Assessing Trauma in Forensic Contexts

Rafael Art. Javier, Ph.D., ABPP is a Professor of Psychology and the Director Inter-agencies Training and Research Initiatives, Director of the Post-Graduate Professional Development Programs and the Director of the Postdoctoral Certificate Programs in Forensic Psychology at St. John’s University. Dr. Javier has presented at national and international conferences, including Europe, Latin and Central America and the Caribbean on psycholinguistic and psychoanalytic issues in research and treatment and on ethnic and cultural issues in psychoanalytic theories and practice, including on issues of violence and the impact on general cognitive and emotional functioning. He has published extensively on the subject including several co-edited books: “Reaching Across Boundaries of Culture and Class,” “Domestic Violence” and “Personality Development and Psychotherapy in our Diverse Society: A Source Book” all published by Jason Aronson. The “Patterns of desire: Sexual diversity in psychoanalysis,” coauthored with Dr. William Herron was published by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. in the spring 2006.  Early in 2007, he was the senior editor for the “Handbook of Adoption: Implications for Researchers, Practitioners and Families,” co-edited with Amanda Baden, Frank Biafora and Alina Camacho-Gingerich, published by Sage Publications.  His book on “The Bilingual mind: Thinking, Feeling and Speaking in two Languages,” was published in 2007 by Springer Publications. His most recent book “The Specialty competencies in Psychoanalysis in Psychology” was published in 2015 by Oxford University Press written with Dolores Morris and William Herron. His most recent book on “Understanding Domestic Violence: Theories, challenges, Remedies,” co-edited with William Herron was published in 2018 by Rowman and Littlefield where the issue of trauma was front and center.  He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, the Journal of SocialDistress and the Homeless, and the Journal of Infant, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy. He is the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Psycholinguistic Research and the past co-editor of the Journal of the Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless.  His current research activities include issues of violence and moral development, suicide in adolescents and young adults, and bilingualism. He holds a diplomate in clinical psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology and another diplomate in psychoanalysis by the same board. He is visiting professor at the Universidad de la Cuenca del Plata, in Corrientes, Argentina and appointed “Profesor Honorario” by that university in March 2016.  He is past President of the Forensic Division of the New York State Psychological Association.  He is in private practice that has included forensic involvements for over 30 years.Elizabeth Owen, Ph.D. is the Director of the Queens Forensic Psychiatric EvaluationCourt Clinic.    Earlier positions include being the Director of the Department of Forensic Psychiatry of Kings County Hospital Center, providing assessment and treatment to detainees on Rikers Island, as well as the Queens and Brooklyn Houses of Detention. A graduate of Columbia University’s Clinical Psychology Doctoral program, she is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia, and an Adjunct Professor at St. John’s University, teaching courses in the areas of psychopathology, forensic psychology, and clinical applications of social psychology.  Dr. Owen has performed numerous evaluations in her 19 years of practice, testified frequently, and been deemed an expert in Clinical and Forensic Psychology in city, state, federal and immigration courts in New York.  She has worked closely with the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice in New York City to help revolutionize the way competency evaluations are performed and processed in Queens County.  She is past president of the Forensic Division of the New York State Psychological Association and will again be president in 2020.   Publication topics include competency to stand trial, sovereign citizens, and how attorneys can best work as stand-by counsel.  Extremist groups are a particular area of interest.  Jemour Maddux, Psy.D., ABPP is the Managing Director of Lamb and Maddux, LLC. Office of Psychological Services, Court Advisory Center. He is board certified in forensic psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Psychology. His areas of interest include the assessment of harm, risk and various abilities in family, civil, and police and public safety contexts. Primarily focused upon forensic practice, Dr. Maddux is an experienced evaluator having completed over 3,000 evaluations and affidavits. He has served on multiple national committees charged with developing various policy statementsand practice guidelines used by forensic practitioners throughout the United States. Dr. Maddux is a board member of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC), which is the nation’s leading professional organization for child-maltreatment professionals. He is also a past President of the Forensic Division of the New York State Psychological Association.

• Part I: Conceptual Framework.- Trauma is at the Heart of Forensic Developmental Psychology.- Trauma in competency evaluation.-  Incarceration and trauma:  The challenge for the mental health care delivery system.- Personal Landscapes: The Face of Emotions in Trauma.- Homicide activism overcoming trauma: A call for research on a neglected phenomenon.- Cultural and linguistic issues in assessing trauma in forensic assessments.- Part II: Trauma among Diverse Prison Populations, Children and Adolescents.- Can one size fit all in relation to the battered woman syndrome?: Myths and misconceptions regarding the effectiveness of the battered woman syndrome defense.- Trauma and Criminal Justice Involved Adolescents.- Amanda D. Zelechoski (referred by Kirk Heilbrun)…on juvenile delinquency and trauma.- Forensic Evaluations of Parents in Child Protection Matters:  The Significance of Trauma.- 1.      Family Televisiting: An Innovative Psychologist-Directed Program to Increase Resilience & Reduce Trauma among Children with Incarcerated Parents.- Part III: Sex Offenses and Victims of Sex-Offenders.- Trauma-Informed Assessment and Treatment of Men Who Have Committed Sexual Offenses.- Sex Offenders and Their Victims: Myths & Standards of Practice.- The Significance of Psychological Trauma and Brain Injury in the Treatment and Evaluation of Sex Offenders.- Forensic Assessment of Sexual Offenders.- Part IV: Assessing Trauma in Veterans in the Legal System.- Addressing Trauma and responsibility in Veterans Court:  A View from the Bench.- Alternative Mental Health Treatment Dispositions with Veterans in the Criminal Justice System.- Pre-employment Psychological Evaluation of  Veteran Candidates for Police and Public Safety Positions.- Part V: Immigrants in the Legal System.- Forensic Evaluations for Immigration Court: Asylum in Many Variations.- Crossing the “Wall”: Perilous Journey of Latino Refugees into the U.S.- Termination of parental rights: Psychological Impact on Children of Immigrants.- Part VI: Psychological Damages.- Trauma Assessment in Personal Injury and Employment Discrimination Cases.- Psychological Evaluation of Trauma for Civil Rights and Personal Injury Claims: Special Considerations in Police Cases.- Trauma Informed Practice for the Forensic Interview with Children.-  Trauma in specialized treatment diversion court contexts.- Part VII: Conclusion.- Concluding comments on trauma and the legal system: Prescriptions for the forensic professional.