7 ms·
My parents are both clinical psychologists, and my father used to do some evaluations for the courts. If I remember correctly, he would do evaluations to see if
by openasocket 7y ago
My parents are both clinical psychologists, and my father used to do some evaluations for the courts. If I remember correctly, he would do evaluations to see if a person is mentally fit to stand trial, and would recommend to the judge if the person would be better served with psychological help than prison time. Some context:
- Being mentally fit to stand trial is an very low bar to pass. You just need to understand what a judge is, what a jury is, etc. Generally people who don't pass either have some sort of intellectual disability or severe schizophrenia.
- The article lists a ton of different situations where psychologists are involved in the legal system, and I don't see a breakdown on what the psychologist is attempting to do. I know my Dad didn't use much more than an IQ test and some basic questions to try and diagnose a couple of clinical conditions. I'd expect some amount of pseudoscience if one side in a messy divorce hires a psychologist to try and show the other side is a bad parent, or the defense in a criminal case trying to show the defendant was in a fragile emotional state and deserves a reduced sentence.