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Forensic psychologist
Hours
35-40 per week
Starting salary
£20,000 + per year
If you are interested in criminal behaviour and want to help offenders make positive changes, this is a career that you might like.
To be a forensic psychologist you will need a degree in psychology. You will also need to continue your training and work towards registration with the Health Professions council. Lastly, you will need to become a member of the British Psychological Society.
Forensic psychologists want to help offenders lead law-abiding lives.
WorkDesc
The work
As a forensic psychologist, you could use your specialist knowledge of psychological theory and the problems linked to criminal behaviour to:
- investigate crimes, alongside the police
- rehabilitate offenders or patients in prisons, high security hospitals and specialist mental health residential units
- support prison staff and other professionals working within criminal and civil justice, or the welfare system
- treat those with severe mental health disorders who are held in maximum security hospitals because of the high risk to themselves or others.
You would work with offenders to help them understand and overcome their problems and behaviour patterns. Your main duties would include:
- carrying out specialist risk assessments for offenders
- advising on the best location for prisoners
- developing treatment and rehabilitation programmes for offenders to help them deal with issues around anger or addiction
- providing psychological therapy to help offenders bring about positive change and work towards release and a better life
- advising parole boards, attending mental health review tribunals or court as a professional or expert witness
- producing formal written reports.
You would work with offenders to help them understand and overcome their problems and behaviour patterns. You may use techniques such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to challenge the way the offender views themselves and the world.
You would look for ways to reduce stress and improve life inside prisons for staff and prisoners. You might do this by giving specialist advice on managing offenders or through workshops, for example on issues such as coping with bullying.
You would also be involved in tasks such as:
- carrying out research to support or develop your own practice and the wider criminal justice system
- contributing to policy and service strategy development
- training and mentoring psychological assistants or trainee forensic psychologists.
You would work closely with a wide range of people, including prison officers, probation officers and psychiatrists, violent or sexual offenders, young people, adults with mental health and learning disabilities, and high-risk offenders with severe personality disorders.
In some organisations you may be known as a criminal psychologist, investigative psychologist or legal psychologist.
HoursDesc
Hours
Your working hours would typically be 8.30 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday. Part-time hours and job-sharing opportunities may also be available.
You could be based in one setting, or work across a number of sites such as secure hospitals, prisons, rehabilitation units, secure and open residential units and police stations. You may also visit courts and tribunals to give expert witness testimony.
This work can be challenging and distressing. You may also face physical and verbal abuse.
IncomeDesc
Income
Trainee or newly qualified psychologists can earn around £20,000 a year. Qualified psychologists may earn around £30,000 to £45,000.
Consultants and large department heads may earn up to £95,000.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
EntryRequirementsDesc
Entry requirements
To become a qualified forensic psychologist you need to complete:
- a British Psychological Society (BPS)-accredited degree in psychology, leading to Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC)
- a Health Professions Council (HPC)-approved programme of training leading to registration as a forensic psychologist.
To undertake a BPS-accredited degree you will usually need five GCSEs (A-C), plus three A levels. Check with course providers for exact entry requirements.
Once you have a degree, you will need to continue your training and work towards registration with the HPC and in most cases chartered membership of the BPS. You can do this by gaining:
- either a BPS accredited Masters in Forensic Psychology, followed by a BPS Qualification in Forensic Psychology Stage 2. This involves two years of supervised practice and evidence of applying psychology in a forensic setting
- or a Doctorate in Forensic Psychology.
Competition for postgraduate training is strong. As well as a good degree (usually a minimum 2:1), you will also need evidence of strong research skills plus relevant work experience, for example in a prison or within mental health services. Check with course providers for specific requirements.
Check the BPS website for details of BPS accredited courses. See the HPC website for information about HPC registration.
HM Prison Service, the main employer of forensic psychologists, recruits at a variety of levels. You may be able to start your career as a psychological assistant or trainee forensic psychologist then use this experience as a stepping stone to becoming a qualified psychologist.
Psychological Assistant
To start as a psychological assistant, you would need five GCSEs (grades A-C) including maths and English. Knowledge and understanding of IT and statistics would also be helpful. Once working, you may be able to study part-time for a psychology degree. This would allow you to progress and apply for a trainee position.
Trainee Forensic Psychologist
To start as a trainee forensic psychologist, you will need a BPS-accredited degree and Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). Whilst working under supervision, you would continue studying to achieve registration with the HPC. You would do this by gaining Stage 1 and 2 of the BPS Diploma in Forensic Psychology or a Doctorate in Forensic Practice.
Check the HM Prison Service website for further information on careers and vacancies.
TrainingAndDevelopmentDesc
Training and development
Many employers will actively encourage you to gain wider experience and develop skills in areas such as teaching, training and supervision. You will also receive regular clinical and professional supervision from experienced colleagues.
You could go on to specialise further, for example in the assessment and treatment of sexual offenders. You could undertake a research project leading to a PhD qualification, which would be helpful if you wanted to go into teaching or research as a career.
Once you are experienced, you have a range of career paths open to you. For example, you could transfer to a Prison Governor training programme, or continue your training in psychology and work towards becoming Head of Psychology, running a prison psychology department or a number of departments in different institutions.
To satisfy the requirements of registration with the HPC, you will need to take part in continuing professional development (CPD) activities that will keep your knowledge and skills up to date, and benefit your professional practice and service users.
The HPC audits CPD activity every two years. Check the BPS website for details of their CPD approval scheme and online CPD planning and recording system.
SkillsAndKnowledgeDesc
Skills and knowledge
To become a forensic psychologist you will need to have:
- a genuine desire to help offenders lead law-abiding, fulfilling lives
- a keen interest in the cause and effect of criminal behaviour
- resilience, with the ability to deal with the risk of physical or verbal assault
- patience, empathy, honesty and integrity
- the ability to build effective working relationships
- a proactive approach to research and your own development
- good team-working skills
- excellent communication and listening skills
- good problem-solving and decision-making skills
- the ability to organise a complex workload and meet deadlines
- excellent research skills, with the ability to analyse and present clinical and statistical data
- an accurate, logical and methodical approach
- IT skills.
MoreInformationDesc
More information
HM Prison Service (Justice website) 
Recruitment Section
Cleland House
Page Street
London
SW1P 4LN
www.justice.gov.uk/jobs/prisons
Skills for Justice
Centre Court
Atlas Way
Sheffield
S4 7QQ
www.skillsforjustice.com
British Psychological Society
St Andrew's House
48 Princess Road East
Leicester
LE1 7DR
Tel: 0116 254 9568
www.bps.org.uk
Health and Care Professions Council
Park House
184 Kennington Park Road
London
SE11 4BU
Tel: 020 7582 0866
www.hpc-uk.org
OpportunitiesDesc
Opportunities
The main employer of forensic psychologists is the HM Prison Service (including the Home Office Research and Development Unit). You could also work within the NHS (secure hospitals and rehabilitation units), social services (including the probation service, the police, and young offender institutions) and in education (researching and lecturing in higher education).
You could go on to run a prison psychology department, pursue a policy and strategy-based role, or a management post focusing on a specific issue like reducing reoffending, and increasing safety in custody.
There are also opportunities for freelance and consultancy work, for example working with the police on a case-by-case basis.
You may find the following useful for vacancies and further reading (links open in new window):
Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.
We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.
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Related industry information
Industry summary
Forensic science is part of the justice sector, which is represented by Skills for Justice Sector Skills Council. It includes: police and law enforcement; prosecution service; courts and tribunals; custodial care; community justice; plus fire and rescue services. The UK justice sector works to create and maintain a safe, just and stable society. The purpose of the sector is to reduce crime and re‐offending, promote confidence in the criminal justice system, protect people and contribute to the reduction and fear of crime, and support the administration of justice. The sector employs around 600,000 employees in the UK across a range of organisations operating with different remits.
Forensic science organisations aid investigative and criminal justice processes across the UK justice sector. The services offered include: scene examination; chemistry; biology; DNA; drugs; fingerprints; and specialist services, such as toxicology, firearms, documents and handwriting analysis.
Employment in the forensic science industry has grown at an unprecedented rate over the last ten years, due largely to advances in technology, such as the National DNA Database, and an increased reliance on forensic techniques by police forces for minor crimes. Although many are employed in the private sector, the majority of staff working in the UK forensic science industry work within police forces. The private forensic science sector consists of organisations which are either: non‐departmental government bodies; and commercial providers. The non‐department government bodies, or executive agencies, include the Forensic Science Service Northern Ireland (FSNI) and the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA) Forensic in Scotland.
Key facts:
- In total, there are 8,947 people working in forensic science.
- 85% of the workforce is located in England.
- 62% of employing organisations in forensic science are in polices forces and 38% are in the private sector.
- Competition is fierce in all points of entry, therefore a minimum of an honours degree and, in some cases, postgraduate qualifications are needed for entry.
- Women across the justice sector as a whole tend to be concentrated in support roles.
Jobs in the industry range from: Scenes of Crime Officers, Assistant Forensic Scientist, Trainee Forensic Scientist, Forensic Computer Analyst, Forensic Psychologist, Digital Evidence Investigator, Forensic Drug Analyst.
National and regional data
The East Midlands has 5 police forces that employ approximately 360 full‐time equivalent forensic staff. There are no commercial forensic science providers in the East Midlands.
The East of England has 6 police forces that employ nearly 500 full‐time equivalent forensic staff. Commercial providers in the region include: Forensic Science Service; and Keith Borer Consultants Ltd.
London has 2 police forces that employ over 1,000 full‐time equivalent forensic staff. Commercial providers in the region include: Forensic Science Service; LGC Forensics; Berkeley Security Bureau (Forensic) Ltd.; and Scientifics Ltd.
The North East has 3 police forces that employ over 200 full‐time equivalent forensic staff. Commercial providers in the region include: Forensic Science Service; Keith Borer Consultants Ltd.; and Scientifics Ltd.
The North West has 5 police forces that employ nearly 650 full‐time equivalent forensic science staff. Commercial providers in the region include: Forensic Science Service (3 locations); and LGC Forensics Ltd (2 locations).
The South East has 5 police forces that employ over 600 full‐time equivalent forensic science staff. Commercial providers in the region include: LGC Forensics Ltd.; Orchid Cellmark Ltd.; and M‐Scan Ltd.
The South West has 5 police forces that employ nearly 400 full‐time equivalent forensic science staff. Commercial providers in the region include: Mass Spec Analytical Ltd.; and Scientifics Ltd. (3 locations).
The West Midlands has 4 police forces that employ nearly 400 full‐time equivalent forensic science staff. Commercial providers in the region include: Forensic Science Service (4 Locations); LGC Forensics Ltd.; Key Forensic Services Limited; Document Evidence Ltd.; and Scientifics Ltd.
Yorkshire and Humberside has 4 police forces that employ nearly 600 full‐time equivalent forensic science staff. Commercial providers in the region include: Forensic Science Service (2 Locations); LGC Forensics Ltd.; Key Forensic Services Limited.; Central Science Laboratory (CSL); and Scientifics Ltd. (2 Locations).
In Northern Ireland, there is approximately 225 forensic science staff working for either executive agencies or commercial providers. The number of forensic science staff working within Police Service Northern Ireland is not known. Forensic Science Northern Ireland (FSNI) is the main forensic science employer.
In Scotland, there are approximately 550 forensic science staff working for either non‐departmental government bodies or commercial providers. The commercial provider Scientifics Ltd. has offices in both Scotland and England. The main forensic science employer is the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA).
Wales has 4 police forces that employ 259 full‐time equivalent forensic science staff. A further 173 full‐time equivalent staff are employed by the commercial provider, Forensic Science Service.
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