- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- 9.1 General issues
- 9.2 Clinical syndromes
- 9.3 Situations affecting child mental health
- 9.4 The child as witness
- 9.5 Treatment methods for children and adolescents
- Section 10 Intellectual Disability (Mental Retardation)
- Section 11 Forensic Psychiatry
- 11.1 General principles of law relating to people with mental disorder
- 11.2 Psychosocial causes of offending
- 11.3 Associations between psychiatric disorder and offending
- 11.4 Mental disorders among offenders in correctional settings
- 11.5 Homicide offenders including mass murder and infanticide
- 11.6 Fraud, deception, and thieves
- 11.7 Juvenile delinquency and serious antisocial behaviour
- 11.8 Child molesters and other sex offenders
- 11.9 Arson (fire-raising)
- 11.10 Stalking
- 11.11 Querulous behaviour: vexatious litigation, abnormally persistent complaining and petitioning
- 11.12 Domestic violence
- 11.13 The impact of criminal victimization
- 11.14 Assessing and managing the risks of violence towards others
- 11.15 The expert witness in the Criminal Court: assessment, reports, and testimony
- 11.16 Managing offenders with psychiatric disorders in general psychiatric services
- 11.17 Management of offenders with mental disorder in specialist forensic mental health services
(p. 2003) The expert witness in the Criminal Court: assessment, reports, and testimony
- Chapter:
- (p. 2003) The expert witness in the Criminal Court: assessment, reports, and testimony
- Author(s):
John O’Grady
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199696758.003.0268
As an expert witness in the Criminal Court, the psychiatrist ceases to be simply a doctor as a psychiatrist's report and testimony addresses issues on the boundary between law and psychiatry. The law is not primarily concerned with the welfare of the defendant. Criminal law is concerned with justice, fact finding, and the attribution of guilt whilst psychiatry concerns itself with the welfare of the individual, their mental disorder, and its treatment. This chapter will explore the legal framework for expert reports and testimony, standards for such work, the particular ethical dilemmas of this work and provide practical guidance on preparation of reports and testimony. This chapter draws upon previously published work by the author. Expert evidence cannot be understood except in reference to a particular legal jurisdiction. For this chapter the legal system in the United Kingdom is chosen but the general principles will apply to all jurisdictions. Issues specific to Civil and Family courts will not be discussed.
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- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- 9.1 General issues
- 9.2 Clinical syndromes
- 9.3 Situations affecting child mental health
- 9.4 The child as witness
- 9.5 Treatment methods for children and adolescents
- Section 10 Intellectual Disability (Mental Retardation)
- Section 11 Forensic Psychiatry
- 11.1 General principles of law relating to people with mental disorder
- 11.2 Psychosocial causes of offending
- 11.3 Associations between psychiatric disorder and offending
- 11.4 Mental disorders among offenders in correctional settings
- 11.5 Homicide offenders including mass murder and infanticide
- 11.6 Fraud, deception, and thieves
- 11.7 Juvenile delinquency and serious antisocial behaviour
- 11.8 Child molesters and other sex offenders
- 11.9 Arson (fire-raising)
- 11.10 Stalking
- 11.11 Querulous behaviour: vexatious litigation, abnormally persistent complaining and petitioning
- 11.12 Domestic violence
- 11.13 The impact of criminal victimization
- 11.14 Assessing and managing the risks of violence towards others
- 11.15 The expert witness in the Criminal Court: assessment, reports, and testimony
- 11.16 Managing offenders with psychiatric disorders in general psychiatric services
- 11.17 Management of offenders with mental disorder in specialist forensic mental health services