Forensic Evaluations

Forensic evaluation refers to assessing an individual in a legal context. A forensic psychiatrist or psychologist has special forensic training and conducts a detailed review of a legal case. Services may include examining police reports and testifying in a court case.

Forensic evaluations in Michigan

The Henry Ford Behavioral Health Service Division of Forensic Psychiatry performs civil and criminal evaluations for lawyers, courts and businesses. Our highly trained mental health professionals perform a variety of evaluations and have extensive experience in providing criminal court testimony.

Our broad range of forensic psychiatric services includes:

• Medical record reviews
• Psychological testing
• Deposition
• Expert court testimony, when needed

Civil evaluations at Henry Ford Behavioral Health Services

Civil court mostly deals with cases related to personal injury. A forensic psychologist can perform expert assessment of the emotional and physical effects, both short and long-term, that result from personal injury. Evaluations include:

• Psychiatric disability due to personal injury or illness
• Workers’ compensation
• Psychiatric malpractice
• Harm due to sexual harassment or trauma
• Workplace violence risk assessments
• Return to work
• Fitness for duty

Competency evaluations at Henry Ford Behavioral Health Services

Our expert forensic psychologists perform competency evaluations to assess an individual’s mental state and his or her ability to stand trial. Our comprehensive evaluations are timely and provide unbiased expert opinions.

Competency evaluations include:

• Competency to stand trial
• Competency for sentencing, in order to waive various rights and to understand Miranda
• Mental state at the time of the alleged offense as it relates to the insanity defense and issues of “mens rea” (pronounced “menz-ray-ah,” it refers to the mental component of criminal liability).
• To be found guilty of most crimes, a defendant must have committed the criminal act in a certain mental state (the mens rea).