No stone left unturned
The role of the expert witness is frequently misunderstood. Contrary to certain portrayals in American media, which often depict expert witnesses as partisan advocates, expert witnesses within the UK legal system bear an overriding duty to the court itself. This fundamental distinction is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the function and obligations of expert ...
The issue of documentation has been covered from different angles before in: Documentation (June 2023), The Documentation Dilemma (Aug 2024), High level documentation practices (Oct 2024) and Decision-making (Oct 2024). While the publisher and author(s) have used their best efforts in preparing information at this website, they make no representation or warranties with respect to ...
Decision-making in forensic psychiatry is a multifaceted process that goes beyond mere discussion of facts. It involves a deliberate, analytical approach to weighing various factors and arriving at plans, outcomes or conclusions that are congruent with widely accepted standards of practice. Accurate documentation of this process is essential for professional, legal, and ethical reasons, and ...
The recent events on the sentencing of Valdo Calocane have led to public outcries. Mr Coates’ son James (a victim) said that Calocane had “made a mockery of the system“, adding that “he has got away with murder“. I have no relationship to the victims, their families, Calocane or the legal proceedings. This exploration will ...
This article is an exploration of two legal defences to unlawful homicide. The materials here are for educational purposes and subject to our disclaimer. The word ‘insanity’ is obviously related to ‘insane’. In the UK people are not ‘certified as insane’, contrary to popular social media belief – driven by movies. If you wish to ...
Lucy Letby, 33, was convicted of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six new-borns at Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015 and 2016. Why is this ‘story’ important for psychiatry? It shows how systems are slow to recognise and respond, slow to heed expert insights from within organisations, and how dysfunctional ...
To ordinary people risk is something felt and seen. If something is dangerous you expect normally to be aware of it, like the edge of a cliff or an open manhole on some pavement. This post should be read together with Risk – how is that to be managed? If a large dog is growling near ...
This post will deal with psychiatric reports, mainly for the courts. These reports often appear simple but in most cases based on experience, they involve complex and/or demanding underlying issues. This is not advice, not exhaustive and cannot cover all situations. This post is being updated on an intermittent basis. [Updated November 2021, January 2022] ...
If you developed a rare and complex medical condition, such as autoimmune myasthenia gravis, it would be important to find the right expert to treat that condition. Why? Because you’d want to be cured of the condition, or maximise your life-expectancy with a reasonable quality of life (if it is not curable). Most people with ...
Questions and questioning are obviously important in obtaining information from patients. An interview may include questions but it need not. An assessor can obtain information from pure observation. However, to understand a patient’s internal state, or their motivations, or their risks in different domains, the assessor must ask something. I’ll focus on the word ‘ask’ ...
