Individuals involved in the law enforcement field are required to have a clear understanding of the field due to the several challenges that it faces. Police officers are tasked with different responsibilities, and their psychological understanding of criminal justice is important since it influences most of the decision they make in this field (Bartol and Bartol, 2017). There has always been a debate about whether police officers can be effective psychologists. This is because the field of law enforcement and psychology are not strongly related. The ability of a police officer to reason from a psychologist point of view can enable him or her to make a sound decision when it comes to dealing with cases that involve individuals who have mental problems (Bartol and Bartol, 2017). Such a police officer can also be able to make sound decisions when it comes to deciding the conditions that guarantee the safety of people in the society.
Due to technological advancements, the relationship between psychology and law enforcement has been improved significantly. This has led to the emergence of forensic psychology in police departments. The department is used to solve cases that require psychological analysis (Bartol and Bartol, 2017). These cases require the knowledge of experts who can perform activities such as analyzing blood samples and coming up with conclusions that can help other police officers make their decisions. The experts who are involved in forensic psychology must have the required knowledge of psychology. Most police departments require such individuals to have a PhD in psychology (Bartol and Bartol, 2017). For an individual to be able to relate law enforcement and psychology, he or she must undergo different training programs. Such individuals are also required to carry out detailed research occasionally due to the complexity of the cases that they have to deal with.
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Law enforcement is required to guarantee public safety and professionals involved in it are urged to gain knowledge in the field of psychology. This knowledge allows them to reason from an individual’s point of view in the society (Otto and Heilbrun, 2002). This is important since it allows the police to understand the factors that forced an individual to interfere with other people’s activities. In the past, law enforcement did not require the application of psychological knowledge while deciding the outcome of different cases. However, this field has changed after the realization that some individuals are driven by factors such as mental illness to make decisions that end up breaking the law (Otto and Heilbrun, 2002). This has resulted in most police officers seeking advice from psychological experts especially in cases that involve individuals with mental illness.
It is therefore clear that psychology and law enforcement are fields that continue to be strongly related due to the rise in a number of cases that require psychological analysis. Development of forensic psychology is a perfect example of the improvement that has been experienced in this field (Otto and Heilbrun, 2002). Experts from this field are used to assist in cases that are related to child abduction, risk assessment, assessment of the mental state of suspects among others. Their knowledge has also been used to improve the safety of the public due to the recommendation that they offer to the police (Otto and Heilbrun, 2002). Such recommendation can be related to the individuals who should be allowed to interact with others in the society despite their mental state. These experts can predict future behaviors of individuals who mental concerns especially if they are involved in criminal activities. It is therefore clear that psychology has been effective in the field of law enforcement in recent years.
References
Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. M. (2017). Introduction to forensic psychology: Research and application. Sage Publications.
Otto, R. K., & Heilbrun, K. (2002). The practice of forensic psychology: A look toward the future in light of the past. American Psychologist , 57 (1), 5.
