PSYC 2400 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Structured Interview, Mental Disorder, Paraphilia
15 Mar 2018
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Document Summary
Involves an assessment of the current mental condition of the accused: goal: to determine whether it interferes w their ability to perform legal tasks. Individuals found unfit are typically held in hospital prior to trial: goal: to restore individual to fitness w as little delay as possible, medication = primary form of treatment (sometimes requiring a treatment order) If individual remains unfit, they are either detained in a hospital or conditionally discharged. Example: ted kaczynski: 7 bombings, trial in 1997, defence wanted unfit, kaczynski disagreed, paranoid schizophrenic, found fit & criminally responsible, plea bargained & pled guilty, 4 life sentences. Insanity is a legal concept, not a medical or psychological one: definition of insanity may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, retrospective assessment has to be conducted of state of mind. Treatment: forensic hospital or absolute or conditional discharge, medication = primary form of treatment. If sent to a forensic hospital, the disposition time will be capped.
