerating chances of successful completion of the investigation. Furthermore, this role is also interesting as it is also related with understanding behavioral factors associated with a particular type of crime. Qualifications, Certifications and Licensures Qualifications In order to perform the role of psychological autopsy, the professional must possess certain qualifications. At the basic level, forensic psychologists require a master or doctoral degree with clinical experience, including clinical tasks in law enforcement forensic organization laboratory. Wherein a doctoral degree assists in preparing individuals for researching the behavior and activities of people, forensic psychologists also necessitate qualifications in the area of psychology, sociology, mental health and criminal justice (Bartol & Bartol, 2011). Certifications In order to become a forensic psychologist, proper certification is mandatory. Forensic certificate helps to obtain permission, necessary to the applicants for receiving extra forensic training. This type of certificate concentrates on the specialty of the selection in the forensic psychological investigation field. The postgraduate certificate in forensic psychology is designed mainly for those applicants who have already obtained master or doctoral degree in the area of psychology, sociology, counselling and related areas. Furthermore, there is also a significant requirement of certification for becoming a ‘Certified Psychological Autopsy’ professional. This certification helps to understand the utilization of forensic applications in clinical environment (Bartol & Bartol, 2011). Licensures When performing the role of a forensic psychologist in the field of psychological autopsy, professionals need to acquire licensure mandatorily. The postgraduate certificate is not designed to provide license for performing the task of psychological autopsy. However, applicants who desire to perform professionally with the police departments must apply for licensure to the state licensing boards. Furthermore, obtaining licensure also necessitates taking additional courses, which might be available in the certificate program. It was by 1977 that every American state had already developed regulations regarding licensure of forensic psychologists. In the year 1987, American Psychological Association (APA) also developed a Model Act for licensure requirements of forensic psychologists. This Act served as a prototype for drafting governmental regulations. To be noted in this regard, as per the Act, one of the chief criteria for qualifying for licensing is the doctoral degree (Bartol & Bartol, 2011). Analysis and Evaluation of Specific Skills Psychological autopsy requires strong investigator abilities. A forensic psychologist in psychological autopsy role needs to compare information from various sources such as police reports or personal diaries among others. The focus of the tasks of psychological autopsy is to rebuild the personality profile and reasoning features (mainly intentions) of the deceased individual(s). Thus, they need to comprehend and use the information gathered from various sources followed by their systematic and scientific analysis to represent the complex opinions with strong logical reasoning. Psychological autopsy task necessitates retrieval and administration of information successfully from various sources. Furthermore, psychological autopsy tasks also necessitate problem solving and reasoning ability, making critical judgments and proper evaluation. While performing the job role, forensic psychologists must be sensitive to circumstantial and relational aspects, comprising behavior and social collaborations (Kumar et al., 2007). To be precise, following are the skills required for a forensic psychologist when performing the role of psychological autopsy. Skill to conduct psychological evaluation of individuals Skill to prepare brief report by specifying the findings and conclusions of psychological assessment Skill to deliver testament in courts in relation to the psychological conditions of victim(s) Skill to interpret complex psychological states and the subsequent behavioral traits in a professional way Skill to undertake research, to make reports and to teach others on the subject of psychology Skill to perform as a team member Skill to maintain existing knowledge for forensic psychology Skill to endure pressure under extremely stressful circumstances Skill to interview with various people in order to obtain insight about the behavior of deceased individuals Apart from these skills, performing the role of psychological autopsy necessitates requisite knowledge about the ideologies and practices of clinical psychology and procedures for observing and evaluating the behaviors. Besides, there is also requirement of knowledge on consistent psychological evaluation, comprising those which are valid in evaluating the socially or emotionally disturbed individuals. Analysis and Evaluation of Specific Communication and Interaction The ability to understand the motive of deceased individual becomes impractical if the forensic psychologists are unable to communicate the findings to the police and other law enforcement officers with appropriate reasoning. Forensic psychologists often perform with police departments in order to establish the profile of individuals as well as to comprehend the possible behaviors and intentions associated with the crime. They are summoned into courts in order to testify the incident related with psychological autopsy. As a part of psychological autopsy, they also require explaining the relationships between gathered evidences and the psychology of individuals. Furthermore, since the task of psychological autopsy is related with preparation of reports, forensic psychologists must have better written communication skills, which is certainly helpful in the investigation process (Jacobs & Klein-Benheim, 1995). Forensic psychologists, in psychological autopsy role, often perform with government agencies such as FBI and assist prosecutors in identifying the true causes of crime and recognize the offender(s). In this context, it can be stated that strong interaction ability can assist forensic psychologists to interact with witnesses and collect information in order to support or oppose the criminal case in an effort to reach the truth. Besides, effective interaction skill allows forensic psychologists to discuss on complex topics without imploring argumentative or aggressive reactions (Walsh & Bull, 2009). Communication and interpersonal abilities further provides directives to suspects and relay significant information to other law enforcement agencies. Hence, these skills can make information collection procedure much effective and productive. In most of the circumstances, forensic psychologists are not the primary investigators, but they frequently support the police officers or other agents interviewing suspects or witnesses. Since forensic psychologists have both legal as well as psychological understanding, they often realize what question to ask and what information to gather for conducting crime. Forensic psychologists thus require interviewing various suspects and witnesses and therefore, must communicate in clear and efficient way, so that the suspects or witnesses are unable to weasel the way out from complex discussion (Walsh & Bull, 2009). Strong communication and interaction ability may further assist forensic psychologists to converse openly and honestly with people regarding any crime. In psychological autopsy, forensic psychologists must perform cooperatively with other police departments, such as FBI or the country police officers in order to come up with strong strategies and provide evidence that can reveal the true motives behind any criminal offence. Listening skills are also vital for the task of psychological autopsy. To be precise, forensic psychologists must at the foremost, listen carefully to the witnesses and suspects so that they can deliberate relevant facts and accurate misstatements throughout cross examination. It is in this context that communication and interaction ability also assists in contracting opposing viewpoints and revealing the truth (Walsh & Bull, 2009). Analysis of Ethical, Legal, and Diversity Considerations Ethical Considerations Directing a psychological autopsy is a subtle task, pressurizing professionals with emotional demands being the sole contributors of investigation. Thus, various ethical considerations are needed to be taken while planning and undertaking such investigation. These ethical considerations comprise possession of confidence in the investigation, establishment of shared respect and faith, informed consent and maintenance of confidentiality and anonymity. The participants of investigation also possess the right to expect that the procedure of psychological autopsy will be undertaken in a sensitive way, following which, a legal action might be taken if the informer considers that their rights and self-respect has been overstepped (Beskow et al., 1991). Informed consent: Informed consent is a long held ethical aspect, which is considered in any professional practice including psychological autopsy. While seeking information, informed consent expresses the significance of personal autonomy and respect for dignity of individuals. Nevertheless, from a legal viewpoint, informed consent is not required for the practice of forensic psychology. Generally, informed consent is needed unless the investigation is ordered by the court (Kalmbach & Lyons, 2006). Confidentiality: In the area of psychological autopsy, the forensic psychologists are assumed to perform in a non-confidential way and conduct investigation accordingly. Correspondingly, there are several instances where the examinee is owed to reveal information regarding the deceased individual, which assists in conducting the task of psychological autopsy (Kalmbach & Lyons, 2006). Legal Considerations Forensic psychologists also require understanding legal considerations when implementing the process of psychological autopsy. In general, legal considerations of forensic psychologists involve equivocal death examination. Civil rights: Every forensic psychologist has legal responsibilities to be respectful regarding the rights of clients. Correspondingly, while undertaking investigation regarding death, they should be sensitive towards the civil rights of examinees, owing to the fact that in evaluative context, the threat from such civil rights is significant for forensic psychologists (Kalmbach & Lyons, 2006). Right to counsel: In general, forensic psychologists make every effort in order to ensure that the examinee(s) has legal exemplification before undertaking investigation. The principle of the right to counsel also seeks to protect the right of individual. It is in this context that in striving to certify fairness and accuracy in the evaluation procedure, forensic psychologists can be summoned in order to inform the court regarding the legal standards, which discourage psychological practices (Kalmbach & Lyons, 2006). Presence of advocate throughout evaluation: The defendants also possess a constitutional right to obtain the support of their advocate, who might be informed of the objective of interview, prior to the involvement of forensic evaluation. Nevertheless, during evaluation, the defendants do not possess the right of the presence of their advocate. In cases, where court order stipulates the presence of advocate or in cases where a specific advocate desires to be present throughout the investigation or interview, forensic psychologists possess variety of options. However, it has often been argued that the existence of an attorney or third party may generate problems for conducting the tasks of psychological autopsy, as it can cause distractions for forensic psychologists (Kalmbach & Lyons, 2006). Diversity Considerations Cultural competence: In recent years, increased attention has been provided to the influence of cultural diversity factors on the investigation procedure of psychological autopsy. Cultural diversity signifies that different individuals perceive and experience the world in different ways. Due to this reason, while undertaking psychological autopsy, forensic psychologists require considering race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender and religious preferences among others. To be mentioned in this regard, diverse cultures have different ways of behaving and interacting with people in similar situations. In forensic psychology practices, it is probable that examinee(s) will act, think and sense in ways influenced by their specific cultural background. Under such circumstances, a judicious and cultural diversity competent evaluator shall be able to consider factors beyond traditional training and can arrive at a more accurate and representative picture of the examinee (Kalmbach & Lyons, 2006). Shifting of lens: Although forensic psychologists must maintain their professional decision, they must also be capable of shifting the cultural lens and observe the world from an examinee’s perspective. As a result, it can help to interpret the proper behavior of the examinee(s). Thus, considering cultural diversity can help forensic psychologists to better discern the manners of their examinee(s). Another significant diversity issue asserts that even within a specific cultural group, great diversity can exist. For instance, in the US, Hispanic cultural group comprises numerous diverse cultures such as Cuban, Rican and Mexican among others. These cultural differences must be considered and comprehensive assumptions must be avoided by forensic psychologists regarding a cultural group during investigation (Kalmbach & Lyons, 2006). Evaluation of Potential Psychological Risk The task of psychological autopsy is related with psychological risks. Since the task is related with the evaluation of death, at times, it becomes tough for the individuals who are closely associated with the deceased person. It might so happen that even defining the psychological state of deceased person is painful, intense and inexorable for forensic psychologists. Furthermore, forensic psychologists, in psychological autopsy role require to response many queries raised by the family members of deceased individuals as well as the police departments. This generates a degree of psychological burden for forensic psychologists to reveal and tell the truth, even if the truth is hard to believe and is unexpected by either parties. In psychological autopsy, forensic psychologists are required to evaluate the behavior of the deceased, which is a controversial theme. This is one particular field of forensic psychology, which can have significant influence on the life of family members of deceased person. The outcome or opinion delivered by forensic psychologists may certainly influence the decision of police, adjudicators, offender(s), offender’s family, victim(s), victim’s family and the society at large. Thus, forensic psychologists have to bear a huge responsibility to find the real fact behind any criminal act, which imposes considerable psychological pressure on these professionals (Young, 1992). The other key responsibility that forensic psychologist possess is to support police departments in proper verdict deliverance, if a suspect is found guilty. For example, if an individual is found to be a repeat offender and throughout psychological autopsy, forensic psychologists are able to unveil the wrongdoers to be at risk for committing similar crime upon discharge, a stronger verdict might be required. Thus, in this context it can be stated that forensic psychologists help to determine the condemnation that would be appropriate if an individual is found to be an offender of a particular crime. One of the key aspects on weighing on this decision is to evaluate the mental history of the deceased person. If no prior history of irregular activity or relevant connection regarding death is found, it might become a psychological burden for forensic psychologists to make proper decision regarding the offence (Cheng et al., 2000). Undoubtedly, the task of psychological autopsy is quite challenging, as there is great deal of responsibility involved in determining the reason for death as well as identifying the future of other individuals who are related with the death. The decision of forensic psychologists is certainly able to send a person to a lifetime imprisonment or even charge the person with death penalty. Due to this reason, the profession endures too much of psychological pressure. It is believed that forensic psychologists develop twisted viewpoints on humankind. By very nature of the profession, approximately every client they observe, demonstrate certain type of unlawful behavior. They develop anomalous worldview, which results in increased anxiety regarding any unusual circumstances posing serious psychological risks to these professionals (Young, 1992). Forensic psychologists can deal with psychological risks in several ways. For example, in case of suicide, they can bring a sense of closure to the survivors. In case of murder, forensic psychologists can provide insight to the survivor. Every individual deals with psychological risks in different ways. Some handle the risk personally, while others isolate themselves in order to cope with mental pressure and few require time in order to grieve. In this context, it can be stated that forensic psychologists can address the psychological risks inherent in the job by suggesting support group or by conversation (Cheng et al., 2000). Analysis of Challenges There are several challenges in the field of psychological autopsy. Lack of Standard: The first challenge is lack of standards. There are no set of standards for undertaking the task of forensic autopsy. This lack of standard has certain negative influence on court actions. In worst case circumstances, being the evidence of psychological autopsy can be prohibited by the police departments due to lack of standards (Snider et al., 2006). Reliability: In psychological autopsy, the reliability is argued to be evaluated by comparing the outcomes of two groups; one that commit suicide versus the ones who do not commit such an act. Nevertheless, in most circumstances, it is pointed out that the dimension of outlook of the two groups is not a valid measure of reliability. The other method of reliability is to analyze the outcomes of psychological autopsy with the outcomes of other forensic fields in order to determine the type and severity of the crime conducted. However, it is also not regarded as a standard methodology to prove the reliability of psychological autopsy (Snider et al., 2006). Validity: In psychological autopsy, validity is determined to be not attainable. However, there is no particular standard for establishing validity in psychological autopsy wherein the general acceptability among forensic psychologists community is also non-existent as every individual professional applies their individual methodology in order to conduct the duty of autopsy as per their experience, knowledge and the unique requirements of the case (Snider et al., 2006). Provability in court: The other significant challenge of psychological autopsy role is provability in court. The low level of standard in performing the duty of psychological autopsy may emerge as a significant drawback in this regard for forensic psychologists, when it comes to define provability in court. Psychological autopsy is a field of behavioral science, which observes the reason for death, only few repeatable scientific theories can be observed and applied in the process of psychological autopsy, which makes it a challenging task for forensic psychologists. While the task of psychological autopsy is effective in order to define the true reason for death, in many circumstances the forensic psychologists have to face scrutiny in scientific community, owing to low level of standards and lower efficiency in the documentation procedure followed (Lacks et al., 2008). Conclusion Psychological autopsy have been quite useful in police setting in the past. If undertaken these tasks appropriately, real facts can be discovered regarding the individuals who are related with a specific crime either as a victim or as an offender. However, since it is fairly new investigative tool in the area of forensic psychology, there are several ethical, legal and cultural aspects to be considered during investigation. Furthermore, there are various challenges faced by forensic psychologists in order to undertake the task of psychological autopsy such as lack of standards and difficulties in validity as well as reliability among others. Undoubtedly, the area of psychological autopsy has huge possibility of development. It is further expected that in future, various techniques will be evolving in order to conduct psychological investigation of crime that on one hand will empower superior investigation, while on the other shall increase complexities in the psychological autopsy procedure. References Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. M. (2011). Introduction to forensic psychology: research and application. United States: SAGE. Beskow, J., Runeson, B., & Asgard, U. (1991). Ethical aspects of psychological autopsy. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 84(5), 482-487. Cheng, A. T., Chen, T. H. H., Chen, C. C., Jenkins, R. (2000). Psychosocial and psychiatric risk factors for suicide: case control psychological autopsy study. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 177, 360-365. Jacobs, D., & Klein-Benheim, M. (1995). The psychological autopsy: a useful tool for determining proximate causation in suicide cases. 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