NCJ Number
177191
Journal
Forensic Examiner Volume: 8 Issue: 1/2 Dated: January/February 1999 Pages: 23-26
Date Published
1999
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article discusses clinical reasons why psychiatric/psychological evaluations should not be observed or recorded.
Abstract
The basic parameters and milieu of a psychiatric/psychological independent medical examination (IME) are essentially the same as for a clinical interview or session: privacy, quiet, non-interference from others, and an environment in which information and ideas can be freely exchanged. The article covers: (1) contraindications to observing and recording psychiatric/psychological forensic evaluations; (2) differences between clinical and forensic psychiatric/psychological examinations; (3) legal case authority, some of which supports non-observation and some of which does not; and (4) guidelines and recommendations for the forensic practitioner so he or she may be able to anticipate and prevent the problem. Tables, references