RA 1: Legal Requirements

Assignment 2: RA 1: Legal Requirements

The insanity defense is as old as it is controversial. There are times when insanity truly applies and times when it is not easy to determine. In either case, the documentation of services provided to these clients is typically heavily scrutinized by attorneys since documentation is the primary means used by courts to measure insanity as it meets legal standards. This assignment will allow you to examine the legal standards for insanity in your jurisdiction in addition to the requirements for the documentation of services provided to these individuals.

Tasks:

Search your state and regulatory boards, professional associations, state psychology boards, and state psychological associations. Use resources from professional literature to support your response. Professional literature may include relevant textbooks; peer-reviewed journal articles; and websites created by professional organizations, agencies, or institutions (.edu, .org, and .gov).

Write a 3- to 4-page paper, including the following:

• What are the legal requirements in your jurisdiction regarding the documentation of data provided by a forensic psychology professional? If not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity (NGRI) and guilty-but-mentally-ill (GBMI) evaluations are not recognized by your jurisdiction, review the legal requirements in a jurisdiction where they are the standard.
• What are the specific laws and rules regarding the documentation of psychological services?
• What are the differences between the requirements for clinical work and the requirements for forensic work, if any?
• What standards are used in your jurisdiction for an insanity plea?
• Do the insanity standards identify mental disease or defect with any exclusions, such as substance use? Explain.
• How do the standards in your jurisdiction contrast with the standards presented in your course textbooks?
• Do the insanity laws specify the presence of cognitive or volitional impairment as a threshold requirement to meet insanity? Provide brief examples.