Experience

Over the course of the year, Joshua has observed court clinics and criminal trials in the Baltimore Circuit Court house under the direction of Dr. Annette Hanson. In the court clinics, Dr. Hanson and other court psychiatrists gave presentations on the various aspects of being a forensic psychiatrist to a group that included medical students and forensic psychiatry fellows. They discussed different court rulings for landmark cases that have set precedent to future cases. They also discussed the various types of responsibilities of psychiatrists in this field can pursue.

The trials Joshua observed were those in which insanity was used as an argument in their defense.

Joshua also reviewed many forensic case files from his father's private forensic practice in which redacted case files were reviewed. This includes transcriptions of meetings with psychologists, statements from the evaluee, and other significant information used to formulate an opinion to a reasonable degree of medical certainty. From this experience, Joshua created his own arguments about the insanity plea for these individuals and how to present these arguments in court. These theories and approaches were discussed with Dr. Hanson.