Gary B. Melton

John Petrila

Norman G. Poythress

Christopher Slobogin

This is the definitive reference and text for both mental health and legal professionals. The authors offer a uniquely comprehensive discussion of the legal and clinical contexts of forensic assessment, along with best-practice guidelines for participating effectively and ethically in a wide range of criminal and civil proceedings. Presented are findings, instruments, and procedures related to criminal and civil competencies, civil commitment, sentencing, personal injury claims, antidiscrimination laws, child custody, juvenile justice, and more.

A Handbook for Mental Health Professionals and Lawyers

Psychological Evaluations for the Courts, Third Edition

Phillip M. Lyons

Willis J. Spaulding

A generation ago, the Joint Commission on the Mental Health of Children concluded that "there is not a single community in this country which provides an acceptable standard of services for its mentally ill children." Since then, many states have acknowledged the need to develop a system of care for such children, yet few adequate solutions have been implemented. Parents and other decision makers often face two unsatisfactory choices: coping as well as they can by themselves or turning the child over to someone else. This book surveys issues related to the care and civil commitment of children with emotional disturbance. The authors examine research on the residential treatment system for children and youths, then analyze the prevailing legal framework for the commitment of minors to such treatment. They systematically address the question of what child mental health policy should be and conclude by proposing a policy that emphasizes privacy, autonomy, and family integrity. No Place to Go is both a major scholarly statement on the treatment of children with emotional disturbance and a rallying cry for principled change. Gary B. Melton is the director of the Institute for Families in Society and a professor of neuropsychiatry and behavioral science, and adjunct professor of law, pediatrics, and psychology at the University of South Carolina. Phillip M. Lyons Jr. is an assistant professor at the College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University. Willis J. Spaulding is an attorney in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The Civil Commitment of Minors

No Place to Go

Randy K. Otto

Douglas Mossman

Lois O. Condie

Tens of thousands of readers have relied on this leading text and practitioner reference--now revised and updated--to understand the issues the legal system most commonly asks mental health professionals to address. Highly readable, the volume demystifies the forensic psychological assessment process and provides guidelines for participating effectively and ethically in legal proceedings. Presented are clinical and legal concepts and evidence-based assessment procedures pertaining to criminal and civil competencies, the insanity defense and related doctrines, sentencing, civil commitment, personal injury claims, antidiscrimination laws, child custody, juvenile justice, and other justice-related areas. Case examples, exercises, and a glossary facilitate learning; 19 sample reports illustrate how to conduct and write up thorough, legally admissible evaluations. New to This Edition *Extensively revised to reflect important legal, empirical, and clinical developments. *Increased attention to medical and neuroscientific research. *New protocols relevant to competence, risk assessment, child custody, and mental injury evaluations. *Updates on insanity, sentencing, civil commitment, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Social Security, juvenile and family law, and the admissibility of expert testimony. *Material on immigration law (including a sample report) and international law. *New and revised sample reports.

Psychological Evaluations for the Courts, Fourth Edition

Gary B. Melton

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