THE TEACHING OF FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY IN LAW SCHOOLS, MEDICAL SCHOOLS AND PSYCHIATRIC RESIDENCIES IN THE UNITED STATES

A questionnaire study on the teaching of forensic psychiatry in law schools, medical schools and psychiatric residency programs in the United States is reported. Data obtained from 81 percent of the approved law schools and 86 percent of the university medical centers reveal that the trend toward inclusion of this subject in the law school curriculum is increasing rapidly, though few schools have extensive programs as yet. In medical schools and psychiatric residencies there has been little change recently. Some of the more developed programs are presented and certain promising trends are mentioned. In the discussion, the role of the psychiatrist as educator to the legal process is explored.