The fellow will become familiar with important court decisions and case law, their
legal concepts and constitution basis, and their significance in the evolution of
judicial precedents in mental health law. These cases include, but are not necessarily
limited to, the landmark cases in mental health law as defined by the American Academy
of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL).
The fellow will be able to look up a case citation.
The fellow will be able to present the pertinent points of a case succinctly and in
accordance with a standard format.
The fellow will gain an appreciation of the value of legal consultation in difficult
forensic cases.
The Forensic Psychiatrist in Court
The fellow will gain a working knowledge base in the common issues seen in criminal
forensic psychiatry in preparation for work on the pretrial inpatient unit at East
Central Regional Hospital and Central State Hospital. On occasion the evaluations
will be performed at the local detention center..
The fellow will begin to develop basic skills in forensic report writing, including
writing reports that are understandable by lawyers, judges, and other legal personnel.
The fellow will practice and begin to develop their testimonial skills, including
responding to direct and cross examination by attorneys.
The fellow will understand the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in the detection
of malingering.
General Topics in Forensic Psychiatry
The fellow will develop a working knowledge of additional issues in criminal forensic
psychiatry that are not covered in The Psychiatrist In Court Seminar including release
into the community of individuals found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity and issues
in Correctional psychiatry.
The fellow will develop a working knowledge of issues in civil forensic psychiatry
including general and specific competencies, psychiatric disability and personal injury
torts, worker's compensation, the right to treatment, child custody evaluations, termination
of parental rights, and juvenile delinquency.
The fellow will understand the development of forensic psychiatry through its history
and will have a working knowledge of the current ethical issues which arise in the
practice of forensic psychiatry.
The fellow will understand the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders encountered
more commonly in forensic populations including impulse control disorders, paraphilias,
and antisocial personality disorder.
Fundamentals of the Legal System
The fellow will gain basic understanding of how to approach all trial proceedings
in which a forensic psychiatrist may be requested to participate.
The fellow will gain an overview of basic United States Constitution principles with
emphasis on due process.
The fellow will gain an understanding of the structure of the federal and state court
systems with particular emphasis on jurisdiction.
The fellow will understand basic tort law and the uses of mediation, depositions,
and interrogatories.
The fellow will gain an overview of family law, including emphasis on children's rights,
child custody law, and termination of parental rights.
The fellow will be introduced to uses of psychological autopsies and psychological
profiling.
The fellow will learn principles used in establishing an effective and cohesive lawyer-psychiatrist
relationship in forensic work.
Forensic Systems Seminar
The fellow will gain an overview of various state organizational systems which aid
or impair the effective service delivery of treatment to mentally ill patients in
forensic populations.
The fellow will have an understanding of how centralized and decentralized organizational
systems (human service agencies, jails, prisons, and court) impact services to forensic
populations.
The fellow will be able to apply the concept of “systems perpetuation of self” in
interactions with collaborative agencies and families of forensic populations.
The fellow will be aware of public and social policy realities that operate within
organizational systems and their impact on the treatment and resources for forensic
populations.
