Justice and welfare: two ethical paradigms in forensic psychiatry
Authors: Adshead, Gwen; Sarkar, Sameer P.
Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, Volume 39, Numbers 11-12, November 2005 , pp. 1011-1017(7)
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing
Key:
- Free Content
- New Content
- Subscribed Content
- Free Trial Content
- Free Content
- New Content
- Subscribed Content
- Free Trial Content
Abstract:
Forensic psychiatry, as a medical specialty, perhaps understandably leans toward beneficence or welfare as its main ethical underpinning. However, the special nature of the art or science of forensic psychiatry makes it imperative that beneficence is not the only ethical principle that guides the ‘good’ forensic psychiatrist. Indeed, the commonest ethical dilemmas in forensic psychiatry arise from a conflict between two ethical principles: beneficence, or promotion of welfare, and respect for justice. These two paradigms dominate discussions about the moral role and ethical duties of forensic psychiatrists and, in effect, give rise to two different practices in forensic psychiatry, each of which can also be said to have acquired a national identity. We discuss these competing principles and offer some thoughts about what this means for the ethics and values of forensic psychiatry.Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 2005; 39:1011–1017Keywords: beneficence; ethics; forensic; justice; psychiatry; welfare
Document Type: Research article
DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1614.2005.01719.x
Key:
- Free Content
- New Content
- Subscribed Content
- Free Trial Content
- Free Content
- New Content
- Subscribed Content
- Free Trial Content
Click here for Page Help