Psychological Assessment of Forensic Psychiatric Outpatients

• NCJ Number: 195519
• Journal: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 46 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2002 Pages: 350-363
• Author(s): Ron J. Nieberding; J. Tatum Moore III; Anna P. Dematatis
• Date Published: June 2002
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Special Issue: Psychological Testing in Forensic Settings: See NCJ-195514-18, and NCJ-195520 for additional articles.

Annotation

This article discusses the assessment protocol utilized by the Forensic Conditional Release Program (CONREP) in California, summarizes the data from these patients, and uses case excerpts to illustrate how assessment guides treatment interventions and enables successful community adjustment for forensic psychiatric outpatients in California.

Abstract

Since 1960, the population of mentally ill offenders within correctional institutions and community-based programs has and continues to grow. Prior to a forensic psychiatric patients release back into the community, many receive institutionally based psychological services. As they proceed through treatment, assessment and psychological testing data are relied upon to answer several questions for clinicians prior to and after release. The Forensic Conditional Release Program (CONREP) is the California statewide system of community-based services for specified forensic patients. The assessment protocol for CONREP incorporates methods to obtain information from record review, clinical interview, and formal cognitive/personality testing. This article focused primarily on the use of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) and Rorschach assessment tools. The MMPI-2 is a self-report measure of general psychopathology and the psychometric workhorse of the profession and forensic psychology. The Rorschach is a commonly used psychological test and is well suited for evaluating potentially deceptive mentally ill forensic patients. To illustrate how MMPI-2 and Rorschach data could be used to address many typical referral and treatment related questions, data from three forensic patient groups derived from a recent cluster analysis of CONREP participants were used. The cluster analysis resulted in seven distinct patient groups. In relation to psychological assessment and testing, the MMPI-2 and Rorschach can greatly assist the determination of effective treatment interventions and evaluation of therapeutic progress. References