Correctional (Jails /Prisons) Facilities Healthcare Expert Witnesses: 12

Raymond P. Mooney, PAC, DFAAPA, is a Physician Assistant with 46 years of experience in Family Practice, Emergency Medicine, Urgent Care, and Correctional Medicine as well as over twenty years of experience in reviewing medico-legal cases. He has extensive experience in deposition as well as trial testimony in state as well as federal court. 

Background Experience:  He has spent all his professional career after graduating from the University of Detroit Mercy, practicing in Michigan and is Board Certified by the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants and a Distinguished Fellow in the American Academy of Physician Assistants. This distinction is awarded to physician assistants who have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the physician assistant profession. He is a member of the American College of Correctional Physicians, which complements and promotes his interest in correctional healthcare. For the past twenty-three years, he has been providing medical-legal reviews in family practice, urgent care medicine, emergency medicine as well as correctional healthcare. He has offered deposition testimony in approximately twenty-six states and trial testimony in state as well as federal court. Please feel free to review some of the articles that he has on his web site to assist attorneys in familiarizing themselves with the PA profession and other areas. 

Mr. Mooney is also employed part-time as an independent contractor to staff the Emergency Room / Urgent Care Clinic at Dwane Waters Hospital of the Southern Michigan Prison. He is responsible for the evaluation and management of prisoners presenting for emergent as well as minor illnesses including trauma, cardiac events, respiratory distress, AIDS related illnesses, diabetes, etc. His duties also include the triage of calls from the remaining facilities in the Michigan prison system to determine the urgent nature of inmate complaints and appropriate disposition.

Litigation Support:  With a diverse background as a Physician Assistant, Mr. Mooney has been providing the legal industry with his expert opinion for over 20 years. He is available to objectively evaluate cases for alleged medical negligence or a deviation in the standard of care on physician assistant practice.

Services: 

Initial Attorney Conferences (No Charge ) Review / Prepare Affidavits of Merit for Medical Negligence Claims Assisting with Discovery Strategy

Preparation of Expert Opinion Video Deposition Travel for Trial

Dr. Steven Helfand, PsyD, is a licensed Psychologist with over 25 years of direct Correctional Mental Health and Health Leadership experience. He has overseen the mental health and health service delivery in over 50 small, mid-size, and large scale jail, prison, and juvenile systems in accordance with national and local standards as well as multiple consent decrees and settlement agreements. 

Dr. Helfand holds long term certification as a Certified Correctional Health Professional through the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) where he was a contributor to the inaugural Mental Health Standards and a long standing presenter of those standards. He is a former Board Chair for the Academy of Correctional Health Professionals and has published book chapters and articles related to behavioral treatment (self-injury and management of the disruptive inmate) and management plans, and serves as a consultant and expert witness to address those challenges.

Dr. Helfand has served as Executive Director of Bleuler Psychotherapy Center since 2015 overseeing both the licensed OMH and OASAS programs. He currently consults to NCCHC Resources Inc providing evaluation and technical assistance to several jail systems. He has held the position of Senior Vice President of Operations for Correct Care Solutions, overseeing mental health and health services in city and county jails throughout the east coast. Dr. Helfand is the former: Statewide Director of Mental Health for all Connecticut jails and prisons, Deputy Director / Acting Director of Mental Health at Rikers Island jails, Director of Forensic Mental Health at Nassau County Correctional Center, and Director of Mental Health / Health Service Administrator at the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice.

Litigation Support - Dr. Helfand serves as an expert witness on jail suicide, death, neglect, segregation, and other issues for individual and class action matter. Dr. Helfand also actively consults to several jail systems providing contract monitoring, accreditation preparation, and risk reduction recommendations. He also consults to DHS related to conditions of confinement. He is well respected within the NCCHC community and his approach to case review draws upon his experience and familiarity with national standards and best practices. 

Areas of Expertise:

Jail Suicide Review Wrongful Death Review Deliberate Indifference Review Management of Self-Injurious Inmates Accreditation Preparation Correctional Healthcare Deadly Force / Excessive Force

Forensic Psychology Jails & Prisons Malingering Mental Health Staffing Medical Staffing Segregation

View Dr. Steven J. Helfand's Consulting Profile.

John B. Everlove, MS, NRP has over 25 years of experience providing Emergency Medical Services. Currently licensed and practicing in California, Mr. Everlove has the following licenses and credentials:

• National Paramedic Certification
• State of California Paramedic License
• State of Michigan and State of Florida Paramedic License
• Ventura County Paramedic Certificate of Accreditation
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support Provider
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support Provider
• Basic Life Support Healthcare Instructor
• Basic Life Support Healthcare Provider
• Drug Abuse Recognition Evaluator
• Federal Emergency Management Agency Emergency Response Team Member
• National Association of Emergency Medical Services Association of Education Instructor
• National Incident Management Systems Provider
• Emergency Vehicle Operations Course Instructor

Litigation Support - Mr. Everlove provides dependable and professional litigation and support services for both plaintiffs and defendants. As a Supervisor and Clinical Manager for an organization of 150 employees, he conducted numerous investigations related to all aspects of Pre-Hospital Emergency Care from inception, to final review and root cause analysis. Mr. Everlove has participated in the research, development and implementation of clinical care equipment, policy and procedure design and implementation, as well as clinical educational services for Paramedics and EMTs. 

Areas of Expertise:

Pre-hospital Standard of Care EMT / Paramedic Standard of Care EMT / Paramedic Misconduct Ambulance Driving & Operations Patient Transportation Patient Care Documentation Patient Drop Moving Patient

Patient Reports Medical Legal Consent EMT / Paramedic Training & Education CPR / AED Wheelchair Securement Wheelchair Patient Stretcher Accident Gurney Accident

View John Everlove's Consulting Profile.

Paul M. Adler, DO, FACEP, MBA, Medical Director for the Ventura County, California, Department of Corrections, has worked in Correctional / Jail / Prison Medicine & COVID-19 Preparation & Response. He has overseen the care of inmates in Jails in California and New York, as well as Prison inmates who have been transferred to county facilities to serve their terms for years in county jails in California. He has also overseen Correctional health car in locked units in Hospitals . Dr. Adler is the President-Elect of The American Correctional Health Services Association of California / Nevada, which represents all clinicians and administrators in Jails/Prisons in California and Nevada. He previously oversaw a County Hospital, County Nursing Home and ran a County Health Department and oversaw Correctional healthcare for the Westchester, New York Jail.

Litigation Support - Dr. Adler has defended Jails and Prisons in Southern California, Idaho, Texas, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, etc. He has been involved in Plaintiff litigation in many states including against Rikers Island, NY and Cook County Jail. Dr. Adler still works as a full-time practicing physician and has helped attorneys and insurance companies in Emergency Medicine, Nursing Home Medicine, Public Health and Hospital Administration since 1985. Dr. Adler is available to review and consult on clinical Correctional/Jail/Prison cases for attorneys for both Plaintiff and Defense.

Services:

• COVID-19 Preparation & Response
• Screen Cases for Merit
• Review, Analyze and interpret Medical Records
• Provide Basic or Comprehensive Written Reports
• Interpret Standards of Care, Deviation and Adherences as they Relate to Correctional Health Care
• Develop Chronological Time Lines
• Policy and Procedure Development

Kimberly M. Pearson, MHA, MBA, RN, CCHP is a Correctional Healthcare Consultant with over 37years of experience in the healthcare industry, including correctional healthcare (both medical and mental health), clinical nursing, management, and administration in a variety of healthcare venues. In her role as Deputy Agency Director for the Orange County Health Care Agency, Ms. Pearson was responsible for all medical and mental health care provided in the Orange County (California) adult and juvenile detention facilities. The adult jail system ranks in the "top ten" in the country in terms of size, with an average daily population of over 6,500 inmates. She has been honored as a National Award Recipient for Excellence in Executive Leadership at the 2016 Nurse.com Nursing Excellence GEM Awards (Giving Excellence Meaning). 

An expert in her field, Ms. Pearson delivers seminars and lectures on Correctional Healthcare topics around the country. In 2019, she  spoke on “The Art of Managing Regulatory Inspections,” to the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare in Fort Lauderdale, FL, on “Clinical Management for High-Risk Patients in this Litigious Environment,” to the American Correctional Health Services Association in San Jose, CA, and “Sticking Together: A Cohesive Correctional Healthcare Delivery System,” to the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare Leadership Institute in Las Vegas, NV. 

Litigation Support - Ms. Pearson previously provided Medical Malpractice and Wrongful Death case reviews as an in-house consultant for two law firms in the Midwest. She is currently the CEO/President of KP Consulting LLC, consulting on policy and procedure development and comprehensive correctional health system review and recommendations. Ms. Pearson has served as a correctional healthcare expert witness in over 100 cases in the past six years. Her services are available to attorneys representing plaintiffs or defendants and includes comprehensive written reports for both federal and state cases, standard of care evaluation, and correctional health care deviation identification.

Donald L. Leach, II, is a Jail / Corrections Management expert with over 30 years of experience. He has 20 years of consulting experience on jail management issues nationally, focusing on Risk Management for Jails and Jail Operational Methodology. 

Mr. Leach has extensive supervisory experience, having overseen up to 402 employees (indirectly). He also supervised internal affairs investigations, experienced in interviewing, hiring, training, scheduling, motivating, evaluating, and dismissing personnel. He is experienced in administering and managing a large detention facility, developing and administering programs, budgeting, contract development and monitoring, conducting research, monitoring compliance with policies and procedures, community relations, public speaking, controlling costs, problem-solving, and preparing reports.

Litigation Support - Mr. Leach has served as an expert witness for 5 years, in both State and Federal court. His services are available to counsel for both Plaintiff and Defense and include case review, testimony, and consultation for jail and prison issues.

Areas of Expertise:

Jail Management Use of Force In-custody Death Security / Operations Medical and Mental Health Services

Classification Contract Management for Privatized Services Management Information Systems Strip Search Gang and STG

View Donald Leach's Consulting Profile.

James Tyler Carpenter, PhD, FAACP, is a Board Certified (Clinical) Licensed Psychologist Provider. Dr. Carpenter’s training began with latency age children, adolescents, and their families. It has evolved over almost 30 years of professional practice to include assessment, treatment, teaching, supervision, consultation, and research.

Dr. Carpenter specializes in psychosis, character disorder, trauma, offending behavior, suicidal patients, personality, forensics, disability, and integrating the full spectrum of temporal and modality specific psychological treatments across inpatient, outpatient, milieu, residential, and correctional settings.

Dr. Carpenter has held academic, research, and teaching appointments at Harvard University, Medical School, and Extension Schools, as well as Boston, Lesley, Roger Williams Universities, Massachusetts School for Professional Psychology, and the China American Psychoanalytic Alliance. He has published, taught, supervised, served as an editorial consultant, and presented on the topics of subliminal stimulation, meditation based psychotherapies, group psychotherapy, integrating techniques, the use of translators in forensic assessments and treatment, group treatment of violent offenders, assessment of suicidal patients, psychopathology, theories of psychotherapy, personality, and the recidivism of released inmates.

Litigation Support - Dr. Carpenter has received forensic expert witness training and experience. He has performed Risk Evaluations and testified for both the defense and the prosecution on Psychosis, Treatment, and Homicide. His assessment skills extend to the full range of psychometric instruments involved in assessing personality, psychopathology, risk, impairment, and cognitive compromise as applied to forensic-clinical and disability assessment.

View Dr. Carpenter's Consulting Profile.

Mustafa A. Mufti, MD, is a board certified general Adult Psychiatrist and Forensic Psychiatrist.  Presently, he serves as the Director of the Psychiatry Residency Training Program at Chrisitiana Care.  Prior to this he served as the Clinical Director of Forensic Services at Delaware Psychiatric Center.   During his time as the Clinical Director of Forensic Services, he oversaw Delaware’s only maximum-security forensic psychiatric service center. 

After graduating from medical school, Dr. Mufti worked as a clinical researcher at Emory University School of Medicine. As a researcher he worked on studies related to post traumatic stress disorder, depression and cardiovascular disease, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and deep brain stimulation. 

Dr. Mufti completed his residency training at the Delaware Psychiatric Center and went on to complete a fellowship in forensic psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. His work has been published in numerous reputable journals and he has presented at conferences nationally and internationally. In addition to his clinical and administrative responsibilities, Dr. Mufti is actively involved in the teaching of medical students, future psychiatrists, and forensic fellows in training.

Litigation Support - Dr. Mufti provides expert witness services for attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. His services include medical record review, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

• Competency to Stand Trial
• Mental State at the Time of the Offense
• Mental State for Death Penalty
• Disability
• Malpractice
• Testamentary Capacity
• Terrorism / Radicalization

View Dr. Mustafa A. Mufti's Consulting Profile.

Leonard J. Weiss, MD, is a Forensic Psychiatrist with unparalleled qualifications, Board-Certified physician in 5 distinct and complementary disciplines applied to Medical-Legal questions:

Psychiatry Forensic Psychiatry  Addiction Psychiatry

Internal Medicine Nutrition Medicine

Dr. Weiss has more than 40 years of experience as a physician. He has been in practice for more than 20 years as a Board-Certified Psychiatrist, Forensic Psychiatrist and Addiction Psychiatry specialist, preceded by more than 2 decades in Internal Medicine.

As an Addiction Psychiatry specialist, Dr. Weiss developed and served as Chief of the first Dual Diagnosis (Addiction) program at Michael Reese Hospital of the University of Chicago. He has served as Medical Director of Austin Lakes Hospital.

Before pursuing his interest in psychiatry, Dr. Weiss practiced Internal Medicine in Michigan where he maintains a Medical License. He has treated patients in psychiatric practice in Chicago and Atlanta. In 2013 he relocated to Austin, Texas where he has a private clinical psychiatric practice, Psychiatry Austin.

Dr. Weiss graduated from Wayne State University Medical School and MIT (Mathematics), with residency training in Internal Medicine, Fellowship in Clinical Nutrition, and Psychiatry at, respectively, the University of Michigan Henry Ford Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York (Fellow) and Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago.

Litigation Support: Dr. Weiss has special training and experience in the application of psychiatric knowledge to legal issues, and works in areas where Mental Health and the Legal System overlap, such as Medical Malpractice and Standard of Care. He offers objective evaluations and psychiatric consultation in a wide variety of legal matters, including expert testimony, as well as clinical work with perpetrators and victims.

Dr. Weiss provides IMEs and expert opinions on mental health questions via written report, deposition, or courtroom testimony. He works with attorneys, courts, and other parties involved in actual or potential litigation. His research and assessment and his clinical practice cover areas such as:

Areas of Expertise:

Psychiatric Treatment Standard of Care Addiction Treatment Standard of Care Private Practitioner Standard of Care Detox Facility Standard of Care Internal Medicine and Psychiatry Overlap Medication and Drug Interactions Pain Management Malpractice DUI / DWI Physician Competency Employer Fitness for Duty Assessment

Mental Disability Competency to Stand Trial Competency to Waive Rights / Legal Representation General Competency (Wills, Medical Consent, etc.) Criminal Responsibility Confidentiality Involuntary Treatment Correctional Psychiatry Juvenile Justice Violence and Abuse

Dr. Pia Quimson-Guevarra is Board-Certified in Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She has expertise in psychiatric issues in civil litigation, employment matters, and criminal cases. She also has additional and extensive experience with diagnosis and treatment of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and severe psychotic disorders both as a treating physician and as possible features in a medical-legal case as a forensic consultant. Psychiatric conditions can impact judgment, clarity of thought, and even criminal responsibility. In the case of psychotic disorders, symptoms may include hallucinations and delusions. She opines about medication or drug impact on behavior.

Dr. Pia Quimson-Guevarra has conducted over 20 competency assessments: competency to stand trial and criminal responsibility evaluations. She is a Certified Forensic Evaluator in Oregon.

Her work is divided between clinical and forensic/expert witness work. Dr. Quimson-Guevarra conducts medical and legal records review as a Forensic Psychiatrist, and medico-legal Independent Medical Evaluations by video and face-to-face, as appropriate. Her assessments are thorough and inform thoughtful and objective expert opinions issued by written report and testimony

Dr. Quimson-Guevarra has a clinical practice, Quimson Behavioral Health, providing psychiatric patient care, medication management, and psychotherapy, for patients who suffer from mental disorders such as Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, and PTSD. She is based in the greater Portland, Oregon Metropolitan Area.

At Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare, Dr. Quimson-Guevarra worked on an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team, a method to deliver an intensive level of services to patients in the local community. Her patients consisted of individuals who suffer from severe and persistent mental illness. Her expertise in treatment of Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia is applied to patients with these medical conditions. At Cascadia, she also treated patients with a history that includes forensic medical-legal issues.

Previously, Dr. Quimson-Guevarra treated patients who suffered from anxiety, mood, and psychotic disorders at Cedar Hills Hospital, Multnomah County Detention Center, Washington County Jail, Snake River Correctional Institute, and the Portland Veteran's Administration.

She continues to use her expertise in psychopharmacology to treat mental health conditions in the context of medically complex cases.

Dr. Quimson-Guevarra has served as a forensic consultant for the Washington County mental health court in Oregon. She also has worked in the forensic evaluation service department at the Oregon State Hospital where she performed competency to stand trial and criminal responsibility evaluations to patients at the Oregon State Hospital or defendants located in various jails.

Sanjay Adhia, MD, MRO, is triple-Board-Certified in Psychiatry, Brain Injury Medicine, and Forensic Psychiatry. In addition to forensic/expert witness practice, Dr. Adhia has provided patient care in the Houston area. Currently, he treats patients at TIRR Memorial Hermann. His forensic practice focuses on the psychiatric impact of personal injury, medical malpractice, drug and alcohol abuse, sexual abuse, competency, violence, and complicating mental illness, as well as psychiatric disability. Dr. Adhia is among one of the few Forensic Psychiatrists who is also co-Board-Certified in Brain Injury Medicine. Often, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) can be a major factor in litigation as it can result in psychiatric or neurocognitive impairments. He has expertise in psychopharmacology, the medicine of medication. 

In addition, Dr. Adhia works with Physicians for Human Rights to assess victims of kidnapping and false imprisonment, human trafficking, undue influence, physical and sexual abuse, rape, and fear of imminent death. In all populations, he assesses PTSD, Anxiety, Depressive Disorders, risk of suicide, and malingering. He is experienced in the treatment and impact of drug and alcohol abuse on decision-making. Dr. Adhia has also treated severe psychosis (Schizophrenia, hallucinations) and psychopathology. He was formerly treating patients at a Maximum Security Prison and prison psychiatric hospital. He has treated Opioid Use Disorders. 

Dr. Adhia’s findings consider complicating factors, such as emotional distress worsened by other active physical and mental conditions. Other factors are pre-existing mental and physical illness, competency, and capacity (e.g. dementia, Intellectual Disability.) As a physician, Dr. Adhia is uniquely qualified to review medical records and doctor reports. Institutional medicine, medical malpractice, and standard of care apply to both public and private facilities, including government, regulated correctional institutions, and psychiatric hospitals. Dr. Adhia is skilled in these med-legal issues. He conducts Independent Medical Examinations, review of records, and reports his med-legal findings and opinions. He is available to testify in civil, criminal, probate, Federal, Immigration, military, and administrative jurisdictions.

Violence Sexual abuse Malpractice and Standard of Care Alcohol and Drug Abuse Dementia and IDD Psychopharmacology Competency

PTSD Suicide Psychiatric Injury Will Contest Correctional Fitness for Duty Brain Injury

Emin Gharibian, PsyD, is a Clinical Psychologist specializing in Forensic Psychology and Neuropsychology with over 10 years of experience in assessing, treating, and consulting on psychological disorders.

Dr. Gharibian's training and experience have been in psychological and neuropsychological assessments in a variety of clinical settings including private practice, outpatient mental health clinics, psychiatric hospitals, forensic hospitals, and correctional facilities. 

He specializes in providing comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological evaluations for various conditions including dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, complications from a stroke, traumatic brain injury, concussions, learning disabilities, ADHD, and PTSD.

He also specializes in forensic psychological and neuropsychological evaluations for immigration hearings, mental health diversion and mitigation, testamentary capacity, competency to stand trial, personal injury, worker's compensation, and fitness for duty. He provides consultation services to personal injury and worker's compensation attorneys on psychological and neuropsychological-related matters.  He has also testified as an expert and served as a consultant for the defense and prosecution in state and federal court.

In addition to his private practice, he is a forensic psychologist for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He conducts psychological evaluations to evaluate patients for violence risk and determine if they meet the criteria to be committed to a state hospital, write court reports, and testify in court as an expert witness.

Dr. Gharibian is appointed to the Los Angeles Juvenile Court Expert Witness Panel and Adult Criminal Court Expert Witness Panel. He is also a member of the National Academy of Neuropsychology.

Areas of Forensic Expertise:

Personal Injury Independent Medical Evaluations Worker's Compensation Fitness for Duty Police Officer Pre-Employment Evaluations Immigration Evaluation Diminished Capacity Violence Risk Assessments Mitigating Factors in Criminal Cases Civil Capacity (Testamentary Capacity, Undue Influence, Contractual Capacity) Symptom Validity/ Malingering Mitigation in Criminal Cases Alcohol-Induced Blackout Alcohol Myopia

Forensic Psychology Forensic Neuropsychology Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Concussions Neurocognitive Impairment from Substance Use Complications from stroke Dementia Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Learning Disabilities ADHD Sexual Harassment Discrimination Mental Health Diversion