Psychology in the Courts|Psychology

Psychology in the Courts|Psychology

“Keys to Evaluation Planning”

Many terms are often used, sometimes interchangeably, to denote the process used to assess and report findings from a psychological evaluation. For the purposes of this course, the term “forensic psychological evaluation” will be used to encompass the process of evaluation—from receiving a request for an evaluation, to writing the report for later review by those who request evaluations.

Generally speaking, the initiation of a plan for any forensic psychological evaluation begins when you receive a request to perform a service. This may be a formal request received in the form of a court order, as is the case when working in some systems, or an informal discussion prompted by an attorney who may or may not be sure of what he or she is asking. Sometimes the requester will simply ask for a “psychological evaluation” without specifying the particular referral question. In these cases, it is important to discuss with the person making the referral exactly for what purpose the information will be used. For instance, is there concern about the intelligence of the person who will be evaluated? Is there mental illness and if so, what is the severity/affect of such? Or, is there brain damage and if so, to what extent? Also, what are the likely origins of any evaluated deficits? And, what are this person’s abilities in parenting? What is the likelihood of the individual acting violently in the future? The possibilities are immense.

Once you have deciphered what the referral question(s) is/are, you then should decide if you have the requisite knowledge, skill(s), and experience to conduct the evaluation. If you are not working within an agency structure, you need to be clear about when and where you will conduct the evaluation, and how much your services will cost the referring party. After these practical issues are addressed, you need to determine what procedures to use to best address the referral question(s).

Requesting and reviewing any and all relevant background information to the case can help in determining what procedures to use for your evaluation. For example, if the referral question is the possible presence and subsequent severity of a mental illness and the records show a history of previous placement in special education classes, an additional assessment of the individual’s intelligence may be important. You also must decide if psychological testing is required and if so, how best to accomplish the testing. Given the case material, you might decide that meeting with the person you are evaluating over multiple days would be important. Although rarely done, you might decide that a trip to the “scene in question,” albeit after the fact, is in order. You must then decide to visit the scene before, after, or both before and after seeing the individual being evaluated. Your decisions will be guided by what you think will give you the most valuable unbiased information.

As you can see by this brief guide, a plan for how you conduct any evaluation can help you provide the best and most accurate answer to the referral question(s). Thoroughness is the key to conducting any forensic psychological evaluation.

A final recommendation for planning a forensic psychological evaluation, when applicable, is to ensure that you know the legal definitions relevant to the jurisdiction in which the case resides and how these definitions apply to your case. If the referral question centers around child custody issues, you should know the legal definition(s) associated with such issues, as well as those specific to the case’s legal jurisdiction. If the legal definition is based on the “best interest of the child,” this definition can have a significant effect on how you conduct your evaluation compared with other possible legal definitions.

In conclusion, it is very important to have a good plan from which to work when conducting forensic psychological evaluations of any type. Make sure you take the time to prepare and follow a good “plan of evaluation” when applying your trade as a forensic psychology professional.

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