You could begin your career as a forensic psychologist in probation as a psychology assistant or trainee working towards your full chartership with the British Psychological Society/registration with the Health Care Professions Council, or you could join as a fully qualified forensic psychologist. In probation, you will have the opportunity to increase your learning in the field while contributing to studying criminogenic behaviours. Your role will be complex, challenging but very rewarding as you work alongside your probation officer colleagues as well as other frontline staff to provide a service that will help change the attitudes and behaviours of those who have been given a community sentence or licence.
You may find yourself based in any number of teams in the community or in prisons, delivering psychology services directly to or in support of the people we supervise. On a day to day basis, you will find yourself carrying out risk assessments, carrying out psychometric testing, training staff, writing reports, attending case conferences, contributing to public protection arrangements, and managing and reviewing psychological programmes and interventions. You may find yourself providing direct psychology services to service users through our Enhanced Combination Order, or attending hearings and giving evidence to Parole Commissioners, or providing reports for probation colleagues for the courts.
Every day, you will see the complexity of human behaviour and evaluate the data on the effectiveness of the approach psychology, programmes and interventions take to reduce reoffending. You may also find yourself providing essential advice to your colleagues as they supervise people on a licence or a community sentence.
Throughout your work you will be contributing to and shaping the development, management and evaluation of offending behaviour programmes and interventions.
Though it is a busy job you will also find yourself continuing your own professional development as you maintain your professional standards, write academic articles for journals, share research with probation or other justice organisations at conferences and add to your knowledge of human behaviour as you help challenge behaviours and attitudes for a safer community.