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Written by Dr. Nicole M. Vienna
September 27, 2021
Competence within the criminal justice system is a concept of law that allows for criminal proceedings to be postponed for individuals who are deemed incompetent to stand trial. Competency refers to the defendant's capacity to participate in their defense and make decisions during the trial process....
Written by Dr. Nicole M. Vienna
August 27, 2021
Psychologists are trained to assess, diagnose, and treat a variety of clinical disorders and conditions. Some psychologists also administer different types of tests and measures to aid in treatment planning, clarify complex diagnoses, and understand the brain's functioning....
Written by Dr. Nicole M. Vienna
August 26, 2021
History Forensic psychology emerged as early as the 1950s and was historically described as “the role of psychology in the criminal justice system.” Forensic psychology has been a subfield in psychology for decades but was formally recognized as a specialty area by the American Psychological Association in 2001 (APA, 2001). Forensic psychological practice has expanded drastically since then. Psychologists have always been involved in almost......
Written by Dr. Nicole M. Vienna
July 26, 2021
This blog article will address the significance of a U.S. Supreme court case that discussed the criteria for continued commitment of a person who was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Terry Foucha was charged with aggravated burglary and illegal discharge of a firearm. He had burglarized a home and discharged a firearm in the direction of a law enforcement officer that was responding......
Written by Dr. Nicole M. Vienna
July 20, 2021
Criminal psychologists and forensic psychologists are similar in that both professions include the intersection of criminal justice and psychology. While there are many similarities between the fields of criminal and forensic psychology, there are also distinct differences in how each profession functions in the criminal justice system. Both professions require a doctorate in psychology, as well as specialized training in a clinical and/or research setting.......
Written by Dr. Nicole M. Vienna
June 1, 2021
Adverse Childhood Experiences, known as ACEs, was a term that originated in a groundbreaking study (known as the ACE study) in 1995 by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente, a health care organization in California. It is one of the largest investigations of childhood abuse and neglect, and how it affects later-life health and wellbeing (CDC.gov, 2021). ACEs are potentially traumatic events......
Written by Dr. Nicole M. Vienna
February 18, 2021
Learning Disabilities and Standardized Testing Accommodations Fourteen percent of k-12 students in the US have an identified learning disability. More than half of those students receive academic accommodations within their school district. These rates are similar in higher education as 11% of college students self-identify with a learning disability, but very few disclose this information to their university. Only 17% of college students with learning......
Written by Dr. Nicole M. Vienna
April 28, 2020
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has become one of the fastest-growing developmental disorders among children (Tincani, Crozier, & Alazetta, 2006). Prevalence rates have consistently increased over the years, and it is now predicted that 1 in 59 children have ASD (CDC, 2019). ASD is characterized by a lack of social communication, restricted behaviors, and difficulty understanding social cues (APA, 2013). The goal of this blog post......
Written by Dr. Nicole M. Vienna
April 15, 2020
Mental health diversion is a pretrial program in California that diverts individuals from the criminal justice system into mental health treatment, in lieu facing a criminal trial or conviction. This is an alternative created for individuals where mental health played a significant part in their alleged crime. California Penal Code 1001.36 Mental Health Diversion (PC 1001.36 PC) states that the court may grant pretrial diversion,......
Written by Dr. Nicole M. Vienna
April 1, 2020
The most commonly referred legal issue for a forensic evaluation is competency to stand trial. Approximately 60,000 defendants are evaluated for competency annually, and the current research shows that this number is gradually increasing over time (Zapf, Roesch, & Pirelli, 2014). The legal standard for competency to stand trial was established in Dusky v. United States (1960) and every state has adopted a variation of......