PSYCHIATRIC TESTIMONY IN MILITARY COURTS
ROBERT L. SADOFF M.D.1,
DONALD J. COLLINS PH.D.2, , and
WILLIAM J. KEELER J.A.3
1 Director of the Forensic Psychiatry Clinic and Instructor in Psychiatry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa.
2 Chief, Clinical Psychology Service, Walson Army Hospital, Fort Dix, N. J.
3 Staff Judge Advocate, McGuire Air Force Base, Fort Dix, N. J.
A questionnaire, tapping attitudes and opinions of military psychiatrists and attorneys in the area of psychiatric testimony in military courts and specifically on the issue of responsibility, is presented and responses were analyzed.
Difficulties in communication between lawyers and doctors on the issue of psychiatric testimony are reflected in the issue of mental responsibility and the role of the expert witness.
Suggestions for resolving the difficulties involved are presented. It is felt the military provides an atmosphere conducive to the resolution of these interdisciplinary problems.
