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The purpose of this paper is to assess the training forensic mental health professionals in the USA receive on intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Given the difficulties obtaining accurate prevalence rates of these disabilities in criminal justice settings, it is important to understand how these disabilities are being evaluated and the level of understanding about these disabilities evaluators hold.

An online survey was distributed to forensic mental health professionals in the USA that included questions on training opportunities in graduate education, post-graduate forensic training, and professional training opportunities. Participants were also asked about their current work, how they assess I/DD, and their estimates on the percentage of cases they see with I/DD.

Respondents reported some training that focused heavily on assessment methods. Most respondents estimated between 5 and 25 percent of their cases involving I/DD and reported using a wide range of assessment methods. Finally, many respondents reporting more training needed in this area.

More training is needed for forensic mental health professionals on identifying I/DD. Additionally, professional guidelines on what tools and methods to rely on to identify these disabilities is paramount to ensure homogeneity of methods and, thus, better estimates of overall prevalence in criminal justice settings.

This is the first assessment focused on how forensic mental health professionals are trained to identify I/DD and can be used to improve identification of I/DD in forensic settings.

The purpose of this paper is to review the impact of a new, brief forensic rotation for general psychiatry residents on the variety of residents’ forensic exposures.

The authors surveyed residents who trained before and after the implementation of the new rotation to assess the impact of the rotation on the residents’ forensic experiences during training across a variety of domains.

Even in a highly clinical forensic setting, residents participating in the required rotation reported significantly greater variety of forensic experiences than those who had not completed the required rotation, including types of settings and assessments, Rotation completers reported greater exposure to various types of settings and assessments, and courtroom-related experiences, as well as the overall number of forensic exposures. The two groups did not differ in their forensic exposures in general psychiatry settings, civil-forensic evaluations or diverse forensic populations. Secondary analyses showed that increased exposure to court-based experiences and multiple forensic settings was associated with forensic fellowship interest.

This study demonstrates that a brief, mandatory forensic clinical rotation may increase residents’ exposure to forensic settings, assessments and courtroom-related experiences and that increased exposure to courtroom-based experiences in particular may increase interest in forensic fellowship. While not surprising, the results demonstrate that residents were not otherwise having these forensic experiences and that even time-limited forensic rotations can enhance the breadth of residents’ forensic exposures. Further, the rotation achieved these outcomes without using typical forensic sites but instead highly clinical sites, which may be particularly encouraging to residency programs without ready access to classic forensic rotation sites. This study contributes to the small but expanding body of the literature describing the value of increasing psychiatry residents’ training in clinical forensic psychiatry.

Examining the education and training needs of forensic nurses is paramount as services move from the older institutions to new care settings. The purpose of this study was to identify Irish Forensic nurses perceived deficits in their knowledge and skills to assist them to provide effective seamless care for individuals with an intellectual disability within their forensic mental health service, so that appropriate training could be provided.

Training needs analysis (TNA) procedures are used as a way of establishing the continuing processional development of staff, as they seek to identify the gaps between the knowledge and skills of an individual and the need for further training. A training needs tool developed by Hicks and Hennessy (2011) was used and completed by nurses working in an Irish forensic mental health service. A total of 140 surveys were circulated and 74 were completed (51 per cent response).

The top priority training needs identified were for additional training in research and audit and in the use of technology. Other self-identified training needs included additional training in behavioural management for challenging behaviour, understanding mental health and intellectual disability and dual diagnosis, training in enhancing communication skills and how to work with patients who have an intellectual disability patients specific training on autistic spectrum disorders and a guide and template for advance individual care planning and for caring for the physical health needs and promoting the physical health needs of these patients.

Despite there being a vast range of training issues identified, the majority of nurses appear to have a clear idea of their training needs to ensure the provision of seamless care for individuals with an intellectual disability within a forensic mental health setting. This TNA has identified the specific needs of nursing staff working at different positions across the interface of intellectual disability and forensic mental health care.

The purpose of this paper is to address and understand recruitment difficulties into psychiatry; however, to date there is no published research with respect to forensic psychiatry. Forensic psychiatry has always been considered to be a popular specialty amongst junior doctors and therefore the recent trend in local unfilled core training (CT) (junior doctor) posts and national reduced competition ratios for higher specialist training has triggered concern. The impact vacant CT posts within the Forensic Service may have on the future workforce must be considered. Further understanding of this trend is required.

A short statement-style survey addressing attitudes and opinions with respect to the field of forensic psychiatry was devised and distributed to all West Midlands core psychiatry trainees who attended post-graduate teaching (November 2014).

Response rate was 64 per cent. In total, 52 per cent of participants expressed an interest in the specialty, but only 13 per cent wished to pursue a career in forensic psychiatry. In total, 68 per cent of responses deemed forensic psychiatry to be a demanding speciality, with over 50 per cent perceiving forensic patients as difficult to work with. There were high rates of uncertain responses with respect to specialty work life. In total, 78 per cent of responses considered experience of the specialty to be useful.

The method chosen to distribute the survey maximised response rate, but may have introduced a Hawthorne effect, as well as response bias, with the visual presence of the researcher. Participants were limited to those who attended teaching on the specified day. This could potentially skew results with an absence of opinions of non-attenders. It may be that characteristics and therefore attitudes and opinions of these two groups are different. A further limitation of the study is that opinions explored are limited to statements included within the survey.

The current views may represent stigma, negative media portrayal and misinformed opinions. Action must be taken to increase understanding, interest and experience. Increased exposure to the specialty needs to occur. This could occur as early as high school, using case-study exercises and career sessions. Teaching sessions, summer school placements and elective opportunities should be made available for medical students. At post-graduate level, taster days as well as earlier access to rotations may be a way forward.

Although entry into Forensic Higher Training remains comparatively competitive, the potential impact of vacant junior doctor (CT) posts within the speciality is concerning. This is likely to negatively influence recruitment into higher training, which may ultimately lead to decreased numbers of qualified forensic psychiatrists. Specialised care for such a risky and challenging patient group could thus be significantly compromised in the near future. Hence, it is vital to understand the current trend in order to act pre-emptively and address the underlying problems. To date no such research has been conducted.

Training in the prison settings is a mandatory part of higher training in forensic psychiatry. Violence in prisons is a recognised issue, which can impact on trainee safety and overall training experience. The Royal College of Psychiatrists have produced guidelines regarding the safety of the environment in inpatient mental health settings, but there is currently no such guidance regarding the prison setting. The purpose of this paper is to report on a survey of UK-based ST4-6 trainees in forensic psychiatry regarding their training experience in prisons, focusing on supervision and safety.

The authors constructed an electronic survey which comprised of 18 items. This was sent to each UK training programme director in forensic psychiatry, who were asked to distribute the survey to trainees in their region.

There were 36 unique responses, out of an approximate total of 100 trainees. The questions fell into two broad categories: trainee safety and trainee supervision. The main themes that arose were that the majority of trainees (59 per cent) reported that they had not received a formal induction at their prison and had not received training in using the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork framework (58 per cent) and serious incident review protocol (83 per cent). The vast majority (76 per cent) reported not being allocated a personal safety alarm, and 27 per cent reported having received a direct threat from a patient in prison. Responses with regards to consultant supervision were varied. The majority indicated that they received weekly supervision (62 per cent).

The findings indicate that there are a number of areas where both safety and supervision within the prison environment may be improved. This is concerning given the standards outlined by Promoting Excellence (General Medical Council), which highlights the importance of a safe and supported learning environment, and suggests the need for further analysis locally of training opportunities within prisons.

Recent years have seen some significant changes to the psychology profession in Australia that have prompted debate about the role of specialist areas of practice. This study aims to investigate those attitudes and values that might be associated with one particular specialism, that of forensic psychology.

The influence of specialist forensic training on the professional identity of 30 correctional psychologists was examined in relation to their self‐reported level of stress, organisational membership, and organisational commitment.

The results suggest that exposure to specialist training in forensic psychology may not be directly associated with organisational commitment, membership or stress, although some differences between forensic psychologists and those who held other professional practice qualifications were observed.

The main limitations of the study include the small sample size and the use of a scale that has not been well‐validated. Replication and extension of the study is required.

The study has implications for the recruitment and retention of psychologists in correctional settings and for the development of professional identity in post‐graduate training programmes.

This study is the first to explore the differences in professional identity, organisational commitment, organisational membership and stress in a sample of psychologists who practice in the correctional setting.

The purpose of this paper is to review an evidence-based tool for training child forensic interviewers called the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Protocol (NICHD Protocol), with a specific focus on how the Protocol is being adapted in various countries.

The authors include international contributions from experienced trainers, practitioners, and scientists, who are already using the Protocol or whose national or regional procedures have been directly influenced by the NICHD Protocol research (Canada, Finland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, and USA). Throughout the review, these experts comment on: how and when the Protocol was adopted in their country; who uses it; training procedures; challenges to implementation and translation; and other pertinent aspects. The authors aim to further promote good interviewing practice by sharing the experiences of these international experts.

The NICHD Protocol can be easily incorporated into existing training programs worldwide and is available for free. It was originally developed in English and Hebrew and is available in several other languages.

This paper reviews an evidence-based tool for training child forensic interviewers called the NICHD Protocol. It has been extensively studied and reviewed over the past 20 years. This paper is unique in that it brings together practitioners who are actually responsible for training forensic interviewers and conducting forensic interviews from all around the world.

This study aims to ask a theoretical question of “whether forensic accounting meets the sociological criteria of being a profession” in the Australian context. The present study responds to several scholarly calls to improve the studies on forensic accounting in Australia.

Based on the professionalism theory perspective, this study developed an analysis of the sociological criteria of a profession. This study used qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with elite Australian forensic accounting practitioners and academics.

The findings of the study show that forensic accounting in Australia partly meets the sociological criteria of a profession. Forensic accounting in the Australian context must meet essential criteria such as autonomy and commitment to be recognized as a profession.

This study has implications for the professionalism of forensic accounting along with vital issues surrounding the profession such as public recognition, altruistic behavior and control of entry to the profession.

This study provides social contributions by emphasizing forensic accountants’ sociological roles, including the altruistic role and solving social problems role. Understanding these roles provides the practitioners with the fundamental knowledge to use during their work.

This study is original in that it sheds light on the professionalism of forensic accounting in the Australian context.

Makes the case for inclusion of forensic accounting in the 150‐hour accounting training role in the USA. Practitioner roles are as fraud examiner, litigation consultant and expert witness for which need is expanding and remuneration considerable and stable. Makes detailed recommendations for integrating forensic skills training into the curriculum.

This study investigates the perception of professionals in the field of accounting, and those associated with forensic auditing, about the knowledge and skills, experience and technique that a forensic auditor should possess to provide high-quality services in fraud detection. The study also shows the impact of forensic auditing tools on fraud detection.

With the use of a self-administered questionnaire, the study adopts a survey design in which 298 respondents participated. Data were subjected to descriptive statistics (ranking, mean and standard deviation), inferential statistics (binary logistic regression and ordinary least square regression).

The findings indicate that adequate knowledge of economic damage calculation and financial statement valuation is essential for forensic auditors' service. The results also reveal that forensic auditor skills and techniques is a significant predictor for fraud detection in the Nigerian public sector.

The paper draws attention of the federal government parastatals to the need to improve their internal control system to reduce the fraudulent practices in their parastatal. The study also draws the attention of the Nigeria University Commission and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria on the needs for revision of the accounting curricular for the training of accounting graduates and professional accountants in Nigeria.

The paper is of importance to other developing nation as it provides empirical evidence on the needs to do periodic forensic audits of government corporations.

With the persistent increase in the number of fraudulent cases, current views of those associated with forensic auditing (judiciaries, parastatals, forensic auditors and academics) on mechanisms for timely detection of fraud are needed.