Approaches to Forensic Assessment

Approaches to Forensic Assessment
In clinical psychological evaluations, with few exceptions, the psychologist interviews the person being evaluated and then administers a battery of tests appropriate to the referral question. Data are analyzed and a report is prepared. Typically, no other information is considered. The assumption is made, for the most part correctly so, that the examinee has been truthful during the interview and candid in answering test questions, that no conscious attempts were made to look better or worse than the actual clinical picture. In forensic psychology, however, there is an obvious motivation to consciously present a distorted picture for an obvious, identifiable, secondary gain. In the civil setting, parents seeking custody may attempt to look more virtuous than they actually are, and plaintiffs in a personal injury suit may distort responses to appear more damaged than is the case. In criminal cases, defendants may choose to present a picture of being more emotionally disturbed than is justified to avoid trial, criminal culpability, or a sentence of death. Ways of increasing the objectivity and validity of opinions on psycho legal issues. The need to consider corroborative information by way of third party interviews and review of written records is explored. Using psychopathy as a model, the ways in which the use of reliable, objective measures of relevant psycho legal behavior and familiarity with the professional literature serve to increase the validity of forensic evaluations is detailed. In addition, because the cornerstone of any forensic assessment is the evaluation of malingering, exaggeration, and defensiveness, relevant research and the use of measures designed to provide information on this topic are described. The Use of Third-Party Information in Forensic Assessment A forensic psychologist conducting a psycho legal evaluation, whether in a civil or criminal context, must obtain information from those directly involved in the legal case (i.e., the plaintiff or respondent in a civil lawsuit; the parents, children, and others when custody is an issue; the defendant in a criminal case). However, such sources of information are “interested parties,” biased at best and, possibly, providing false or selective information because of malingering (simulation or dissimulation) and defensiveness. For this reason, experts must consider data provided by independent sources, third-party information, to corroboratedata obtained from the interested party through interviews and psychological testing. Sources for third-party information include others knowledgeable about the party involved in the suit or the events related to the case, and documents and records that may relate to statements made by the individual or that may provide additional information helpful in forming an opinion. Kirk Heilbrun, Janet Warren, and Kim Picarello examine there levance of third-party information in the forensic assessment process, describing its importance in forensic evaluations, and they describe the process by which experts obtain, apply, and communicate third-party information in forensic assessments.