In many criminal court cases, the issue of the defendant standing trial for certain crimes may often times be required to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, which is conducted by a forensic psychologist. The purpose of the psychiatric evaluation may be many, though typically it is to understand the motivating factors that would make an individual commit a crime.
Psychiatric evaluations may also be conducted in prisons under certain circumstances. Such an evaluation of resident of federal penitentiary may or may not be court ordered, and may not necessarily be related to the person’s history of crime. Psychiatric evaluation of prison residents may sometimes be conducted in order to get a better understanding of the criminal mind for studies in forensic sciences.
However, a psychiatric evaluation of a prison resident or inmate may be required in order to evaluate the mental state or capacity of a particular individual. Such a case will prove to be important when a prisoner may be up for parole. Depending on the nature of the crimes and sentenced served, a psychiatric evaluation may be required of an inmate in order to deem such an individual capable of functioning in the outside world, while also considering the possibility of a relapse to a life of crime.
A psychiatric evaluation of an inmate may prove to be crucial in the case that a criminal has served the imposed sentenced and is about to be released. Knowing the state of mind of such individual may require extra provisions and considerations of the legal system in order to ensure safety of the public, as well as the inmate him/herself.
