What is going on in this picture? Be as descriptive as possible. We will look at your responses shortly.

What do forensic psychiatrists do?• 1. Profile: use crime scene

details to describe characteristics of the criminal to help find him/her– Ex. Body was carried long

way. Criminal must have been strong or had help.

• 2. Evaluate competency: give tests and interviews to determine defendant’s personality, etc.– Ex. Are they insane?

If you were going to be a forensic psychiatrist, would you rather be

involved in evaluating mentality or profiling? WHY?

How is forensic psychiatry different than clinical psychiatry?

• CLINICAL: Treat person to improve mental health– Ex. If you’re

sad/anxious/etc. you see therapist to help you.

• FORENSIC: Dissect intellect/personality to reveal his/her true mental health– Ex. Only evaluates

defendants who committed crimes.

What does “evaluating competency” mean?• If the defendant is pleading “not guilty by reason of insanity,” then a for. psych.

needs to determine which category the person falls under• They already admitted to the crime, now the question is whether or not it was

technically their fault.

– 1. Legally Insane: The person was unaware that he/she was doing something wrong during the commission of the crime.

• Ex. Schizophrenic

– 2. Incompetent to stand trial: The person presently doesn’t understand legal proceedings. Eventually has to plead insane, diminished capacity or sane. (Temporary classification)

• Ex. In shock…mother who killed her children couldn’t communicate with her lawyers

– 3. Diminished Capacity: The person doesn’t or did not (during the crime) meet all criteria of a normal person during the crime.

• Ex. low intelligence, under great distress during crime

– 4. Sane: The person was aware that he/she was doing something wrong during the commission of the crime.

At which of the four levels would you classify the following defendants?

1. A soldier returns from Iraq and kills someone who threatens him.

1. Diminished capacity

2. Defendant is unable to discuss case with attorney representing him/her

1. Incompetent to stand trial

3. Defendant is under the influence of drugs/alcohol

1. Diminished capacity

How many cases in the U.S. use the insanity defense?

• 1%

• Most lawyers know insanity is VERY difficult to prove beyond all reasonable doubt.

• Montana, Idaho, Utah do not allow the insanity defense…instead, “guilty, but mentally ill.”

What’s the history of the insanity defense?

• Insanity is a legal term, not a medical/psychiatric

• McNaghten Rule: – Established in England in 1843

when McNaghten assassinated a Scottish civil servant

– States that if someone is unaware of what he/she is doing is wrong, it is inhumane to hold them accountable for their actions during that time.

DanielMcNaghten

How does a for. psych. determine the competency of a defendant?

• 1st: Medical history and physical exam– Family history of disorders or illness that may cause

certain behaviors

• 2nd: Test mental health two ways:– 1. Personality tests

• MMPI: 400 personality questions – Depression, obsession, anxiety, paranoia, lying,

manipulation

• Ink blots: analyzes interpretation of images• TATs: Show picture and ask person to interpret it

– Listen for interpretation, tone of the stories– Behaviors during story (tapping of fingers,

anxiousness, etc.)

– 2. Intellectual test (IQ)

What did you write? What does that mean?

QUICK WRITE

• A defendant may be classified into one of four categories by a forensic psychiatrist. Describe two of these four categories.

• Describe the different tests that forensic psychiatrists use to assess the mental health of a defendant.