The Denver Forensic Institute for Research, Service, and Training (Denver FIRST), Graduate School of Professional Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA.
CNS Spectr. 2020 Apr;25(2):154-160. doi: 10.1017/S1092852919001275. Epub 2019 Oct 22.
An unprecedented number of individuals with mental illness are represented in the criminal justice system. The unending growth of mentally ill populations in the justice system has led to jails and court dockets being increasingly overwhelmed with cases involving mental illness, state hospitals devoting far more beds and resources to forensic cases, and people without a criminal commitment left waiting for mental health services as forensic cases are prioritized. Although a forensic mental health evaluation is only one component of this larger system, common problems with forensic mental health evaluations can exacerbate the criminalization of persons with mental illness in many ways. This article reviews the current literature regarding issues of quality, reliability, and validity of forensic mental health evaluations, discusses the broader impact of these issues, and offers potential solutions for the field.
患有精神疾病的人数在刑事司法系统中前所未有。在司法系统中，精神疾病患者人数不断增加，导致监狱和法庭案件积压越来越多，涉及精神疾病的案件越来越多，州立医院将更多的床位和资源用于法医案件，而没有刑事承诺的人则在等待精神卫生服务，因为法医案件被优先考虑。虽然法医心理健康评估只是这个更大系统的一个组成部分，但法医心理健康评估中常见的问题可能会以多种方式加剧精神疾病患者的刑事化。本文回顾了关于法医心理健康评估的质量、可靠性和有效性的现有文献，讨论了这些问题的更广泛影响，并为该领域提供了潜在的解决方案。
