Fitness to Stand Trial and Criminal Responsibility Assessments: Advocating for Changes to the Canadian Criminal Code

Assessments of both fitness to stand trial and criminal responsibility are common, complex forensic evaluations with substantial societal implications. Currently in Canada, medical practitioners, in particular psychiatrists, conduct the vast majority of assessments of fitness to stand trial and criminal responsibility. Although the Criminal Code of Canada (CCC) allows these evaluations to be completed "by a medical practitioner or any other person who has been designated by the Attorney General," in practice, qualified clinical-forensic psychologists generally have been excluded from performing these types of assessments. This article reviews the historical and contemporary evidence-based and advocacy-driven efforts to change the CCC to allow qualified professionals such as clinical-forensic psychologists to conduct assessments of criminal responsibility and fitness to stand trial. We argue that the training and experience of clinical-forensic psychologists places them in a unique and qualified position to conduct these challenging types of forensic evaluations. We therefore recommend that the Canadian federal government consider changing section 672 of the CCC to allow assessments of fitness to stand trial and criminal responsibility to be conducted by a qualified mental health professional. The change would be consistent with other sections of the CCC and would improve access of accused persons and the courts to qualified assessors. Regardless of discipline, we propose that standardized training and monitoring programs be developed and implemented to promote reliable evaluations and best practices. Les évaluations de l'aptitude à subir un procès et de la responsabilité pénale sont des évaluations médico-légales courantes et complexes qui ont des conséquences sociétales importantes. À l'heure actuelle, au Canada, les médecins, plus particulièrement les psychiatres, mènent la grande majorité des évaluations de l'aptitude à subir un procès et de la responsabilité pénale. Bien que le Code criminel du Canada (CCC) permette à ces évaluations d'être pratiquées « par un médecin ou toute autre personne ayant été désignée par le procureur général », dans la pratique, des psychologues médico-légaux qualifiés ont été privés du droit d'exercer ces types d'évaluations. Le présent article examine les initiatives de plaidoyer historiques et contemporaines, fondées sur des faits probants, visant à changer le CCC afin de permettre à des professionnels qualifiés tels les p