Mental State at the Time of the Offense, sometimes abbreviated as MSO, is a determination of a defendant's state of mind at the time he or she committed a crime. When a defendant's mental state is at question, a sanity evaluation may be requested by the court, the defense, or the prosecution.

Competency to Stand Trial, sometimes abbreviated as CST, is the competency evaluation to determine if a defendant in a court case has the mental ability to understand the charges against him or her and work with his or her attorney in the preparation process and the trial itself.

A forensic psychiatrist is often asked to do an evaluation related to child custody at various points in the divorce process. He or she may also be asked to give opinions on visitation schedules and to determine the need for psychiatric treatment for members of the family to cope with the stressful situation of divorce or separation.

Under certain circumstances, juveniles may be charged as adults. In these cases a psychological evaluation may be requested by the court, prosecution, or defense in order to help address questions that are relevant for transferring the case from delinquency proceedings to the criminal justice system or vice-versa.

The Miranda warning (also referred to as Miranda rights) is a warning that is required to be given by police in the United States to criminal suspects in police custody (or in a custodial interrogation) before they are questioned to inform them about their constitutional rights.