Forensic Evaluation of Juveniles
By
THOMAS GRISSO
In recent years, juvenile attorneys have come to rely heavily
on mental health professionals for evaluations of youths in delinquency cases.
Evaluation questions include the youth's competence to stand trial,
competence to waive Miranda rights prior to giving a confession, the risk
of future violence, rehabilitation needs, and whether he or she should be
tried as a juvenile or an adult.
This book offers detailed guidance in performing evaluations
for all of these purposes. Written for clinicians, each chapter carefully
defines the legal and clinical questions for a particular type of evaluation,
describes the evaluation process in detail, reviews relevant assessment methods,
and discusses issues in interpretation and testimony. The descriptions
are guided by current legal requirements and the latest research results
in the behavioral and medical sciences, blended with practical advice derived
from the author's 25 years of experience in the forensic evaluation of juveniles.
The introductory chapter examines the historical, legal, scientific,
and professional contexts in which clinicians engage in forensic evaluations
of juveniles, and the closing chapter offers a comprehensive review of ethical
and professional issues in juvenile forensic practice.
"Whenever you crack the spine of a book by Thomas Grisso, you do so in
anticipation of excellence. In Forensic Evaluation of Juveniles,
Grisso outdoes even himself. Anchored both in state-of-the-art
developmental research and in far-ranging clinical experience, this is the
most authoritative work on the assessment of adolescents for the courts ever
written. The book's timing is perfect and its impact on the field is
sure to be immense."
*John Monahan, PhD, Doherty
Professor of Law, Professor of Psychology and Legal Medicine, University
of Virginia
"Grisso has done it again. Forensic Evaluation of Juveniles
is a masterful blend of practical utility with relevant theory and research,
with something to offer everyone from the beginner to the experienced forensic
clinician. The most important mental health issues in juvenile law
- transfer, rehabilitation, violence risk, competence for trial, and competence
to waive Miranda - are addressed in a way that is certain to improve clinical
forensic practice and, ultimately, the product that is provided to courts,
attorneys, and agencies."
*Kirk Heilbrun, PhD, Professor and
Co-Director, Law-Psychology Program, Allegheny University of Health
Sciences/Villanova School of Law
"In his typically unassuming style, Dr. Grisso presents a book which on the
surface is a straightforward manual for clinical consultation practice with
juvenile defendants. In this guise, the book provides detailed, careful,
and sound advice on conducting evaluations in a variety of delinquency contexts.
This book will set standards which should significantly improve
consultative practice with courts and youth corrections agencies."
*Richard Barnum, MD,
Director, Boston Juvenile Court Clinic