Clinicians' Experience and the Determination of Criminal Responsibility

Abstract

The present investigation examines the clinical judgment of criminal responsibility. Subjects were experienced forensic psychologists, graduate students in clinical psychology, and undergraduate students. They selected information regarding hypothetical defendants and recorded their recommendations and confidence levels, as well as additional information they would have liked to review. The experienced psychologists selected and requested information most relevant to determining criminal responsibility, while the graduates and undergraduates failed to recognize the importance of establishing the defendant's mental status at the time of the offense. In terms of confidence level regarding their judgments, undergraduates were most confident, followed by graduates and psychologists. The experienced psychologists judged significantly fewer defendants as not guilty by reason of insanity as compared to the graduates and undergraduates.