Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Psychology and Legal Decision-Making
- Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology
- The Cambridge Handbook of Psychology and Legal Decision-Making
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Editors
- Contributors
- Part I Introduction Chapters
- Part II Pretrial Phase Decision-Making
- 5 Victim Decision-Making
- 6 Bystanders’ Crime Reporting Decisions
- 7 Pretrial Publicity’s Effects on Jurors’ and Judges’ Decisions
- 8 Police Decisions Involved in Collecting Eyewitness Identification Evidence
- 9 Decisions Related to Miranda Rights
- 10 Judges’ Daubert Decisions
- 11 The Psychology of Confession Decision-Making During Police Interrogation
- 12 Plea Bargaining
- 13 Forensic Science Decision-Making
- 14 Decision-Making by Forensic Mental Health Evaluators
- 15 Interviewing Suspects in Criminal Investigations
- 16 Prosecutorial Decision-Making in Cases of Child Sexual Abuse
- 17 Decision-Making About Restoration of Defendants Who Are Incompetent to Stand Trial
- 18 Clinical Decision-Making Regarding Criminal Responsibility
- 19 Decision-Making Regarding Child Victims and Witnesses
- Part III Trial Phase Decision-Making
- Part IV Postconviction Phase Decisions
- Part V Other Legal Decision-Making
- Part VI Perspectives from the Field
- Part VII Conclusion
- Index
- References
18 - Clinical Decision-Making Regarding Criminal Responsibility
from Part II - Pretrial Phase Decision-Making
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 February 2024
Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Psychology and Legal Decision-Making
- Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology
- The Cambridge Handbook of Psychology and Legal Decision-Making
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Editors
- Contributors
- Part I Introduction Chapters
- Part II Pretrial Phase Decision-Making
- 5 Victim Decision-Making
- 6 Bystanders’ Crime Reporting Decisions
- 7 Pretrial Publicity’s Effects on Jurors’ and Judges’ Decisions
- 8 Police Decisions Involved in Collecting Eyewitness Identification Evidence
- 9 Decisions Related to Miranda Rights
- 10 Judges’ Daubert Decisions
- 11 The Psychology of Confession Decision-Making During Police Interrogation
- 12 Plea Bargaining
- 13 Forensic Science Decision-Making
- 14 Decision-Making by Forensic Mental Health Evaluators
- 15 Interviewing Suspects in Criminal Investigations
- 16 Prosecutorial Decision-Making in Cases of Child Sexual Abuse
- 17 Decision-Making About Restoration of Defendants Who Are Incompetent to Stand Trial
- 18 Clinical Decision-Making Regarding Criminal Responsibility
- 19 Decision-Making Regarding Child Victims and Witnesses
- Part III Trial Phase Decision-Making
- Part IV Postconviction Phase Decisions
- Part V Other Legal Decision-Making
- Part VI Perspectives from the Field
- Part VII Conclusion
- Index
- References
Summary
Clinicians can play an integral role in the ultimate determination of defendants’ criminal responsibility, given that information gleaned from mental state at the time of the offense (MSO) evaluations influence judges and jurors’ decision-making about a particular case. Such evaluations are particularly complicated due to their retrospective nature, lack of a standardized assessment approach, and variability in criminal responsibility statutes across jurisdictions and time. Yet several legal, clinical, and contextual factors appear to impact clinicians’ decision-making when tasked with these evaluations. In this chapter, we examine the existing literature regarding MSO evaluation referrals, including combined evaluations, to help inform practitioners’ expectations. Next, we review critical components of an MSO evaluation and identify challenges for clinical decision-making. Then we discuss forensic report writing and testifying, as informed by the literature regarding best practices. Lastly, we suggest how field reliability of mental state evaluations might improve through research and policy.
Keywords
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Handbook of Psychology and Legal Decision-Making , pp. 274 - 289Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024
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