Law and Psychiatry Fellowship Program

Aims and Goals

The aim of this one-year training program is to provide clinical and didactic experience for residency trainees in forensic psychiatry.

The major topic areas include:

• Using psychiatric expertise to aid in the resolution of legal issues;
• The treatment of patients in maximum security treatment centers/correctional departments; and
  
• The legal regulation of psychiatric practice.

The goals of the program are to develop the knowledge, skills and competence necessary to:

1. Understand the needs of the legal system for psychiatric opinions in civil and criminal cases;
2. Consult and participate effectively in the legal system – maintaining appropriate boundaries and roles;
3. Become knowledgeable regarding current legal regulation of psychiatric practice such as civil commitment, confidentiality, privacy, informed consent, right to treatment, practice, and managed care;
4. Conduct forensic evaluations and prepare forensic reports;
5. Testify in court and before administrative boards;
6. Provide forensic consultations to general psychiatrists in inpatient, outpatient, and correctional/security settings;
7. Provide leadership in organizing private, state, and community forensic services;
8. Read legal cases and distinguish holdings and dicta;
9. Research medical-legal questions using medical and legal databases, and search instruments and libraries on the internet;
10. Master critical review techniques of forensic literature and develop elements of written presentation in forensic scholarship; and
    
11. Become knowledgeable regarding the ethical guidelines for the practice of psychiatry and forensic psychiatry