Psychiatrists are called on to evaluate the credibility (and
incredibility) of complaining witnesses in criminal proceedings despite a
longstanding controversy about their ability to accurately make such
determinations. The author discusses the history of such psychiatric
activity from Freud through the Alger Hiss prejury trial, its current
status in terms of benefits to the criminal justice system, the legal and
social questions it raises (e.g., the competing issue of the complainant's
right to privacy), andthe court's restrictions on the psychiatrists. He
presents two illustrative case histories.
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