When mental health and the legal system intersect, clear and objective evaluation is essential.

Common Referral Types

Capacity to Proceed/Competency

These evaluations examine how mental health factors may affect an individual’s ability to meet legal competency standards, such as competency to proceed to trial, waive legal counsel, confess, or enter a plea. Our competency evaluations include a comprehensive clinical interview to assess the defendant’s mental state, psychiatric symptoms, and cognitive functioning. We take a thorough, contextualized approach—considering the individual’s current presentation alongside their mental health history, past functioning, and collateral information.

Structured interviews are used to evaluate the person’s understanding of legal concepts and capacity to participate meaningfully in legal proceedings. When appropriate, psychological testing is incorporated to assess cognitive abilities, memory, and decision-making skills. This in-depth process allows for the identification of subtle issues that may be overlooked in more limited assessments, ensuring that the court receives a clear and well-supported understanding of the individual’s competency.

Criminal Responsibility/Mental Status at the Time of the Alleged Offense

In North Carolina, an individual may be found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI)—or not criminally responsible—if, at the time of the alleged offense, they were “laboring under such a defect of reason, from disease or deficiency of the mind, as to be incapable of knowing the nature and quality of their act, or if they did know this, of distinguishing between right and wrong in relation to such act.” Criminal responsibility evaluations therefore have two primary components: first, determining whether the defendant was experiencing a mental illness or cognitive impairment at the time of the alleged offense, and second, assessing whether that condition impaired their ability to understand the nature or wrongfulness of their actions.

These evaluations involve a comprehensive review of all available information to reconstruct the defendant’s mental state at the time of the offense, including medical, mental health, and legal records. Extensive psychological testing and clinical interviewing help clarify current and historical symptoms, while collateral interviews provide valuable context about the individual’s functioning and mental health during the relevant period.

Sentence Mitigation

Sentence mitigation evaluations are designed to uncover and present information about an individual’s background, personal history, and life circumstances that may help reduce the severity of legal consequences. Often requested by defense attorneys, these evaluations provide a more humanizing and nuanced view of the defendant’s life experiences and challenges.

Mitigation evaluations focus on how a defendant’s history and mental health may influence moral culpability and the appropriate level of sentencing, penalties, or other legal outcomes. By providing a detailed, contextualized narrative, these evaluations aim to inform the court’s decisions with a deeper understanding of the individual beyond the offense itself.

Juvenile Evaluations

Our forensic psychologists specialize in evaluating youth involved in the legal system. Juvenile forensic evaluations require a developmentally informed approach grounded in the most up-to-date research on child and adolescent development. Youth are not simply “smaller adults,” rather, their cognitive development, emotional regulation, judgment, and decision-making capacities are still maturing, which can significantly influence their understanding of legal proceedings and their behavior within them. Using validated, age-appropriate measures and evidence-based practices, we examine how developmental, mental health, and environmental factors interact to affect all aspects of a youth’s functioning.

Capacity to Proceed Evaluations

Our evaluators are certified to conduct court-appointed juvenile forensic evaluations under G.S. 7B-2401.2 and follow evidence-based, developmentally sensitive protocols. As certified juvenile capacity evaluators, we assess whether a youth possesses the requisite functional legal capacities—such as rational understanding of proceedings, ability to consult with counsel, and ability to assist in their defense—in a manner appropriate to developmental stage.

Using developmentally informed, evidence-based protocols and age-appropriate assessment tools, we provide clear, objective reports to guide the court in its determination. These evaluations recognize that juveniles differ from adults in cognitive, emotional, and social maturity, requiring specialized expertise in youth development and forensic psychology.

Juvenile Transfer Evaluations

Under North Carolina General Statute § 7B-2200.5, certain juveniles may be transferred to adult court, including those as young as 13 accused of a Class A felony or ages 16–17 accused of Class B through G felonies. When transfer is discretionary, a forensic psychological evaluation can assist the court in determining whether transferring the case serves the protection of the public and the rehabilitative needs of the juvenile.

Our evaluations focus on developmentally and psychologically relevant factors, including the youth’s age, maturity, intellectual functioning, prior record, prior rehabilitation attempts, and responsiveness to available programs. Additionally, we assess the seriousness and nature of the offense, including violence, premeditation, or aggression, to provide the court with objective, evidence-based guidance in these complex decisions.