The Growing Admissibility of Expert Testimony by Clinical Social Workers on Competence to Stand Trial

Autor/in	Siegel, David M.
Titel	The Growing Admissibility of Expert Testimony by Clinical Social Workers on Competence to Stand Trial
Quelle	In: Social Work, 53 (2008) 2, S.153-163 (11 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0037-8046
Schlagwörter	Knowledge Level; High Achievement; Specialists; Professional Recognition; Court Litigation; Public Speaking; Criminals; Mental Disorders; Competence; Social Work; Caseworkers; Role; Evaluators; Psychologists; Psychiatry; Qualifications; Training; Employment Experience; Credentials; Evaluation; Skills + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Wissensbasis; Rechtsstreit; Vortrag; Straftäter; Mental illness; Geisteskrankheit; Kompetenz; Soziale Arbeit; Rollen; Psychologist; Psychologe; Psychologin; Psychiatrie; Qualifikation; Qualifikationsstufe; Ausbildung; Occupational experience; Job experience; Work experience; Berufserfahrung; Studienbuch; Evaluierung; Skill; Fertigkeit
Abstract	Expert testimony by clinical social workers concerning a criminal defendant's competence to stand trial has increasingly been admitted in certain state courts over the past two decades, yet most state laws still require that court-appointed competence evaluators be psychiatrists or psychologists. Pressure to admit social workers' testimony will come from social workers' increasing role in diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. The evolution of forensic assessment instruments that permits greater transparency in competence evaluation and facilitates training, and the standardization of forensic evaluation in general, support greater use of clinical social workers as competence evaluators. A list of proposed qualifications for competence evaluators is developed from recent criticism of evaluation shortcomings, and the article describes how social workers could help address these problems. Through review of representative case precedents, comparison of educational and credentialing practices of clinical social workers and psychologists, and assessment of limited quality data on forensic assessments across disciplines, the article proposes that the principal determinant of qualifications to testify as a competence expert should be advanced training, experience, and credentialing in the specific skills related to competence evaluation rather than professional designation. (Author).
Anmerkungen	National Association of Social Workers (NASW). 750 First Street NE Suite 700, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-227-3590; e-mail: press@naswdc.org; Web site: http://www.naswpress.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10