ABSTRACT
Supervision within forensic practice will often need to consider and address complex ethical and legal issues. In non-forensic settings, Johns (1993) noted that many experiences brought to supervision have ethical and decision-making components and this is certainly true for forensic practice. However, as with many other areas of forensic practice, there are very few issues for which there are clear and scripted solutions. Rather, the approach to addressing difficulties and concerns within supervision will generally rely on adopting a framework within which such questions and dilemmas can be considered. Many of the ethical issues presented in forensic settings arise because of the tensions created through competing and sometimes conflicting expectations. These might relate to tensions between the responsibility to the client, the profession, the setting and society and associated conflicts in roles and duties (e.g. Bonner, 2006). It is also important to recognise that some tensions and difficulties might arise because ‘services provided in one value system could potentially be interpreted differently by another’ (Haag, 2006, p. 95) even though a common set of ethical principles should close this gap (Ward and Syversen, 2009). It must be acknowledged that in forensic settings, there are numerous power differentials and clients who are vulnerable in multiple ways. There may also be multiple issues of difference (including cultural and racial factors) which may further add to the possible complexity of everyday situations.
