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Research ArticleRegular Article

Believing Doesn't Make It So: Forensic Education and the Search for Truth

Charles L. Scott
Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online March 2013, 41 (1) 18-32;
Charles L. Scott
Dr. Scott is Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Forensic Training Director, Division of Psychiatry and the Law, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA. A version of this paper was presented as the Presidential Address at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, October 25–28, 2012.
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Abstract

The American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL) was organized in 1969, in large part through the efforts of Dr. Jonas Rappeport. The founders of AAPL emphasized that an important purpose of the organization was to advance knowledge in the area of psychiatry and the law. The science of forensic psychiatry has since been vigorously debated. In 2005, Congress enacted a statute authorizing the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct a study on the state of the forensic sciences in the United States. As a result of this legislation, a forensic science committee was formed, and the report, “Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward,” was produced, emphasizing the need for research in the forensic disciplines, particularly those that rely on more subjective assessments. The committee also identified two important factors relevant to standards of evidence admissibility: the scientific methodology used and the impact of bias on the interpretation of data. In this article, I apply the NAS committee's findings to the field of forensic psychiatry, with specific recommendations to assist educators in achieving more objective assessment methodologies, critical in forensic education and the search for truth.

Footnotes

  • Disclosures of financial or other potential conflicts of interest: None.

  • © 2013 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
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Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online: 41 (1)
Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online
Vol. 41, Issue 1
1 Mar 2013
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Believing Doesn't Make It So: Forensic Education and the Search for Truth
Charles L. Scott
Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online Mar 2013, 41 (1) 18-32;

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Believing Doesn't Make It So: Forensic Education and the Search for Truth
Charles L. Scott
Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online Mar 2013, 41 (1) 18-32;
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  • Benefits of Correctional Psychiatry Teaching and Clinical Exposure for Third-Year Medical Students
  • Bias in Peer Review of Forensic Psychiatry Publications
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