PSYCHOLOGY ARTICLES MAIN PAGE

6/20/2022· Criminology

Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity: Evaluating Criminal Responsibility at The Time of the Offense

By: Dr. Emin Gharibian

What does it mean when a defendant pleads, Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI)? You’ve probably heard the term “insanity” thrown around but most people don’t know the legal criteria for an NGRI plea. “Insanity” is a legal term rather than a medical or mental health term. In order to understand how criminal responsibility is evaluated, you have to have an understanding of the legal criteria of NGRI.

3/30/2022· Criminology

Violence Risk Assessments: A Guide To Evaluating Violence Risk In Criminal Cases

By: Dr. Emin Gharibian

Violence risk assessments are becoming more common in the criminal justice system. Forensic psychologists are conducting these evaluations on behalf of the court, defense attorneys, and probation and parole departments. Violence risk assessments are used in a variety of situations in criminal cases including pre- trial proceedings,

1/26/2022· Psychology

Mental Health Diversion: An Overview Of The Legal Guidelines And Requirements

By: Dr. Emin Gharibian

Mental health diversion allows defendants with a mental disorder that have been accused of committing specific crimes to receive treatment rather than go to jail or prison. A qualified mental health expert, such as a forensic psychologist or psychiatrist, will complete an evaluation to help the court determine mental health diversion should grant diversion.

11/3/2021· Psychology

Competency To Stand Trial: An Overview Of The Legal Guidelines For Evaluating Competency

By: Dr. Emin Gharibian

The rules and laws surrounding competency to stand trial can be confusing and difficult to understand. The goal of this blog post is to provide an overview of the laws regarding competency to stand trial and how we evaluate individuals to determine if they are competent.

7/12/2021· Immigration - Naturalization - Asylum

Immigration Hardship Evaluations: 5 Questions Applicants Have About Hardship Evaluations & Waivers

By: Dr. Emin Gharibian

If you are trying to get a visa or green card but are blocked due to inadmissibility, you can apply for an I-601 or I-601A waiver based on the extreme hardship that a qualified relative will experience if you are not admitted to the United States. Attorneys will often ask applicants (the qualifying relative) to meet with a psychologist for an immigration hardship evaluation.

7/11/2021· Psychology

Parental Alienation: Judge’s Dilemma - A Worldwide Concern

By: Robert A. Evans, PhD

With greater frequency, family law cases are showing up in which children are rejecting a parent. While there may be some situations where a child may be hesitant to be with a parent, these high conflict family law cases typically include outright rejection and severe expressions of hatred for a parent without genuine justifications.

5/17/2021· Child Welfare

Parental Alienation: Child Abuse? --- Reportable?

By: Robert A. Evans, PhD

Those of us who have been working within the field of Parental Alienation recognize that Parental Alienation is in fact a form of abuse. So, doesn’t it logically follow if the professional field recognizes Parental Alienation as child abuse then, by definition, it should be reportable to child protection and law enforcement organizations?

12/9/2020· Immigration - Naturalization - Asylum

Psychological Evaluations For Immigration Court: The 7 Cases When You Might Need An Evaluation

By: Dr. Emin Gharibian

The goal of this article is to provide you with an overview of the seven different situations when your attorney might request a psychological evaluation and how an evaluation is typically completed.

10/21/2020· Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drugs

Alcohol-Induced Blackout: How Does Alcohol Impact Memory?

By: Dr. Emin Gharibian

Alcohol-induced blackout is a topic that comes up often in the criminal justice system. It’s not unusual for defendants to have no memory of their behaviors while they were under the influence of alcohol. A common question that arises is “How could have a defendant committed a crime but have no recollection of their actions?”

8/5/2020· Psychology

Assessing Civil Competency: What Are The Mental Capacity Standards In Civil Litigation?

By: Dr. Emin Gharibian

Civil competency is an area that gets significantly less attention than competency in criminal proceedings. It’s definitely not a topic that you are going to see on Law & Order anytime soon. We regularly get questions about civil competency and the mental capacity standards in civil litigation. While the standards for competency civil litigation have some things in common with the standards for competency in criminal proceedings, they have their own unique set of legal standards.