For the brave women and men who serve America in the armed forces, the time comes when their service is completed and they move into the general workforce. Most veterans will want to put to use the skills they learned while serving their country. One of the most closely linked fields to military service is that of forensic psychology.
Forensic psychologists work closely with law enforcement, judges, and attorneys; they blend psychology with the justice system. Military veterans are a good fit for this field and can bring their understanding of the justice system and experiences in the field to the job. Forensic psychologists can be trained in social, clinical, or any other type of psychology. Mostly, forensic psychologists work to bring psychological conclusions into the courtroom, render such conclusions relevant, and make the findings solid enough that most defenses cannot tear them down. Forensic psychologists are often called in when a defendant is believed to be faking a mental illness. Military personnel are trained to read faces and body language and can generally tell if a person is being deceitful; this is something many people in the military are trained to do. Forensic psychologists are employed when the competency of a defendant is in question. After questioning, the psychologist determines whether or not a subject is capable of standing trial or is mentally unstable and needs to be committed.
This field has consistently grown over the last two decades. Any military veteran who obtains a Masters in forensic psychology can expect to find an exciting, satisfying job working alongside attorneys in court. There are also opportunities for forensic psychologists to teach and research various aspects of psychology. Whatever a veteran decides to do with his or her forensic psychology degree, it’s critical to obtain at least a Master’s degree. Graduates in this field with only a bachelor’s degree will likely find it’s difficult to get the kind of work they want to do.
