The public has developed fanciful ideas about forensic psychology as the science of catching criminals by understanding their thought patterns. Many prospective students also have the impression of forensic psychologists as flying into different states and tracking down criminals through psychological clues. Dr. John Denboer enjoys imagining himself as having such a career, but as a retired professional forensic psychologist, he wants to forward a more realistic definition of forensic psychology

1. What is forensic psychology?
January 29, 2020
The public has developed fanciful ideas about forensic psychology as the
science of catching criminals by understanding their thought patterns.
Many prospective students also have the impression of forensic
psychologists as flying into different states and tracking down criminals
through psychological clues. Dr. John Denboer enjoys imagining himself
as having such a career, but as a retired professional forensic
psychologist, he wants to forward a more realistic definition of forensic
psychology.
Image source: https://www.theexpertinstitute.com/
The American Psychological Association offers the broad-­‐stroke definition
of forensic psychology, saying it revolves around using psychology in the
legal field. Some experts and institutions, in a bid to make this applied

2. field grounded and therefore teachable, define it as the use of clinical
specializations on legal institutions and the people involved with the law.
But the definition Dr. John Denboer is most taken with is the use of
psychological research and experimentation in the legal arena, since
forensic psychologists should not be isolated to just its procedures. The
theories of psychology must still inform actual forensic psychology
practice, like the one he’s doing with juveniles involved with the law.
Image source: Online Schools Report
Although Dr. John Denboer talks about how forensic psychology can also
help psychology as a whole make strides into the human psyche, he adds
that a forensic psychologist's skills in procedures are likewise as
important as their grasp of theory. A forensic psychologist will always be
making psychological assessments and evaluations, making reports, and
prepping for case presentations and their own expert witness testimony

3. if called into court. Forensic psychologists will figure in various legal
aspects like child custody evaluations, skill and competency evaluations of
the elderly and people involved with the justice system, assessing
potential threats at schools, screening police applicants, evaluation of
juvenile delinquents, and evaluating degrees of post-­‐traumatic stress
disorder.
We may be entering the golden age of forensic psychology, thanks in
large part to popular culture. Although its real-­‐world counterpart may not
satisfy the adventurous picture its film and television image provide, it can
save lives and change lives for the better for real, enthuses Dr. John
Denboer.