Sentencing Consultants Expert Witnesses: 5

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 a variety of conditions including dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, complications from a stroke, traumatic brain injury, concussions, learning disabilities, ADHD, and PTSD in clinical, civil, and criminal cases. 

In addition to his private practice, Dr. Gharibian is a staff psychologist and medical staff member at Patton State Hospital, a 1,500-bed maximum-security forensic psychiatric hospital housing judicially committed patients under the following commitment types: Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI), Incompetent to Stand Trial, Mentally Disordered Offender, and Mentally Disordered Sex Offender.  

As a forensic psychologist at Patton State Hospital, Dr. Gharibian conducts competency evaluations with criminally committed patients with severe mental illness and cognitive deficits. He routinely conducts psychological evaluations to evaluate patients and determine if they are competent to stand trial, writes court reports, and testifies in court as an expert witness. 

Dr. Gharibian has been appointed to the Los Angeles Juvenile Court Expert Witness Panel. He is also a member of the National Academy of Neuropsychology and the American Psychology and Law Society. 

Areas of Forensic Expertise:

Dr. Ernst specializes in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Competency/Capacity evaluations, Mitigation evaluations, and Employment Evaluations. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and one of fewer than 35 psychologists in California who have undergone the rigorous examination process necessary to obtain Board Certification in Forensic Psychology. As a trauma expert, Dr. Ernst chose to complete an additional year of fellowship training in PTSD at the San Francisco Veterans Hospital.  Having completed over 350 forensic evaluations, Dr. Ernst is frequently retained to conduct a diverse range of civil and criminal evaluations including, but not limited to, mitigation evaluations (juvenile & adult), competency/capacity evaluations, personal injury evaluations, mental state at the time of the offense evaluations, violence risk assessment, and employment evaluations. He is currently a Qualified Medical Evaluator for the California Department of Industrial Relations and serves as a member of the Criminal Panel for Psychological and Psychiatric Experts for multiple Superior Courts. Dr. Ernst's past professional experiences including providing treatment and expert testimony as a member of the medical staff of Napa State Hospital and completing VA forensic evaluations on veteran's alleging psychiatric injury from military trauma. Areas of Expertise:

View Dr. Ernst's Consulting Profile.

Steven Gaskell, Psy.D. is a Forensic Psychologist, license eligible in all 50 states, and licened in Illinois, Georgia, Florida, and Kansas. He has years of extensive experience providing a variety of Forensic Psychological Evaluations and testifying regarding a variety of legal issues. Dr. Gaskell has completed more than 2000 Forensic Psychological Assessments including over 1000 pre-trial Competency to Stand Trial or Fitness to Stand Trial and Criminal Responsibility (Insanity Defense) psychological evaluations and he has provided expert testimony these issues on numerous occasions. Competency to Stand Trial/ Fitness to Stand Trial Criminal Responsibility or Sanity at the Time of the Offense Mitigating Factors Assessment Miranda Rights Issues (voluntariness, competency to confess, interrogative suggestibility) Malingering and Deception Sexual Assault Allegations Sex Offender Evaluations Sexually Violent Person Evaluations Pedophilia Paraphilias Future Likelihood of Sexual Re-Offense

Victor Lofgreen, PhD has over 30 years of experience and education in the fields of Corrections and Community Development. He is a prison and jail consultant who conducts cases analysis and develops reports to support litigation on prison and jail issues. Experience - Dr. Lofgreen has served as the CEO of a State Adult Correctional Institution and the Division Chief of a State Planning Agency for Corrections. He has authored numerous professional papers and articles on topics within his area of expertise as well as Agency Policy and Procedure Manuals and training materials. Litigation Support - Dr. Lofgreen's expertise is in Jail and Prison Policy and Procedures related to the standard of care for inmates by local, State, and Federal correctional agencies. His services are available to counsel representing plaintiff and defendant and include case review, case study and data analysis, report of Expert Opinion based on the evidence included in the case study, deposition, and trial testimony as needed. Areas of Expertise:

Expertise: Specializing in applications of clinical psychiatry to legal issues in civil and criminal matters at the interface of Psychiatry and the Law. Has served as an evaluator or expert witness in about three hundred cases in State and Federal courts in matters relating to:

Professional Background: Certified by ABPN in Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry. Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Psychiatry and Law Program at MCP Hahanemann University. Director of Psychiatry & Law Program and Director of Correctional Mental Health Services Program/Provider of Mental Health Services for the City of Philadelphia Prison System. Formerly Director of Psychiatry & Law Program at the Medical College of Virginia. M.D. Degree -University of Massachusetts. Psychiatry Residency & Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship -Tulane University Medical Center.