Should Forensic Psychologists Make Custody Recommendations?

Forensic psychological assessments are often pivotal documents that can have a dramatic effect on the trajectory of a contested custody dispute and, ultimately, on the path a particular child's life will take post disposition. These documents are often eagerly awaited because of their potential value in providing leverage for one side over the other and for their capacity to settle cases – qualities derived from the frequent presence of a specific custodial recommendation in the report. Clients arrive at the clinician's office often feeling as if their lives are in the hands of the court-appointed expert. Forensic reports arrive in court as documents that represent the application of a behavioral “science” and there is therefore a common expectation that the recommendations will be weighted heavily because they will go beyond common public knowledge or subjective value choices. It is the recommendations section that is often read first by the consumers of the report because of its perceived impact.