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

When courts look to mental health professionals to help inform legal decisions, psychiatrists are key members of the skilled clinicians qualified to respond. Child and adolescent psychiatrists are in a unique position to apply their diagnostic acumen and expertise in psychopharmacology to adjudicatory assessments. Key components of these evaluations include diagnostic assessment, risk assessment, treatment amenability, and specific recommendations for available treatment. This article culls guidelines for adjudicatory assessments from the existing peer-reviewed literature, including the use of structured professional judgment tools, the avoidance of dual agency, and the measured use of juvenile psychopathy assessment tools.