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An
Interesting Career in Psychology:
Forensic
Psychologist
Anthony
J. Pinizzotto, PhD, Federal
Bureau of Investigation
 Intense
controversy currently surrounds the Roman Catholic priesthood
in America. Allegations of recent wrongdoing by members of the
FBI have brought into question by some their fidelity, bravery,
and integrity (the FBI creed). Occasional stories of psychologists
abusing patients or making fraudulent insurance claims have made
front-page tabloids. And so as a Roman Catholic priest who works
for the FBI as a forensic psychologist, when I’m asked,
“What do you do for a living?” some may wonder why
I don’t say something like, “I’m a greeter at
the local discount store.” And yet, the combination of these
three professions makes for an interesting, enjoyable, educational
and fulfilling workday!
Admittedly,
if someone had told me thirty-five years ago when I entered the
seminary that I would eventually be working as a forensic psychologist
in the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit (BSU), it would have
strained even my faith. As a young seminarian with a bachelor’s
degree in English and a master’s degree in moral theology,
I would not have anticipated the next thirty-five years would
result in having worked in uniform with the Metropolitan Police
Department in Washington, DC, receiving a master’s degree
in forensic psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice
in NYC, a PhD in psychology from Georgetown University and completing
an internship at Bellevue Hospital. There must be something to
the adage, “Being at the right place at the right time.”
In
some ways, though, it seems like a perfect fit: an examination
of the evil men, women and children do from a theological, psychological
and legal perspective. It becomes even more interesting when the
prism through which I view the world combines the Christian humanism
of St. Francis deSales, the patron of my Religious order, and
the determinism of Sigmund Freud, the psychological orientation
I’ve adopted. The resultant hybrid is something of a BioPsychoSocioSpiritual
perspective: basically good people making choices within given
and set parameters. Some of those choices turn out to have wonderful
effects on themselves and others; some of those choices turn out
to be pretty awful ones that have catastrophic effects on others.
My
current position in the FBI is Senior Scientist and Forensic Psychologist
within the BSU. My responsibilities include liaison among academic,
professional, and criminal justice agencies, and the scientific
exploration and investigation within the FBI’s Training
Division. The mission of the BSU is threefold: Teaching, Research
and Case Consultation. My teaching responsibilities include classes
entitled Clinical Forensic Psychology, and Violent Behavior: A
BioPsychoSocial Perspective. The students in these classes form
the National Academy at the FBI’s Training Academy in Quantico,
VA, an eleven-week course of studies for sworn law enforcement
officers from around the world.
Since my entrance on duty with the FBI in 1988, I have researched
various areas of law enforcement safety. This research resulted
in a number of articles, training guides, and publications including
Killed in the Line of Duty and In the Line of Fire.
Within
the last several years, I’ve assisted in developing a program
entitled “The Use of Deadly Force in Law Enforcement.”
This three-day seminar was established to assist Assistant United
States Attorneys review the use of deadly force incidents by members
of law enforcement. My particular training segments include threat
assessment, perceptions of the officer and of the offender in
the use of deadly force encounters, and sensory distortions involved
in critical incidents. Most recently, I have served as a consultant
and trainer in the United States Attorney General’s “Firearms
Interdiction Program” which is designed to assist local
law enforcement in removing firearms from criminals on the streets
of our country.
The
world changed on 9/11. The study and investigation of terrorism
have been introduced into every unit and on every level within
the FBI. This includes the BSU. As a result of these endeavors
to understand the mind of the terrorist, our Unit has been working
with various components of the American Psychological Association
(APA) and with individual psychologists with varying areas of
expertise. In cooperation with the APA and with the support of
the University of Pennsylvania, the BSU sponsored a conference
in February of 2002 entitled “Countering Terrorism: Integration
of Practice and Theory.” This conference brought together
leading academics and expert practitioners in such fields as social
psychology, forensic psychology, and human factors, with various
law enforcement agencies. The results of this conference are available
on the FBI website: http://www.fbi.gov/publications/counterterrorism.pdf.
The BSU continues to work closely with the APA and is considering
a second conference on aspects of terrorism as they relate to
the first responders within the law enforcement community.
Serving
on the editorial boards for Criminal Justice and Behavior: An
International Journal and for the International Journal of Offender
Therapy and Comparative Criminology, I am able to keep up with
some of the latest developments within the criminal justice literature.
In addition to teaching, research, and case consultation, I’ve
lectured throughout the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Italy
and the United Kingdom on topics regarding law enforcement safety,
criminal investigative psychology, personality assessment, hate-related
crimes, and deviant social groups.
My original focus in forensic psychology, since the publication
of my dissertation in 1988, has been on the application of principles
of psychology to crime scenes and the subsequent interview and
interrogation of the offender. This led to the interest and eventual
practice of investigative or forensic hypnosis.
Stationed
at a Catholic parish in the Quantico, VA area affords me the opportunity
to serve a community as a priest. It is, after all, this part
of my life that helps to give a healthy perspective to some pretty
strange experiences. It doesn’t always offer answers “to
the evil men do,” but it does help to cope with the effects
of that evil. Although I could never have pictured myself in this
position some thirty-five years ago, it’s difficult to think
of doing anything other than this…all of this! •
(Originally published in
the Convention 2003 issue of Psychological
Science Agenda, the newsletter of the APA Science Directorate.)
More Interesting
Careers in Psychology....
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