Forensic Psychiatry

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According to National Center for Biotechnology Information, “Forensic psychiatry is the branch of psychiatry that deals with issues arising in the interface between psychiatry and the law, and with the flow of mentally disordered offenders along a continuum of social systems.”
Forensic psychiatrists are often asked to determine whether the person in question is competent to stand trial, whether the person should be deemed a dangerous offender, or if the person is even mentally competent enough to be held responsible for their actions (Arboleda-Florez, 2006). After these initial assessments this job includes clinically treating the perpetrator or victim in question. A professional forensic psychiatrist, while involved with legal proceedings, …show more content…

According to statistics documented by the Department of Justice, “16.9 percent of the adults in a sample of local jails had a serious mental illness. That’s three to six times the rate of the general population.” Strides are being made to improve access to treatment, and thus hopefully lessen the number of mental health patients within the prison system (Addressing Mental Illness, 2009).
The British Journal of Psychiatry conducted a study to measure the probability of criminal activity after patients have been discharged from a regional mental health facility. They subsequently concluded that risks of relapse into criminal activity remains for some patients, and they suggest that more research be done to identify particular risks factors to thus improve the mental health field and limit the number of patients with mental illnesses going in and out of the prison systems (Coid, …show more content…

First this profession allows the opportunity for medical professionals to examine criminals with possible mental-health issues so it can be determined whether they are a danger to themselves or others. With a smaller number of people walking the streets who are mentally unstable, things are safer. Some researchers are investigating a field called Behavioral Analysis. This applies knowledge and expertise from the fields of psychology/psychiatry and combines it with criminal justice to analyze, apprehend, and convict perpetrators. Part of this process is using evidence and crime scene reconstruction to determine the unsub’s Modus Operandi. Behavioral analysis would help investigators understand the perpetrator’s actions and use them as a means to apprehend him or

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