Exam 15: Abnormal Psychology and the Law

There is a basic rule of law that says that those who stand accused of crimes must be able to understand the charges and proceedings brought against them and be able to participate in their own defense.

In the case that established minimum standards of care for mental patients, the federal court required that mental hospitals must provide which of the following?

The Durham ruling has proven to be unworkable.

Information provided to a therapist by a client is protected by rules of absolute confidentiality.

In Sell v. United States, the United States Supreme Court ruled that ______.

The likelihood of violence in people with serious psychiatric problems is increased by ______.

Which of the following is a reason why the Tarasoff decision may actually increase the risk of violence?

The M'Naghten rule holds that a person does not bear criminal responsibility for an act when ______.

A defendant who is unable to understand the charges and proceedings brought against him or her in a criminal action is said to be ______.

Thomas Szasz argues that the insanity defense has historically been invoked to ______.

The "base-rate problem" refers to ______.

Explain the effects of the Tarasoff case on helping professionals' duty to warn third parties of threats posed by clients.

Mental health professionals tend to ______ dangerousness in mental health patients.

As an aftermath of the Hinckley verdict, many states changed their statute to ______.

The "guilty but mentally ill" verdict was a reaction to ______.

Incorrectly failing to predict the occurrence of a problematic behavior is known as a(n) ______.

The legal process of placing a person in a mental institution, even against his or her will, is known as ______ commitment.

People acquitted by reason of insanity ______.

Predictions of dangerousness based on hospital behavior tend to generalize to community settings.

In states that have adopted it, the "guilty but mentally ill" verdict has substantially reduced the number of "not guilty by reason of insanity" verdicts.