M3A1

  ssignment 1: Standards and Tests for Criminal Responsibility

Criminal responsibility (insanity) assessments play a  significant role in forensic psychological assessment, and information  about them is directly relevant to the psycholegal assessment questions  on the comprehensive exam.

Tasks:

Using resources from the professional literature,  research legal standards and assessment tools used with the criminally  insane population. The literature may include the Argosy University  online library resources, relevant textbooks, peer-reviewed journal  articles, and websites created by professional organizations, agencies,  or institutions (.edu and .gov).

In a minimum of 300 words, address the following: Identify and discuss at least two legal standards for insanity in a criminal defendant. Explain why such legal standards are  important for our judicial system. What information may assist in  understanding the defendant’s capacity to control his or her behavior at  the time of the offense? Describe at least one type of assessment  instrument for criminal responsibility. What is the research support for  utilization of these instruments? What is the difference between a legal standard for insanity and a psychological assessment instrument?