Being adequately compassionate is not only ethical, but also likely to enhance data quality. Such a lens also has implications for the entire assessment process in terms of interviewing, psychological testing, diagnostic conclusions, feedback, and the provision of testimony and educating triers of fact. A trauma-informed lens allows forensic mental health examiners to assess examinees in the context of their developmental histories and lived experience. This paper focuses on trauma-informed assessment of criminal justice involved individuals, given the high rates of trauma exposure and related sequelae in this population. The need for trauma-informed practice is well recognized across mental health and legal settings however, relatively little has been written about its application in forensic mental health assessment. It provides a brief introduction to the sociopolitical context of torture, reviews literature on the psychological sequelae of torture, introduces the reader to key competencies, offers information on strategies for producing documentary evidence and expert opinion, highlights ethical considerations, and suggests areas for development in the field. This article will orient mental health professionals to issues specific to forensic assessment of torture survivors.
High-quality psychological evidence can help to substantiate allegations of torture, thereby increasing the likelihood of success in civil, administrative, and criminal proceedings.
Mental health professionals can play a positive role in the fight against torture and impunity, by developing competencies to assess the psychological sequelae of torture. In spite of the absolute prohibition against torture in international law, this grave human rights abuse is still practiced systematically and with impunity in the majority of countries around the world. Results indicate a need for more research, more practice guidelines, and diversification of the forensic mental health workforce.
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In contrast, other practices were relatively uncommon (e.g., referred the evaluation to another professional with more knowledge/experience regarding examinees with particular identities). Evaluators reported engaging in a wide range of culturally-informed practices across all domains, some being nearly universal (e.g., considered cultural context when forming diagnosis). Evaluators reported significant challenges in conducting culturally-informed evaluations, including lack of appropriate tests for their examinees, lack of guidelines for their evaluations, lack of colleagues from diverse backgrounds, and lack of relevant research. Subjects were forensic mental health professionals (n = 258 64.7% women, 69.4% PhD or PsyD) recruited through listservs and training events to complete a survey online or by hard copy. The current survey represents a replication and extension of a previous survey regarding self-reported culturally-informed practices among forensic evaluators.
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Although recommendations regarding how to incorporate cultural considerations in forensic evaluations have been published over the past decade, there is no clear consensus on best practices nor is it clear how evaluators interpret and apply the available recommendations. Forensic evaluators conduct assessments of individuals with a wide range of sociocultural identities.
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