This report sets out the College’s view on the
complex issues of the involvement of psychiatrists in legal
processes. The basic principles and recommendations provided are
intended to be helpful to psychiatrists working within any legal
system.
Psychiatrists are not expected to be legally
trained, but if they are to function effectively when working
within a legal framework they must be trained in using their
psychiatric expertise and ethical understanding. This document will
support all psychiatrists who work at the interface between
psychiatry and the law. It aims to ensure that psychiatrists
working in legal settings feel confident and prepared in their
role, so that they can continue to make their enormous contribution
to the welfare of their patients and the administration of
justice.
The recommendations cover principles of practice
for all psychiatrists as well as expert witnesses. Recommendations
are also made about training for legal processes, both during
psychiatric training and as an integral part of continuing
professional development (CPD). The report therefore has
implications for the training of all psychiatrists, their training
schemes and their personal development plans.
(This report is not a textbook on how to deal
with legal processes, nor does it specifically address variations
between the legal systems of the different parts of the UK;
although the scoping group’s experience was largely of the English
legal system.)
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Contents
- Scoping Group on Court Work
- Executive summary and recommendations
- Introduction
- Background
- The interface between psychiatry and the
law
- Duties of a psychiatrist
- Duties of a psychiatric expert witness
- Training and continuing professional
development
- The structure of reports
- The commissioning of reports and relation to
employment
- Quality and supply
- Accreditation
- References
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You may also be interested in our book:
A guide to what a psychiatrist needs to know in order to prepare
medico-legal reports and become an expert witness.
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