Professional Identity, the Goals and Purposes of Forensic Psychiatry, and Dr. Ezra Griffith

Dr. Ezra Griffith's retirement as Editor of The Journal motivated this reflection on his contributions to forensic psychiatry. In 1998, Dr. Griffith published a response to Dr. Alan Stone's views and Dr. Paul Appelbaum's theory on ethics in forensic psychiatry. This response has been often labeled as the "cultural formulation" perspective. This article reviews some of the major contributors in the development of ethics and professionalism for forensic psychiatry and offers a perspective on Dr. Griffith's contributions in this evolving and relatively young sub-specialty within psychiatry. With his scholarly contributions to the field of ethics, Dr. Griffith has offered a bridge that connects past attempts to define our sub-specialty to a future formulation of the goals and purposes of forensic psychiatry, something that the author recommends as a next step.