Forensic Psychology

According to the text, a forensic mental health assessment refers to the practice of performing mental health evaluations to assist courts and attorneys, in the process of deciding certain matters of law applied to criminal or civil cases. In this case study, you will explore different types of forensic assessments and their application to a real world situation.  

Review the case study titled “Britney Spears” in Chapter 3, pages 60 and 61 of the text. 

Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:

1. Determine whether or not you agree with the position that civil commitment violates Britney Spears’ civil liberties. Provide a rationale to support your position.
2. Explain the distinction between civil commitment and criminal commitment. Next, support or criticize the premise that civil commitment was the proper course of action in the case of Britney Spears.
3. Argue for or against the theory that a short term (i.e. 72 hour) commitment provides enough time for a doctor to make a reasonable determination about the scope of the mental health problems of a patient. Provide a rationale to support your response.
4. The court ordered forensic assessments regarding Britney Spears’ parenting capacity as well as her guardianship. Discuss the manner in which you believe these two (2) assessments served the purposes of protecting the patient, protecting her children, and protecting the public. Provide a rationale to support your response.
5. Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other related websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Demonstrate basic knowledge of the different elements and aspects of forensic psychology.
• Brief and debate historic cases associated with mental health and forensic psychology.
• Distinguish between clinical, actuarial, and other prediction and evaluation methods used by forensic psychologists in legal cases.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues related to forensic psychology.
• Write clearly and concisely about topics related to forensic psychology using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.