Race-informed Forensic Mental Health Assessment: A Principles-Based Analysis

Abstract

Existing models of forensic mental health assessment (FMHA) do not explicitly address the role of race or ethnicity in data collection, interpretation, report writing, and testimony. This omission can be a barrier to gathering information relevant to the forensic question and reaching culturally informed opinions. By adapting established principles of FMHA, we propose a culturally responsive model of FMHA emphasizing race and ethnicity (“Race-informed FMHA”). This model systematically assesses the impact of race, ethnicity and intersectional identities. We also describe how to determine how racial and ethnic considerations may be relevant to FMHA generally and in specific cases. Race-informed FMHA expands the scope of 12 of 38 foundational principles of FMHA to include racial identity, ethnicity, oppression, and privilege. We explain how evaluators can apply these principles to interpret and present information about race and ethnicity as objectively as possible. This paper identifies existing tools to obtain information regarding race and ethnicity in FMHA and describes a framework to conceptualize identity and its relevance. We discuss the importance of increasing evaluators’ comfort and fluency in discussing their own race and ethnicity – and those of others - in FMHA as well as implications for research and modified practice.