Bala N
Faculty of Law, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario.
Can J Psychiatry. 1994 Nov;39(9):526-30, 538. doi: 10.1177/070674379403900903.
Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals are frequently involved as expert witnesses in court proceedings related to children and adolescents. Their testimony may be based on a therapeutic relationship, but frequently arises because of an assessment conducted specifically for the court process. This two part paper discusses some of the issues that arise when child psychiatrists are involved as expert witnesses in litigation, with specific focus on their role in child custody, sexual abuse and young offender cases. It also offers some practical advice for those who may be called as witnesses. There is controversy in the legal profession about the role of mental health professionals in the court process. While there is recognition of their expertise, there is also a concern about not wanting to have experts usurp the role of the courts. Legal professionals also question the "objectivity" of experts, and the reliability of their opinions. Frequently the opinions of psychiatrists about children and adolescents involved in litigation have inherently speculative and value based dimensions, and not "scientific". Participation in the court process by mental health experts is nevertheless a vitally important role, providing information, analysis and recommendations about what are often very difficult societal decisions. Part two of this paper starts on page 531.
精神病医生和其他心理健康专业人员经常作为专家证人参与与儿童和青少年相关的法庭诉讼。他们的证词可能基于治疗关系，但通常是由于专门为法庭程序进行的评估而产生的。这篇分为两部分的论文讨论了儿童精神病医生作为诉讼专家证人时出现的一些问题，特别关注他们在儿童监护、性虐待和青少年犯罪案件中的作用。它还为那些可能被传唤为证人的人提供了一些实用建议。法律界对于心理健康专业人员在法庭程序中的作用存在争议。虽然认可他们的专业知识，但也担心专家会篡夺法庭的角色。法律专业人员还质疑专家的“客观性”及其意见的可靠性。精神病医生对参与诉讼的儿童和青少年的意见往往具有内在的推测性和基于价值观的层面，而非“科学性”。然而，心理健康专家参与法庭程序是一个至关重要的角色，为那些往往非常棘手的社会决策提供信息、分析和建议。本文第二部分从第531页开始。
