ABPP Forensic Psychology key terms

A legal test for admitting expert testimony that asks whether the method is testable, has been peer reviewed, has a known error rate, and is generally accepted in its field.

An older admissibility rule holding that expert testimony must rest on methods generally accepted by the relevant scientific community; still used in some jurisdictions.

The degree to which a technique or theory is endorsed by the relevant professional community; one factor courts weigh when screening expert evidence.

A person permitted to offer opinion testimony because specialized knowledge will help the fact finder understand evidence or determine a fact in issue.

Opinion that speaks directly to a question the judge or jury must decide, such as whether a defendant is competent or dangerous.

A rule in some jurisdictions barring experts from stating conclusions on the precise legal question reserved for the trier of fact.

A defendant's present ability to understand the proceedings and to assist counsel with a reasonable degree of rational understanding.

The constitutional benchmark requiring that a defendant have sufficient present ability to consult with counsel and a rational as well as factual understanding of the proceedings.

Treatment or education, often in a secure facility, aimed at helping an incompetent defendant become fit to proceed; raises questions about medication over objection.

Administering psychiatric medication without consent, permitted in limited circumstances to restore trial competence or address dangerousness under constitutional limits.

Agreement to evaluation or treatment given after disclosure of purpose, procedures, risks, benefits, alternatives, and limits of confidentiality, made voluntarily by a capable person.

A plea that a defendant lacked criminal responsibility because of a severe mental disorder at the time of the offense, judged by a jurisdiction-specific legal test.

A criminal responsibility rule excusing a defendant who, because of mental disease, did not know the nature of the act or that it was wrong.

A responsibility test excusing conduct when mental disease substantially impaired the capacity to appreciate wrongfulness or to conform behavior to law.

A retrospective forensic assessment of a defendant's mental state at the time of an offense, addressing whether a legal excuse applies.

A structured process for estimating the likelihood of future violence or reoffending, combining actuarial tools, clinical judgment, and case-specific information.

Forecasting risk by applying a fixed, empirically derived formula to scored risk factors, yielding a probability estimate rather than a narrative opinion.

An approach that guides evaluators through defined risk factors and rules for combining them while allowing documented clinical judgment about individual cases.

The frequency of a condition or event in a given population, which strongly shapes how often a positive test result is actually correct.

Two properties of a test: sensitivity is the share of true cases correctly detected, and specificity is the share of noncases correctly ruled out.

The intentional production or exaggeration of symptoms for an external incentive such as avoiding prosecution, obtaining compensation, or securing medication.

The deliberate fabrication or exaggeration of symptoms, which may serve external or internal goals; evaluators must establish intent before labeling it malingering.

A systematic tendency in responding that distorts test results, such as overreporting, underreporting, or random answering, and must be assessed in forensic testing.

A set of test items or indices designed to detect distorted responding, such as exaggeration, denial, or inconsistent answers, within a psychological measure.

A personality pattern marked by callous affect, grandiosity, manipulativeness, impulsivity, and shallow emotion, measured by instruments such as the PCL-R.

A persistent pattern of disregard for and violation of others' rights, diagnosed from conduct history and adult traits, distinct from but overlapping with psychopathy.

A perspective examining how legal rules and proceedings affect psychological well-being, used to design problem-solving courts and treatment-oriented dispositions.

A specialized docket, such as drug or mental health court, that combines judicial supervision with treatment and monitoring instead of traditional adjudication.

Rearrest, reconviction, or reincarceration after release or intervention; a common outcome measure in forensic treatment and risk research.

Involuntary hospitalization based on mental disorder plus dangerousness or grave disability, decided through a legal process rather than criminal sentencing.

A form of indefinite civil confinement after prison for people found to have a mental abnormality predisposing them to sexual violence.

Combining therapeutic and forensic functions, such as treating a patient and evaluating the same person for a court, which creates conflicts of interest.

Professional standards governing forensic work, including objectivity, honesty about limits, avoidance of conflicts, and clarity about who the client is.

The legal ability to make a valid will, requiring that the person know the estate, natural heirs, and the act of disposing of property.

An assessment of whether an adult lacks capacity to manage personal or financial affairs, supporting a court's appointment of a substitute decision maker.

A forensic assessment of parenting capacity, child needs, and family functioning to inform a court's determination of the child's best interests.

The legal principle guiding custody and related decisions by weighing factors that promote a child's safety, stability, and well-being.

An out-of-court statement offered to prove the truth of its content, generally inadmissible subject to exceptions that often matter in forensic reports.

A legal protection allowing a person to refuse to disclose confidential communications, such as therapist-patient exchanges, subject to jurisdiction-specific exceptions.

The ethical duty to protect information shared in a professional relationship, limited in forensic contexts by court orders, safety concerns, and the evaluator's role.