ABSTRACT
Forensic examination by psychiatrists and psychologists is predicated upon the assumption that, because of their expertise, these mental health professionals can provide the legal decision maker with information about the examinee’s psychiatric and psychological functioning that are relevant to some legal issue in dispute, resulting in more informed, and presumably more accurate, decisions. us, the goal of forensic psychiatric assessment and forensic psychological examination is to assess and describe those aspects of the examinee’s emotional, behavioral, and/or cognitive functioning that are relevant to some legal issue in dispute. Of course, forensic psychiatrists and forensic psychologists can only provide legal decision makers with helpful information if they employ valid assessment techniques. In this chapter we discuss the potential value of psychological assessment tools in a forensic psychiatric evaluation.
