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 services 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.

Submission Details:

Assignment 2 Grading Criteria

Maximum Points

Identified and explained the legal
requirements in your jurisdiction regarding the documentation of services
provided by a forensic psychology professional.

60

Identified and described the
specific laws and rules in your jurisdiction regarding the insanity standard.

60

Differentiated between the
requirements for clinical work and the requirements for forensic work.

44

Provided examples and references
and followed APA guidelines for writing and citing in-text references.

24

Wrote in a clear, concise, and
organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation
and attribution of sources; and displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and
punctuation.

12

Total:

200

This
is the 8-10 page paper.

Assignment 2: RA 2: Case Scenario
Background:
The
defendant is a forty-year-old, single, black female charged with a
first-degree assault. Specifically, she is alleged to have splashed liquid
fire, a liquid drain cleaner, onto another woman’s face, thus incidentally
splashing five bystanders. Per the court order you received, Ms. Tyler was
referred some time after the alleged crime for evaluation of her criminal
responsibility. Her competency to stand trial (CST) was also at issue. At the
time of the evaluation, Ms. Tyler was being held at the Southern County
Detention Center. You met with Ms. Tyler. The defendant was informed that the
results of the evaluation will be released to the court and that the results
may be used against her in the court. Ms. Tyler gave her written consent to
be evaluated.
Psychosocial History:
Only
limited information is available regarding Ms. Tyler’s background. She is a
lifetime resident of the state. Her mother died of cancer at the age of
seventy-nine years. Her father, L. Defendant, is eighty-four years old and is
a retired farmer. Ms. Tyler has five living sisters, four living brothers,
and two deceased siblings. Three of her sisters have received inpatient
psychiatric treatment. One sister lives in Close Town, one in Europe with her
husband who is in the military, and one sister died in a drowning accident.
One brother committed suicide by hanging himself. There is no history of
psychiatric problems among the other brothers.
Ms.
Tyler has completed the tenth grade. She is literate. Ms. Tyler has worked on
an assembly line for five years until 1988 when the factory closed. She then
did an office-cleaning job. Her reasons for leaving this position are vague.
She was unemployed for several years and was supported by her family. She
lives in rent-free government housing. Her church pastor, A. Reverend,
arranged for her to get employment at Helpful Industries through a vocational
office at the State Psychiatric Hospital. She was employed at Helpful
Industries for approximately two months prior to the incident. Ms. Tyler has
never married. She has a thirteen-year-old son who lives with his father.
Psychiatric History:
Ms.
Tyler denies any previous psychiatric treatment. Family members and
individuals who know Ms. Tyler state that she has a long history of
psychiatric symptoms such as loose associations and persecutory delusions.
Ms. Tyler’s sister, Ms. Sister, reports that Ms. Tyler has been violent in
the past, threatening her niece with a knife. Her emotional difficulties were
also apparently common knowledge among her congregation. As stated above, Ms.
Tyler has a positive family history for psychiatric illness. Ms. Tyler is
currently on haloperidol, an antipsychotic medication.
Ms.
Tyler denies any alcohol or substance abuse. She states that she has one
previous arrest for prostitution in 1975. She spent six months in jail for
this offense.
Report of the Crime:
When
asked to report what happened, Ms. Tyler states, “It happened so fast, I
just remember, I threw it on her. I didn’t mean to.” She continues,
“I threw liquid fire on her. She always caused me trouble . . . She
picked with me all the time . . . Sometimes she would step on my feet. I did
not mean to do it, it happened so quick I did not understand myself. That
morning when I went to church, I was standing by a table and she came over,
starting trouble with me . . . Came over and said my name.”
Ms.
Tyler was guarded in her responses, and at one point, she asked what the
court would do with her if she said, “just didn’t know why I did
it.” Her report conflicts with several eyewitness reports. All the
eyewitnesses who were interviewed claimed that Ms. Tyler yelled at Ms. Mobly.
Mr. Witness 1 states that Ms. Tyler approached Ms. Mobly and said, “I’m
getting sick and tired of you picking on me every day at church.” He
states that she then started splashing Ms. Mobly with the drain cleaner. Ms.
Witness 2’s account is similar. She states, “As soon as Ms. Mobly
entered, Ms. Tyler grabbed her purse and started throwing the solution on her
saying ‘told you I was gonna get you. I’m tired of you getting me in
trouble.'”
Ms.
Witness 3’s report of the incident is also similar. Additionally, Ms. Witness
3 states that Ms. Tyler would frequently deny making threats when confronted
with an issue, claiming that she did not make such a threat or did not
remember making it. Ms. Witness 3 also states that Ms. Tyler reported
experiencing auditory hallucinations telling her to get people. However, Ms.
Tyler has consistently denied hallucinations.
Tasks:
In
a 8- to 10-page report, analyze this case and address the following to the
best of your abilities:

What
tests or assessments would you recommend to provide a comprehensive
diagnostic assessment of Ms. Tyler?
Provide
diagnostic impressions based upon the case and the tests you have
recommended. Provide an explanation or a rationale for how you arrived
at this diagnosis.
What
are the psycholegal issues to be assessed? What are the standards used
to evaluate these issues (i.e., discuss the relevant court decisions and
holdings)?
What
tests should be administered and why? What is the empirical support for
the tests you have suggested?
What
other information do you need to offer an opinion on whether Ms. Tyler
is competent to stand trial?
What
other information do you need to offer an opinion as to whether Ms.
Tyler met the legal criteria for insanity at the time of the offense?
What
outcomes do you expect will be reached by the court with regard to these
issues and why?
What are the potential ethical issues involved in
this case? How would you resolve these issues?

Use
resources from professional literature in your analysis. Professional
literature may include relevant textbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles,
and websites created by professional organizations, agencies, or institutions
(.edu, .org, or .gov).
Submission Details:

Assignment 2 Grading Criteria

Maximum Points

Recommended tests or assessments
to provide a comprehensive diagnostic assessment of Ms. Tyler.

36

Provided diagnosis based upon
the vignette and the tests you have recommended. Provided a brief
differential diagnosis to explain how you arrived at this diagnosis.

36

Assessed psycholegal issues,
including the standards used to evaluate these issues (i.e., discussed the
relevant court decisions/holdings).

36

Identified and discussed tests
to be administered; provided rationale and the empirical support for the
tests you have suggested.

32

Explained other information
needed to offer an opinion as to whether Ms. Tyler met the legal criteria
for insanity at the time of the offense.

32

Identified other information
needed to offer an opinion on whether Ms. Tyler is competent to stand
trial.

32

Predicted outcomes you expect
will be reached by the court with regard to these issues and rationale.

32

Identified the potential ethical
issues involved in this case. Created a resolution plan for these issues.

32

Wrote in a clear, concise, and
organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate
representation and attribution of sources; and displayed accurate spelling,
grammar, and punctuation.

32

Total:

300