NCJ Number
246105
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 58 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2013 Pages: 719-723
Date Published
May 2013
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Site visits and crime scene visitation by forensic psychologists and psychiatrists may enhance the accuracy and credibility of their forensic work in criminal, civil, and other important contexts.
Abstract
This ethically sound technique of after-the-fact data collection and verification offers numerous potential benefits to the forensic mental health professional: clarifying the subject's actions, assessing the reliability of witness reports, identifying contextual determinants of behavior, and more fully illuminating subject motivation and decisionmaking. Limitations and suggested guidelines for conducting site visits are offered. Guidelines include preplanning, arranging for an informed guide to accompany and narrate the visit, and conducting the site visit prior to forensic examinations. Abstract published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons.