Westfield State Expands Psychology Program with New Forensic Psychology Concentration

Westfield State University has recently expanded its psychology program with the addition of a new concentration in forensic psychology, offering students a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of psychology, the criminal justice system, and crime. Spearheaded by Dr. Joseph Camilleri, Professor of Psychology and a seasoned forensic psychologist, the concentration is designed to give students practical experience and a comprehensive understanding of forensic psychology’s various aspects.

Dr. Camilleri, who has worked at a maximum security psychiatric facility and conducted extensive research on the psychology of crime, played a key role in developing the concentration. His experience and passion for forensic psychology made him an ideal fit for leading the new program. 

“Forensic psychology is a broad term and is the interface between psychology, the criminal justice system, and crime,” Dr. Camilleri explained. “There’s a lot of ways in which it’s involved, and so we can break it down into three major areas: basic forensic psychology, which is researching the psychology of criminal behavior, clinical forensic psychology, which is assessment and treatment of offenders, and applied forensic psychology, which is using knowledge about psychology to improve aspects of the criminal justice system.”

Additionally, Dr. Camilleri has brought his expertise in forensic psychology to Westfield State’s graduate program in mental health counseling, where he created a forensic concentration. Fueled by his passion for the field, he actively collaborates with correctional facilities, police departments, and community organizations, providing students with research opportunities and internships that offer real-world exposure to the field.

“The concentration is designed to give students experience and exposure to see what areas they might like,” Dr. Camilleri said. “It’s also going to make them more competitive when they apply to graduate programs, because graduate programs look for what students have done in their undergraduate career to prepare them for this very specialized field.”

Some of these opportunities include internships, offering students versatile options such as working alongside police or in correctional facilities. Students can also participate in research projects, including surveys, experiments, and archival research to identify patterns in criminal behavior, such as violence and aggression.

“For example, I collaborated with a counselor at a Women’s Correctional Facility,” Dr. Camilleri said, “where she developed a treatment program. We conducted a study to look at the effectiveness of the program, and it’s been an ongoing project. We’ve had students at the facility help enter data and organize the database, as well as coding participant responses.”

When initially developing this concentration, Dr. Camilleri and department colleagues drew from student interests and designed the new curriculum to address research and clinical practice in forensic psychology. “I think a lot of people just find the topic intriguing,” he commented. “People watch true crime or listen to true crime podcasts, and I think there’s just an intuitive appeal to understanding, from a psychological research perspective, why people do things. There’s this natural curiosity for it, but students need to learn about the profession, such as research on the causes of crime and best practices for intervention, to know what actual opportunities exist in the field.”

However, despite the allure of true crime media, Dr. Camilleri assures that students learn a realistic depiction of crime and psychology that Hollywood often sensationalizes for the purpose of shock-value.  

“This is about safety,” Dr. Camilleri emphasized. “It’s about the psychology of working with victims and dealing with these experiences and being empathic for that. It’s also about recognizing that people who commit these crimes, they’re also human and need assistance as they go through corrections. Our job as psychologists is to ensure that the risk level for when they’re re-entering the community is lower than when they came into correctional facilities. Yes, it’s interesting to understand the ‘why’, but now that we know it, how does that inform our approach to treatment and those sorts of things? It takes time, effort, and commitment to this field.”

For students interested in forensic psychology, Dr. Camilleri highlighted the importance and focus on community. “My job is to give them as many opportunities as possible, so if they come here and they’re motivated, I will work tirelessly to make sure they’ll get the experience and the opportunities they want, so they can achieve whatever long-term goals they have. The concentration is designed to tailor their education based on their interests. You’re going to be part of a community of people who are motivated to want to learn, explore, and discovery new things about the psychology of crime, which I think is really interesting.”