---
title: "Forensic psychology"
description: "Want to learn whether a career in forensic psychology is for you? Discover what you'll study, where forensic psychologists work and the salary they earn."
canonical: "https://ads.pr1.ops.ads.arden-prod01.arden.ac.uk/psychology-subject-guide/forensic-psychology"
published: 2022-09-07
updated: 2023-07-27
author: "Arden University"
---

# Forensic psychology

WHAT IS FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY?

### Forensic psychology is often defined as the point where psychology and law meet. It covers all aspects of the legal system, including civil, family and criminal cases. Forensic psychologists examine the psychological elements within casework. It's extremely wide-ranging, with work including providing one-to-one assessments, giving evidence in court, designing rehabilitation programmes for those who've committed crimes and more.

When working with offenders, forensic psychologists often treat violence, aggression, and behaviours related to sexual offending, as well as improving social skills. The ultimate aim is to rehabilitate those who've committed crimes - to reduce the risk of reoffending.

## Forensic psychologist personality traits

![Attention to detail](https://d2n98vq36tw7n9.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/2022-09/Attention%20to%20detail.png?VersionId=MNbI4ycuMvZGV96wCjuRcl1t7jMiNqT3)

METICULOUS ATTENTION TO DETAIL

![Highly Organised](https://d2n98vq36tw7n9.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/2022-09/Highly%20organised.png?VersionId=8Ag3JGFGp6Uef6U.c2WvJPljmHYTnRIC)

CRITICAL THINKING

COMPASSION

![Communication Skills](https://d2n98vq36tw7n9.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/2022-09/Communication%20skills.png?VersionId=6v39OwwZzVe62YhMqRl8DwpgiOE6TTQV)

GOOD COMMUNICATOR

## Our fictional famous forensic psychologist

![George-Huang-M.D](https://cdn.arden.ac.uk/s3fs-public/styles/course_hero_low/public/2022-09/George%20Huang%20M.D-1.jpg)

George Huang M.D. (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)

It's no surprise to see a forensic psychologist feature in a TV show all about the criminal justice system. George Huang served as a liaison to the FBI in the show for several seasons. He could often be seen providing assessments of defendants affected by mental illness. And in the episode 'Born Psychopath', he diagnoses a young boy with increasingly aggressive tendencies with an anti-social personality disorder, allowing him to be treated appropriately.

` ## Your potential forensic psychology career options

HM Prison Service is the UK's largest employer of forensic psychologists. You could expect to work in prisons, probation settings and headquarters to implement treatment programmes, reduce stress and assess reoffence risk.

Secure hospitals and mental health rehabilitation centres also offer lots of opportunities. Here, you might advise mental health tribunals, assess those at risk of suicide or self-harm and develop rehabilitation programmes.

You could also work in the police force, with responsibilities ranging from carrying out criminal profiling using statistical analysis, to helping police identify potential criminals, to delivering training on techniques for crisis negotiation.

Social services rely on forensic psychology too. Through this path, you could expect to provide mental health treatment for offenders, serve as a witness in court trials and assess the mental stability of witnesses before a trial.

![](https://cdn.arden.ac.uk/s3fs-public/styles/quote_low/public/2022-08/Alex%20Header%20Image%20%281%29.png)

### A Forensic Psychology Salary Guide

How much does a forensic psychologist earn working for HM Prison Service (HMPS)? As a trainee, you could expect a starting salary of between £27,021 and £34,461 per year. Once fully qualified and registered, you'd then be able to earn anywhere between £38,148 and £43,870 (band 7). When you reach senior level, this jumps again to between £42,626 and £51,154 (band 8).

Within the NHS, you could earn between £32,306 to £39,027 while training (band 6 on the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay scale). This would then rise to between £40,057 and £45,839 (AfC band 7) once you were fully qualified.

Source: [Prospects](https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/forensic-psychologist)

[ Explore our psychology courses ](https://ads.pr1.ops.ads.arden-prod01.arden.ac.uk/distance-learning-psychology-degrees)

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