Services
Sentencing Mitigation
The goal of a Mitigation Evaluation is to determine what criminogenic factors may have contributed to the defendant's charged offense by assessing his/her/their personal history, experiences of trauma or abuse, and general psychological/cognitive functioning. When appropriate, a Mitigation Evaluation is provided to the court to help explain certain behaviors, identify protective factors, and suggest preventative interventions along with prognosis. Mental Health and independent skills interventions are recommended as alternatives to a lengthy incarceration with consideration of community safety and defendant empowerment in order to reduce recidivism.
Competency/Fitness to Proceed
A Competency Evaluation (aka: Aid & Assist, Fitness to Proceed) is conducted to determine if a defendant, due to a qualifying mental disorder, lacks the capacity to comprehend the nature of the legal proceedings, collaborate with counsel, or actively engage in his/her/their defense. The goal is to assist the legal decision-maker by offering insights into the individual's case-specific functioning, identifying any impairments, and explaining the underlying causes of such impairments. A determination is made as to whether a hospital level of care is necessary for the defendant to be restored to competency via legal skills training and stabilization.
GEI
The purpose of a Criminal Responsibility Evaluation (i.e., Guilty Except for Insanity affirmative defense) is to aid the legal decision-maker by providing an opinion on whether the individual, due to a qualifying mental disorder at the time of the alleged criminal conduct, had insufficient capacity to comprehend the criminal nature of their actions. Furthermore, it provides an assessment of whether he/she/they lacked the significant ability to conform his/her/their behavior within the expectations of the law.
Diminished Capacity/Mental State
A Diminished Capacity (or Mental State at Time of Offense) Evaluation is conducted in order to determine if an individual, due to unique factors such as mental impairment or disease, could not meet the mental state required for a specific intent crime. Unlike a GEI evaluation, diminished capacity is not an affirmative defense and is utilized mainly to determine the severity of the charge based upon intent with the possibility of being convicted of a lesser offense.
