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Psychology Professor Visits Jail...for Good Reasons
By Rebecca Gehle
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Most of us would recognize the work of a forensic psychologist from Law and Order and Court Television. Forensic psychologists work in conjunction with the legal system to provide evaluations and other services for courts.
Hall's area is in criminal law, and she mostly provides evaluations of people charged with crimes to see if they were insane at the time of the crime, to determine if they are competent to stand trial, or to provide information concerning other issues such as danger to society or mental retardation. In addition, she evaluates teenagers who have committed crimes to determine whether they should be tried as adults.
"I'm not trying to judge their crimes; I'm just trying to give the court information about their mental condition. It's up to the judge and jury to decide what they're going to do with that information. I am genuinely a witness," explained Hall.
Outside of teaching her psychology classes at ORU, Hall travels around Oklahoma interviewing defendants and acting as an expert witness in criminal court proceedings. Prosecuting attorneys, defense attorneys and judges contact her if there is a psychological issue raised concerning a defendant. Hall receives a file about the crime, the defendant and other background information prior to the evaluation. She speaks face to face with the defendants and administers oral and written tests to determine their IQ and mental stability. After the evaluation, Hall writes a report about the psychological issues in the case.
Forensic psychology is a relatively new field, and only in the past 25 years has it been recognized as a specialty by the American Psychology Association. In the past, attorneys called any psychologist or psychiatrist for an opinion. In recent years there has been thorough research in the field and it has been developed into a specialty area.
Hall received her Masters from ORU in Christian counseling in 1992, and she also received a law degree in 1983 and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. She is licensed as both an attorney and a psychologist in the state of Oklahoma. While working at a hospital, Hall found her niche in forensic psychology.
"It was very natural for me, I loved it. And, I could combine my legal background with psychology," expressed Hall.
Because of the high demand for forensic psychologists, Hall could make her private practice a full-time career; however, she plans to stay at ORU. "I enjoy teaching so much, and I love the students here...it's a great place to be."
