Encyclopedia of Psychology and Law

Applying for Admission

to Doctoral Programs

Applying for admission to doctoral programs in psy-

chology and law does not require special qualifica-

tions above those required for admission to a doctoral

program in any area of psychology. Psychology and

law doctoral programs are looking for applicants

with outstanding undergraduate grades, impressive

Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores, excellent let-

ters of recommendation, experience in conducting

research, and demonstration of a genuine interest in

the field of psychology and law. However, applicants

to doctoral programs in psychology and law should

be aware that the process is extremely competitive for

the most established programs. For example, for the

most competitive programs in psychology, clinical

Ph.D. programs, the acceptance rate typically is

around 10%. There is no reason to believe that the

acceptance rates at the most competitive programs

are any lower for forensic clinical students, and in

fact, they may even be more competitive because of

the increased interest in the area and fewer available

spots. Furthermore, because there are only a few

joint-degree programs and students must possess the

motivation and intellectual ability to complete two

advanced degrees, they are likely to be extremely

competitive. There are also doctoral programs that

are less competitive or even master’s programs that

may be viable options for individuals who do not pos-

sess the qualifications or ability to gain admission to

the well-established doctoral programs in psychology

and law.

Matthew T. Huss

See alsoMaster’s Programs in Psychology and Law; Trial

Consulting

Further Readings

Bersoff, D. N., Goodman-Delahunty, J., Grisso, J. T., Hans,

V. P., Poythress, N. G., & Roesch, R. G. (1997). Training

in law and psychology: Models from the Villanova

conference. The American Psychologist, 52,1301–1310.

Bottoms, B., Costanzo, M., Greene, E., Redlich, A., Woolard,

J., & Zapf, P. (2004). Careers in psychology and the law:

A guide for prospective students. Retrieved from http://

http://www.ap-ls.org/students/careers%20in%20psychology.pdf

Huss, M. T. (2001). What is forensic psychology? It’s not

Silence of the Lambs! Eye on Psi Chi, 5,25–27.

Melton, G. B., Huss, M. T., & Tomkins, A. J. (1999).

Training in forensic psychology and law. In I. B. Weiner

& A. K. Hess (Eds.),Handbook of forensic psychology

(2nd ed., pp. 700–720). New York: Wiley.

Ogloff, J. R. P., Tomkins, A. J., & Bersoff, D. N. (1996).

Education and training in psychology and law/criminal

justice: Historical foundations, present structures, and

future developments. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 23,

200–235.

Packer, I. K., & Borum, R. (2003). Forensic training and

practice. In I. B. Weiner (Series Ed.) & A. D. Goldstein

(Vol. Ed.),Handbook of psychology: Vol. 11. Forensic

psychology(pp. 21–32). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

DOMESTICVIOLENCE

See INTIMATEPARTNERVIOLENCE

DOMESTICVIOLENCECOURTS

Domestic violence courts (DVCs) are specialized court

settings that deal predominantly with cases involving

domestic violence. They have emerged in different

state, regional, and national contexts, giving rise to dif-

ferent operational styles and models. For example,

courts may sit full or part-time and deal with different

levels of offense seriousness and all or various aspects

of case progression (pretrial review hearings, trials,

sentencing and/or monitoring of offenders). Regardless

of the operational style, the philosophy guiding these

courts is that domestic violence is a crime that poses

particular difficulties for both the victim and the crimi-

nal justice system; therefore, a specialized method of

dealing with these cases is necessary. This entry

describes the operation of DVCs in the United States,

Canada, and the United Kingdom. It establishes the

defining features of these courts and reviews the

research relating to how specialization has changed

their processes, outcomes, and overall effectiveness.

Domestic Violence

Courts in the United States

Court specialization in the United States is grounded in

“problem-solving” or “therapeutic” approaches to

domestic violence. The problem-solving approach

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