Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Medical Center

FMC Butner provides a one-year Fellowship Program in Forensic Psychiatry. Varied experiences
are available throughout the fellowship year. The primary clinical site is FMC Butner. It is one of the five national referral centers used by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. As such, it provides a full range of evaluation and treatment services. Duke University is within a 20-minute drive and fellows have the opportunity to attend courses at Duke Law School, as well as seeing child/adolescent, and civil forensic cases through adjunct staff at Duke.

During the year, fellows will evaluate a wide variety of individuals involved in the legal system and have opportunities to testify in court. The fellows will have an opportunity to teach Duke residents who regularly rotate through our program.

During the fellowship, the fellow is expected to complete a scholarly project or participate in ongoing research. Didactic experiences are provided on a weekly basis. Topics covered include ethics, criminal and civil forensic psychiatry, child and adolescent issues, regulation and licensing of psychiatry, landmark legal cases, correctional psychiatry, and special issues.

The on-site staff includes six full time psychiatrists with board certifications that include forensic, child and general psychiatry. Five Ph.D. level psychologists work in a “Team” format with psychiatrists and lend their expertise to the program. Three attorneys are also on site.

The Program allows interaction with a wide range of other Federal agencies. Attendance at national meetings and field trips around forensic issues are integrated into the experience.