PSY 730 Ethical Issues in Forensic Mental Health

Forensic clinicians encounter ethical conflicts and dilemmas when called upon to function in the legal system either as evaluators or as expert witnesses. This course will focus on ethical, legal and professional controversies, methods for analyzing these ethical dilemmas and attempts to resolve such conflicts. Areas to be considered include: role of the expert witness, standards of practice in forensic mental health, addressing the ultimate issue:" protecting the constitutional rights of criminal defendants evaluating competency to be executed confidentiality and duty to protect right to refuse and consent to treatment research and the role of amicus curiae briefs and the forensic clinician versus the media."