Psychological Evaluations for the Courts: A Handbook for Mental Health Professionals and Lawyers, Second Edition - Hardcover

Melton, Gary B.; Petrila, John; Poythress, Norman G.; Slobogin, Christopher

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1572302364 ISBN 13: 9781572302365

Publisher: The Guilford Press, 1997

Synopsis

Considered the definitive resource and text on forensic psychiatry and psychology since the publication of the first edition, Psychological Evaluations for the Courts, Second Edition, continues to be the most comprehensive discussion of legal, research, and clinical issues for both mental health and legal professionals. Fully revised and updated, the volume covers a broad range of topics in forensic mental health, including insanity, child abuse, sentencing, personal injury claims, and civil commitment. Less traditional subjects such as federal antidiscrimination and entitlement laws, competency to testify, workers' compensation, and a new section on the clinical evaluation of witness credibility have also been added. Throughout, the authors summarize and analyze legal issues, offer suggestions for evaluation procedures, and review appropriate research on both clinical opinions and the legal process.

New to the Second Edition

Completely updated to reflect current research and practice, the volume contains four entirely new chapters and has been revised throughout to include analyses of new case law and clinical techniques; important research on competency and dangerousness from the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Mental Health and Law; and new ethical rules developed by the American Psychological Assocation and the American Psychiatric Association. Also new to this edition are exercises and case studies for students in each chapter (see below).

About this title

About the Author:

Gary B. Melton, PhD, is Director of the Institute for Families in Society, Professor of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science, and Adjunct Professor of Law, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the University of South Carolina.

John Petrila, JD, LLM, is Professor and Chair, Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, Florida Mental Health Institute, at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Norman G. Poythress, PhD, is Professor and Research Director, Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, Florida Mental Health Institute, at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Christopher Slobogin, JD, LLM, is Professor, Alumni Research Scholar, and Associate Dean of Law at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

I. General Considerations
1. Law and the Mental Health Professions: an Uneasy Alliance
2. An Overview of the Legal System: Sources of Law, the Court System, and the Adjudicative Process
3. The Nature and Method of Forensic Assessment
4. Constitutional, Common-law, and Ethical Contours of the Evaluation Process: the Mental Health Professional as Double Agent
5. Managing Public and Private Forensic Services
II. The Criminal Process
6. Competency to Stand Trial
7. Other Competencies in the Criminal Process
8. Mental State at the Time of the Offense
9. Sentencing
III. Non-criminal Adjudication
10. Civil Commitment
11. Civil Competencies
12. Compensating Mental Injuries: Workers' Compensation and Torts
13. Federal Anti-Discrimination and Entitlement Laws
IV. Children and Families
14. Juvenile Delinquency
15. Child Abuse and Neglect
16. Child Custody in Divorce
17. Education and Habilitation
V. Communicating with the Courts
18. Consultation, Report Writing, and Expert Testimony
19. Sample Reports
20. Glossary

About this edition

• Publisher: The Guilford Press
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 1572302364
• ISBN 13: 9781572302365
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 794