Forensic Patients and Perceptions of Procedural Justice (1 CE)

This course is for:  Psychologists, Counselors, and Nurses

Course By: Tamara Avery, PsyD

Content By: Simpson, A. F., Boldt, I., Penney, S., Jones, R., Kidd, S., Nakhost, A., and Wilkie, T. (2020). Perceptions of procedural justice and coercion among forensic psychiatric patients: a study protocol for a prospective, mixed-methods investigation, BMC Psychiatry, 20(230), 1-20.

Course Description: There are significant research gaps relative to the nature of mental health recovery in forensic settings. The key elements of recovery, as perceived by forensic patients and their treating providers, have been neglected. Little is known about the way patients perceive the forensic mental health system, whether it is viewed as fair and legitimate, and/or how these perceptions impact treatment engagement. Researchers explored patient perceptions of procedural justice and experiences of coercion to understand patient recovery engagement. Shared decision-making processes were lacking in the forensic setting, however, this type of conceptual development may improve patient mental health experiences.

Learning Objectives:

• Articulate why a study premised on mental health recovery in forensic settings was necessary in consideration of the introductory information relative to historical studies
• Identify and define the term “forensic patient,” the general study approach, and related forensic assessments
• Analyze the data, the selection of statistical tests, and concomitant results
• Generalize the possibility and/or plausibility of applying the primary resultant findings to the broader area of patient perceptions in the forensic mental health system
• Integrate 2 study limitations with the identified study findings and/or areas suggested for future research

Course Outline:

• Read and understand Perceptions of procedural justice and coercion among forensic psychiatric patients: a study protocol for a prospective, mixed-methods investigation
  • Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
• Consider the factors related to patient perceptions of procedural justice and coercion along with the statistical findings from the accompanying article
• Work through the post-test questions; answer selections should be derived from the respective article
• Return to the referenced article for any missed questions and/or to better understand mental health recovery for forensic patients

Approvals: