Chapter 1: The Subject and Functions of Forensic Psychiatry

Abstract

Forensic psychiatry is a science closely associated with philosophy and the legal and medical disciplines. It is inseparable from general psychiatry, but has its own particular functions. Forensic psychiatry, conceived as a branch of Soviet public health, is at the service of Soviet justice and is a contributing factor in — and, indeed, has as one of its chief tasks — the consolidation of socialist legality. In evaluating the mental condition of the accused in a criminal case, forensic psychiatrists must not only diagnose mental illness and treat the patient: they must also determine the extent to which the existing medical disorders affect the individual's ability to account for and govern his actions. In an examination of a convicted person, his ability to serve out his sentence is weighed. In determining a person's competence in a civil action, his "capacity to conduct his affairs rationally" is ascertained.