Forensic Psychiatry

Forensic psychiatrists work with criminal and civil cases and in other areas such as family and domestic relations law.

What do they do?

• Forensic psychiatrists work with criminal and civil cases and with family and domestic relations. They focus on issues such as a patients competency to stand trial and testify, assessment of mental illness, mental ability to refuse treatment, juvenile delinquency, parental fitness and a variety of other issues.

What kind of education is required?

• Psychiatrists are medical doctors that have gone through college, medical school and residency training. Many forensic psychiatrists also have two or more years of training in psychiatry-and-the-law. There is also an examination that can specially certify a person in forensic psychiatry.

• Forensic psychiatrists may also function as expert witnesses and may assess a defendant for competency and ability to cooperate with his own defense

• Forensic psychiatrists may be employed in a private industry, by a city, county or state government, in a hospital or by the federal government.

• They may work in a state prison or hospital or have their own private practice.