Starting with an account of the dual-role dilemma in forensic psychiatry several ethical issues regarding expert witness duties including risk assessment as well as forensic psychiatric treatment situations are dealt with, including consent to treatment and compulsory treatment. Ethical challenges within prison psychiatry include ensuring the principle of equivalence of care. Finally confidentiality and research are considered. An in-depth analysis of ethical issues of these issues has not been widely described elsewhere as yet. The choice of solutions to ethical problems will often depend on social and political factors.