Forensic Psychiatry
This chapter represents a first effort at exploring ethics concerns at the intersections of forensic psychiatry and religion. It surveys several areas where this convergence occurs: criminal cases in which religious delusions of the defendant figured prominently in the defense; civil cases involving the right to refuse treatment secondary to religious beliefs; the complexities of applying empathy to forensic evaluations where the physician’s task is not focused on healing the individual; the challenges of permitting certain forms of religious practice in maximum security forensic hospitals; and the interplay of constructs of forgiveness, reconciliation, remorse, and insight in treating persons found not guilty by reason of mental illness of serious, violent crimes. The choice of these particular topics is not meant to exhaust the conjunction of these interdisciplinary interests but hopefully provides a place to begin their consideration.