?Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison?: A human rights perspective on therapeutic jurisprudence and the role of forensic psychologists in correctional settings

Fonte: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MImg&_imagekey=B6VH7-4W15KXT-1-...
Acesso em: 10 nov. 2009.

The roles of forensic psychologists in coerced environments such as corrections include that of treatment provider
(for the offender) and that of organizational consultant (for the community). This dual role raises ethical issues
between offender rights and community rights; an imbalance results in the violation of human rights. A timely
reminder of a slippery ethical slope that can arise is the failure of the American Psychological Association to
manage this balance regarding interrogation and torture of detainees under the Bush administration. To establish
a ?bright-line position? regarding ethical practice, forensic psychologists need to be cognizant of international
human rights law. In this endeavor, international covenants and a universal ethical code ought to guide practice,
although seemingly unresolveable conflicts between the law and ethics codes may arise. A solution to this
problemis to devise an ethical framework that is based on enforceable universally shared human values regarding
dignity and rights. To this end, the legal theory of therapeutic jurisprudence can assist psychologists to understand
the law, the legal system, and their role in applying the law therapeutically to support offender dignity, freedom,
and well-being. In this way, a moral stance is taken and the forensic role of treatment provider and/or
organizational consultant is not expected to trump the prescriptions and the proscriptions of the law.
© 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.