RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Commentary: The Place of Performative Writing in Forensic Psychiatry JF Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online JO J Am Acad Psychiatry Law FD American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law SP 27 OP 31 VO 35 IS 1 A1 Griffith, Ezra E. H. A1 Baranoski, Madelon V. YR 2007 UL http://jaapl.org/content/35/1/27.abstract AB In this issue of the Journal, Robert Simon has explored the subject of the place that writing should occupy in the professional life of forensic psychiatrists. We have taken the platform so elegantly constructed by this erudite and prolific author and used it to discuss the quotidian and concrete task of writing the customary forensic psychiatry report. We look to other disciplines for mechanisms to analyze the written forensic report: concepts of voice, portraiture, and narrative. We ultimately conclude that preparing these reports is a complex undertaking and that writing with clarity, precision, and artistry in forensic psychiatry should be viewed as a core competency.