Forensic Assessment in Delinquency Cases

Forensic assessments link the field of behavioral sciences with the legal system, as mental health professionals are often recruited to conduct assessments and provide feedback in a variety of settings, including family, child, and civil courts. Typically involving an assessment of a youth’s mental and developmental disabilities, these must be accurate and thorough in order to ensure the fairness of the legal process and the youth’s ability to receive necessary mental health services. 

The Forensic Assessment in Delinquency Cases chapter, authored by Drs. Eraka Bath & Sofia Stepanyan, helps attorneys, jurists and experts better identify proper (and improper) forensic assessments, and provides detailed information and guidance, with particular topics including:

• Substance use assessment and tools;

• Competency to stand trial, its measurement and restoration and assessment tools;

• Violence risk assessment and tools;

•  Special education needs assessment and tools;

•  Trauma & maltreatment assessment and tools;

• Mental health screening instruments;

•  Mental health screenings in the correction system, generally; and

•  Juvenile transfers to adult court and assessment tools, including for risk of violence

Offering a thorough literature review and a detailed discussion of landmark cases, the Forensic Assessment in Delinquency Cases chapter is a must-have resource for judges, lawyers and experts involved with an accused or convicted juvenile offender or detainees.