Integration of forensic psychiatric knowledge into legal education: Evaluation, perspectives, and projections at the southern universities

Abstract

The present research aims to evaluate the level of knowledge that Law students from the southern universities possess regarding Forensic Psychiatry. This study is based on the relevance of this discipline within the criminal field, especially for the proper understanding of the causes of non-imputability established in Article 20, paragraph 1, of the Peruvian Criminal Code. The research is of an applied legal nature, with a mixed approach (dogmatic-documentary and empirical-social) and a non-experimental, cross-sectional design. Documentary analysis techniques and surveys were applied to Law students in the final stages of their studies at southern universities of Peru, complemented by a review of their study plans (curricular programs). The findings reveal the need to strengthen interdisciplinary teaching and, consequently, to reflect on the importance of integrating Forensic Psychiatry into legal education as an academic challenge that enables future legal professionals to apply both theoretical and practical criteria in the assessment of criminal non-imputability.