Trial Issues
Competency to Stand Trial

• Psychologist assesses whether the defendant can:
• Choose and assist counsel
• Act as a witness on their own behalf
• Confront the opposing witness

Trial Issues
Criminal Responsibility

• Psychologist assesses defendant to determine Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity. This involves:
• Not knowing right from wrong at the time of the crime
• Acting on an uncontrollable impulse

Confidentiality

• Psychologists must make their role clear to the defendant, including any limits of confidentiality

Risk Assessment

• Psychologists may be asked to predict dangerousness in the future
• Example: Pre-parole assessment

Expert
Witnessing

• When a psychologist is paid to inform the court about a specific issue
• Must be relevant to the case
• Open to being challenged by the opposing attorney

Family Issues

• Child custody
• Child/elder abuse or neglect
• Juvenile delinquency

Civil Issues

• When a psychologist is involved in non-criminal-court decision making
• Examples: competency issues, disability determination

Forensic Testing Issues

• Psychological testing does not take into account the individual values and morals
• Testing yield probabilities based on math
• Tests must be recognized as valid and listed in the MMY

Forensic Testing Issues

• Reliability must be at least .80
• Any test used must be relevant to the issue at hand, preferably with research to back it up
• Administration and interpretation should be standardized