Honoring DEI Requires a New Ethic and a New Science

Authors

Philip J. Candilis, Philip J. Candilis, MD is the Director of Medical Affairs and Co-director of the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship, Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, DC and Professor of Psychiatry, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC. philip.candilis@dc.gov.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

12-8-2023

Journal

The journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law

Volume

51

Issue

4

DOI

10.29158/JAAPL.230090-23

Keywords

antiracism; diversity; equity; ethics of forensic psychiatry; inclusion; research methods

Abstract

Systemic change requires complex conceptual and practical efforts from organizations and individuals alike. In forensic psychiatry, improving the experiences of marginalized groups respects the personhood and dignity of those who have been neglected over time and promises improvements in outcomes that have been affected by the unevenness of history. Specific plans for education, monitoring, and improvement consequently call for related frameworks in professional ethics and research to lead and accompany them. The professional ethics of forensic practice, for example, can now consider years of writing that advance traditional precepts toward dignity, social purpose, truth, and human rights. Research design can improve the representativeness of samples, the methods that assess inequity, and the survey construction that populates both quality improvement and academic research. Responding to the growing understanding of forensic inequity will require both a new ethic and a new science.

APA Citation

Candilis, Philip J., "Honoring DEI Requires a New Ethic and a New Science" (2023). GW Authored Works. Paper 3992.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/3992

Department

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences