Forensic Psychiatry
Forensic psychiatry is the area of psychiatry related to the law and the legal system.Forensic psychiatrists are trained on both civil and criminal court cases and perform services such as giving expert testimony about issues related to mental health and psychopharmacology, evaluating competency, determining whether a defendant is able to plea not guilty by reason of insanity and suggesting appropriate psychiatric treatment in place of or in addition to a prison sentence. They also provide psychiatric services to patients in legal custody.
Qualifications
Before becoming a forensic psychiatrist, individuals must first complete their undergraduate and medical degrees. After completing their residency training in psychiatry, they must then complete a one-year fellowship in forensic psychiatry. During this time, they learn skills for working with the legal system, are further trained in evaluating sanity and practice working with incarcerated patients.