Inside The Criminal Mind: Techniques of Forensic Psychology

Feb 33 min read

Mahanoy City, PA

glowing drawings showing the layers of the human nervous system — The layers of the human nervous system

You’ve seen it in numerous criminal justice and law TV shows, where the criminal gets caught and sent to jail based on the detectives gathering evidence and connecting the dots. However, the evidence doesn’t stop at the physical things you see, but the thoughts and motives of the criminal. Forensic psychologists answer the question of “why?” by using techniques to assess the mentality and observe the behaviors of suspects, ultimately helping in countless legal disputes and criminal trials.

First, what exactly is a forensic psychologist, and what do they do? A forensic psychologist is a qualified specialist who connects psychology with the legal system. Their work focuses on studying criminal behavior to help law officials understand the offender’s mind before, during, and after the crime. In addition to criminal cases, forensic psychologists can work on civil cases. Since their studies aren’t limited to the offender, they can assess witness credibility, evaluate the consistency of factual information, provide testimony and insight in court, and much more. The selection of skills creates many jobs such as correctional counselors, police consultants, crime analysts, and researchers, which may contain tasks from conducting research to counseling inmates.

When profiling suspects, forensic psychologists use a plethora of techniques. A common one is interviewing, which has two types. Structured interviewing follows a set sequence of questions, while unstructured interviews allow for a more flexible conversation, both types resulting in the information used to figure out the suspect’s psychological state. The details gathered from these interviews can reveal much about the person, such as their history and other important factors that may be crucial to the case.

Another common technique is behavioral analysis, which involves examining behavior patterns to understand the individual's psychological characteristics. Behavioral analysis is very important, allowing psychologists to compare patterns, and analyze crime scenes to predict future actions. An example of behavioral analysis is risk assessment. Risk assessment involves collecting information on the history, current circumstances, and health of the individual to assess the possibility of them committing further violence.

Newfound information can also tie into research, which is used to better understand criminal behavior, and apply it to the legal system, potentially preventing future crimes. Forensic psychology research combines psychological and scientific methods to answer legal questions. This interdisciplinary field primarily focuses on collecting data using psychological testing, studying case files, analyzing different factors, and the trauma of victims. Experimental studies, where the psychologist tests hypotheses about criminal behavior, are also used to collect and test new data findings. This causes forensic psychologists to easily see trends in behavior and create new ways to advance the field.

Some recent advancements include the addition of neuropsychology and health technology. Biomarkers, wearables, and Virtual Reality (VR) Technology are being used to predict a patient’s physiological response. This offers new insight that forensic psychologists can use to pinpoint lacking knowledge in different areas of the field, further paving the pathway for future ideas and developments.