The forensic psychiatry program is one of 10 programs operated by nine hospitals in Ontario. We provide a variety of services, including court-ordered assessments of fitness to stand trial, criminal responsibility, and risk assessments. We also provide ongoing care and risk management for patients who fall under the jurisdiction of the Ontario Review Board. These patients have been found not criminally responsible or unfit to stand trial and remain a significant threat to the safety of the public.

We also provide an array of specialized services, including risk assessments, assessments of anger and impulsivity, assessments of sexual offenders, correctional psychiatry, neurolaw, forensic neurosciences, and civil medicolegal assessments.  

The forensic psychiatry program is an academic program focusing on teaching and research in all related areas. 

The forensic psychiatry program has a very active education program, with students from all disciplines. Clinical clerks and residents are assigned to the forensic program, with many international forensic psychiatry fellows coming through our program. In addition, we run  the Forensic Psychiatry Subspecialty Residency Program which is accredited by Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

We train all disciplines with high-quality teaching and training in areas of psychiatry, psychology, social work, nursing, occupational therapy, therapeutic recreation, and vocational rehabilitation. Additional learning experiences are available. Several of our psychiatrists and psychologists are order-in-council appointees to the Ontario Review Board, and the Consent and Capacity Board. These provide additional training experiences for trainees.

The forensic psychiatry program is composed of an active, multidisciplinary group of staff. The program covers six inpatient units, outpatient service, several specialized assessment clinics, with videoconferencing capability. The program has a forensic psychiatry assessment unit, where we conduct assessments of criminal responsibility, fitness to stand trial and risk. There are four forensic psychiatry units dedicated to patients who fall under the Ontario Review Board. These are patients who are considered a significant threat to the safety of the public and require ongoing rehabilitation and treatment.

We have an acute stabilization unit that provides dedicated services to correctional psychiatry patients who require additional psychiatric treatment. This innovative program operates in conjunction with the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre and the Ministry of the Solicitor General.

We run several specialized clinics including an aggression and impulsivity assessment clinic, a clinic for sexual offenders, and a medical legal clinic. We also conduct civil forensic psychiatry assessments and host an outreach video psychiatry clinic. 

The forensic psychiatry program conducts research in multiple areas, including areas of risk assessment, machine learning, big data, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, epigenetics, and the microbiome.  

We invite you to learn more about the Division of Forensic Psychiatry and the opportunities that are available at McMaster University. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.