Abstract
It has been suggested that changes in, and more vigorous enforcement of, professional ethical codes might lead to significant improvements in the quality of expert testimony by mental health professionals. The author examines the arguments for and against this thesis, and concludes that lack of consensus on controversial issues is likely to impede implementation and enforcement of meaningful ethical codes. He argues that attempts to educate the courts and legislatures through writings, testimony, and interdisciplinary teaching are more likely to be effective for the foreseeable future.
Footnotes
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Dr. Miller is chief psychiatrist, Colorado Department of Corrections; and professor of psychiatry and director, Program for Forensic Psychiatry, Colorado Health Sciences Center. Address reprint requests to: Dr. Miller. Campus Box C-249, 4200 East Ninth Avenue, Denver, CO 80262.
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This paper is based on a presentation made as part of a panel honoring Dr. Bernard Diamond at the 22nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, Orlando FL, October 18, 1991.
- Copyright © 1992, The American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
