Sentencing Reports
What is the purpose of a Sentencing Report?
In my practice, I see many men and women who have psychological and social problems, those such as untreated mental health disorders or substance use disorders, and these people wind up in the Criminal Justice system. The aim of a psychological evaluation report that I might produce for the Court is to address the background psychological and social factors that lead to a poor adjustment in late adolescence and in young adult lives. I aim to bring a set of recommendations to the Court, in a problem solving capacity that can potentially lead to meaningful change and reduce the revolving door issue and have an impact on reducing recidivism rates. This ties to the idea of therapeutic jurisprudence, the idea that the law can be used as a therapeutic agent to help people improve their psychological and social well-being.
I provide forensic evaluations for the Legal Profession, the Courts, the HSE, Employers and Other Professionals. Extensively trained and with many years of experience, I am available in the Dublin area and nationally for clients who require an expert in psychological science.
Typical referrals include:
- Competency
- Criminal Responsibility
- Mitigation Claims and Sentencing
- Diminished Capacity and Extreme Emotional Disturbance
- Forced or False Confessions and Suggestibility (I was trained by Professor Gudjonsson)
- Capacity to Form Intent
- Risk Assessment / Future Dangerousness
- Classification and Recidivism Potential
- Alternatives to Incarceration
- Personality Screening and Comprehensive Personality Evaluation
- Paedophilia, Sex Offenses, & Sexual Harassment
- Malingering
- Amnesia for the Offense
- Underlying Personality for Abuse
- Review of Forensic Evaluations
- Intellectual Disability
Other Typical Referrals in Adult Forensic Cases include:
- Assessment of Parenting Capacity
- Evaluation of Parental Relationship
- Custody Recommendations
- Questions of Abuse and Neglect in Family Law
- Psychological Effects of Personal Injury
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Adolescent / Juvenile Forensic Cases (examples of recent work)
- Exploration of Alternatives to Custody while awaiting Trial in a case of Homicide (Co. Dublin)
- Full Clinical, Forensic, Neuropsychological Evaluations of Teens accused of Arson, Murder, or Sexual Violence (for example multiple cases across several counties including Cavan, Cork, several in Dublin, Laois, Louth, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford)