RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Reel Forensic Experts: Forensic Psychiatrists as Portrayed on Screen
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 412
OP 417
VO 39
IS 3
A1 Susan Hatters Friedman
A1 Cathleen A. Cerny
A1 Sherif Soliman
A1 Sara G. West
YR 2011
UL http://jaapl.org/content/39/3/412.abstract
AB The lay public is much more likely to have encountered a forensic psychiatrist on television or in the movies than to have encountered a real one. Thus, by way of popular culture, the jury's perceptions and expectations of forensic expert witnesses may have been formed long before they take the stand. We describe a typology of five categories of forensic experts portrayed in fiction: Dr. Evil, The Professor, The Hired Gun, The Activist, and the Jack of All Trades. As art imitates life, these categories (aside from Dr. Evil) mirror real-life criticisms that have been made about forensic experts.