| Unit.B.2.3.
Forensic Psychiatric Nurse |
[Unit.B.2.3.]
[Unit.C.2.3.]
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Australia |
focus
points
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Insert forensic
focus points here
Canada |
focus
points
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| Role
of the forensic psychiatric nurse |
- Non-judgmental
attitude.
- Collaborates
with members of the multidisciplinary team.
- Knowledge
of legal terminology.
- Knowledge
of legal warrants specific to remand for psychiatric
assessment for court appearances.
- Ability
to work in a secure environment.
- Medication
management
- Participates
in the assessment of the individual for fitness
(CA) or competency (US) to stand trial: i.e. pre-trial,
pre-sentence, dangerous offender, parole assessment,
and NCR / Insanity determinations.
- Provides
24 hour care/custody of the patient while on forensic
psychiatric treatment/assessment units.
- Interviews
the patient to obtain their complete history (family,
education, jobs, psychosocial, psychosexual, health,
etc.
- Daily
mini mental status observations and assessment.
- Facilitates
assessment groups on assessment units - information
and orientation, addictions, human sexuality, communication,
anger management, insight and lounge groups and
assess the patient during with regard to their behavior
and participation re leadership, team abilities,
behavioral and cognitive processes.
- Provides
treatment or therapy on forensic psychiatric rehabilitative
units.
- Knowledge
of, or serves as a community liaison: i.e. providing
outpatient assessment/treatment, etc
- Advocate
for the best interests of the patient, imploring
the objective forensic scientific truth. (Kent-Wilkinson,
1999).
|
Forensic Psychiatric
Services provided federally by (CSC) Correctional Service
Canada since 1973" (Conacher, 1993, p.11).
"Forensic
psychiatric nursing draws on psychiatric knowledge to provide
mental health care to the mentally ill offender. Like forensic
psychiatry, it is concerned with the legal aspects of mental
illness" (Kent-Wilkinson, 1993, p. 23).
International |
focus
points
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Insert forensic
focus points here
United Kingdom |
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points
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"The medical
model of the nineteenth century asylum, framed the emergence
of mental health nursing" (Mason & Mercer, 1999,
p. 239).
"Forensic
nursing has now emerged as specialist professional territory
throughout the psychiatrised world" (Mason & Mercer,
1999, p. 236).
"A growing
body of literature testifies to the search for a professional
identify, yet ironically this has typically been at the
expense of professional practice" (Mason & Mercer,
1999, p. 236).
"Despite
the diversity of settings in which forensic nurses now work,
from maximum security institutions to community based initiatives,
the role remains an adjunct to medicalised deviance. Fundamental
contradictions, crystallised in nineteenth century medico-legal
development belie the sophistry of present day practice"
(Mason & Mercer, 1999, p. 236).
"For almost
200 years, the crime and the criminal have been melded into
one conjoint figure - the mentally disordered offender"
(Mason & Mercer, 1999, p. 236).
"An international
perspective of the concept of forensic nursing reveals a
multiplicity of role functions and responsibilities within
a diverge range of practice settings" (Mason &
Mercer, 1999, p. 240).
"The status
of forensic psychiatric nursing has been disputed in the
literature and the role of nurses working in this field
is seen by some to be more about social control than caring"
(Polczyk-Przybyla & Gournay, 1999, p. 893).
"The notion
that nurses in this field act more as agents for social
surveillance or control (more than those working in other
less secure institutions) has also been discussed in the
literature and questions have been raised about the ability
of nurses to adopt the role of carer whilst overtly representing
the custodial authority (Mason & Mercer, 1996, cited
in Polczyk-Przybyla & Gournay, 1999, p. 895).
The debate has
broadened to question whether forensic psychiatric nursing
deserves to be thought of as a distinct specialty (Polczyk-Przybyla
& Gournay, 1999, p. 895).
Whyte (1997)
after a review of the literature, concluded that forensic
nursing as a specialty does not exist (Polczyk-Przybyla
& Gournay, 1999, p. 895).
Burrows (1993)
felt that this sub-division was valid because of the distinct
client group and exceptional knowledge base" (Polczyk-Przybyla
& Gournay, 1999, p. 895).
"In 1899,
the grade of hospital officer was introduced. A short course
in general health care was a requirement for this grade
and a nursing qualification was not essentia" (Polczyk-Przybyla
& Gournay, 1999, p. 895).
"The whole
field of forensic mental health nursing, including high
security hospitals, medium secure and prison settings is
the subject of current review by the UKCC" (Polczyk-Przybyla
& Gournay, 1999, p. 896).
United States |
focus
points
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"In 1930, Forensic psychiatric nursing first began in the US federal corrections system" (Furman, 1973; cited in Hufft & Fawkes, 1994, p.36)
Focus Points
Reference
Kent-Wilkinson,
A. (1993). After the crime, before the trial. Canadian
Nurse, 89 11), 23-26.
Polczyk-Przybyla,
M. & Gournay, K. (1999). Psychiatric nursing in prison:
The state of the art? Journal of Advanced Nursing, 30
(4), 893-900.
Mason T. &
Mercer, D. (1999). Forensic psychiatric nursing. (Chapter
13) pp. 236-259. In M. Clinton, & S. Nelson (Ed). Advanced
Practice in Mental Health Nursing. Blackwell Science
Ltd: Oxford.
Mason, T. &
Mercer, D. (1999). A sociology of the mentally disordered
offender. London: Addison Wesley Longman.
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B - Forensic Psychiatry > Section B.2.0. Forensic Roles > Unit.B.2.3.
Forensic Psychiatric Nurse
