# Psych legal question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psych-legal-question/616105 "2012-03-18T02:34:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psych-legal-question/616105/1 "2012-03-18T02:34:18Z")
Not sure if this belongs in CS or GQ. Let’s say Shawn confesses to Juliet that he isn’t really psychic. She passes this information on, since she feels it is her duty to do so. In the first season, Chief Vick tells Shawn that if he is lying about being psychic, he will be guilty of impeding a police investigation. Is this true? Assuming it is, how difficult would it be to find a judge/jury willing to convict, considering how many cases Shawn solved? If he is convicted, what would a likely sentence be? I think that at this point, Shawn’s secret isn’t so important to keep from a legal perspective as it was early on, but more from a professional or relationship angle, since if the SBPD found out he was lying he would certainly not be hired again, and he would loose his relationship with Juliet, Lassiter, and Vick. McNab and Woody would probably still like him, though. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psych-legal-question/616105/2 "2012-03-18T05:11:06Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Not sure if this belongs in CS or GQ. > > Let’s say Shawn confesses to Juliet that he isn’t really psychic. She passes this information on, since she feels it is her duty to do so. > > In the first season, Chief Vick tells Shawn that if he is lying about being psychic, he will be guilty of impeding a police investigation. Is this true? Assuming it is, how difficult would it be to find a judge/jury willing to convict, considering how many cases Shawn solved? If he is convicted, what would a likely sentence be? > > I think that at this point, Shawn’s secret isn’t so important to keep from a legal perspective as it was early on, but more from a professional or relationship angle, since if the SBPD found out he was lying he would certainly not be hired again, and he would loose his relationship with Juliet, Lassiter, and Vick. McNab and Woody would probably still like him, though. His lying would only have been a chargeable offense if his antics cost the investigation - since his abilities (supernatural or not) aided in solving the case -there was no impedence to the investigation. Chief Vic (then and current) knew his father and Shaun’s previous slacker ways - so did not want to put up with him if he wasn’t serious. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psych-legal-question/616105/3 "2012-03-19T05:34:34Z")
So she was bluffing in order to call his bluff so she could see if he was indeed bluffing? ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psych-legal-question/616105/4 "2012-03-19T12:17:31Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > So she was bluffing in order to call his bluff so she could see if he was indeed bluffing? pretty much - plus it locks him into having to stay ‘psych’ ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psych-legal-question/616105/5 "2012-03-19T21:26:20Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > McNab and Woody would probably still like him, though. I love Buzz and Woody! Wait a second–I just saw what they did there! References inside references inside references… ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psych-legal-question/616105/6 "2012-03-19T21:35:02Z")
What about some sort of fraud? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psych-legal-question/616105/7 "2012-03-20T02:02:27Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I love Buzz and Woody! > > Wait a second–I just saw what they did there! References inside references inside references… Oh damn! :eek: :smack::smack::smack: Seems for every reference I catch (and there are a lot of them) something else flies completely under radar like this. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psych-legal-question/616105/8 "2012-03-20T04:34:18Z")
I have always imagined that, in the very last episode of the show, Shawn is going to come clean about not actually having psychic powers, and one of the regulars will say, “You know, we figured that out YEARS ago, but we kind of like seeing you carrying on and making a fool of yourself.” ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psych-legal-question/616105/9 "2012-03-21T00:43:07Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Seems for every reference I catch (and there are a lot of them) something else flies completely under radar like this. Well, ir was several years in the making. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psych-legal-question/616105/10 "2012-03-21T20:02:40Z")
Lassiter already knows he’s not psychic; he reveals as much in an episode. Shawn doesn’t confirm or deny it at the time, plus Lassie was rip roaring drunk when he admitted his disbelief to Shawn. He knows Shawn is faking it but can’t figure out how. And they do sometimes make fun of the “face” he makes when he spots a clue. He looks around and at least two others are making his “clue face” in one episode. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psych-legal-question/616105/11 "2012-03-23T23:38:18Z")
> [@Sister\_Vigilante](#): > > Lassiter already knows he’s not psychic; he reveals as much in an episode. Shawn doesn’t confirm or deny it at the time, plus Lassie was rip roaring drunk when he admitted his disbelief to Shawn. He knows Shawn is faking it but can’t figure out how. > > And they do sometimes make fun of the “face” he makes when he spots a clue. He looks around and at least two others are making his “clue face” in one episode. Lassie’s never believed Shawn’s psychic. He just can’t prove it.