The Role of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist in the Adjudicatory Assessment

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Key points

  • The use of structured professional judgments is the cornerstone of high-quality forensic evaluations used by the courts to inform legal decisions for adjudicated youth.

  • A variety of assessment instruments can be administered by clinician evaluators, including psychiatrists, to optimize the quality of adjudicatory assessments.

  • Child and adolescent psychiatrists are in a unique position to apply their diagnostic acumen and expertise in psychopharmacology to adjudicatory assessments.

  • Recommended

Clinical Needs and Diagnostic Assessment

Clinician reports should include a clinical assessment of the youth, including a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual diagnosis if present, prognosis, and an explanation of how the mental health needs influence the youth’s behavior.7 Much has been written about the mental health screening and assessment of youths in juvenile detention and corrections facilities, including the article by Soulier and McBride.8 If such tools have been administered to the youth, the results should be reviewed by the

Scope of Assessment and Evaluator’s Role

The forensic evaluator should only answer the question being asked. Furthermore, the evaluator’s opinion should not go beyond the scope of one’s professional training. The evaluator’s task is to provide information and opinions that may inform legal decisions but not to provide an opinion on the ultimate legal issue.17

Sometimes the clinician providing treatment to a youth within the juvenile justice system is asked to step into the role of forensic evaluator. This dual role should be avoided

Summary

Youths in the juvenile justice system have a high burden of mental illness and courts look to mental health clinicians for guidance to inform legal decisions. Evaluating youth for adjudicatory assessments represents a distinct opportunity for psychiatrists, among other high-skilled clinicians, to comprehensively assess these justice-involved youth for psychiatric diagnosis, risk of recidivism, treatment needs, and treatment amenability. Adjudicated youth are likely to benefit when evaluators

Acknowledgments

The author acknowledges insightful discussions with the Honorable Monica Drinane, the Honorable Daniel Turbow, and Dr Adria Adams, PsyD.

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  • Cited by (2)

    The author has nothing to disclose.

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