You are a new forensic psychologist in a minimum security prison, and you are interviewing a new inmate. The inmate was sentenced to 2 years for aggravated assault on a minor, a 17-year-old friend of his son. During the interview, the inmate states that he took the blame for the assault to protect his son. Because his son and his friends were drinking, they really did not have any recollection of what happened. The state’s attorney wanted to file charges against his son because he was 19 and his friend was only 17. When the father was told of the possible arrest, he made up a story about what happened because his son was accepted to the U.S. Naval Academy, and he could not let him be arrested; he felt that he needed to protect his son’s future. 

Your obligation to this case is to write a report to the judge on the inmate’s progress in prison. The inmate is eligible for early release because of good behavior. Bound by physician–client privilege, you know that this cannot be discussed with anyone. However, your own conscience is telling you that you must disclose this information to the judge. 

Write a minimum of 2 paragraphs explaining whether or not you should disclose this information to the judge and why. Justify your answer based on sound moral judgment, values, and consequences of actions, using an ethical decision-making process. What would the potential consequences be for your decision? When responding to classmates’ posts, consider the information they provided, and determine why you may or may not agree with their decision.