Mental Health
My brain made me do it: will neuroscience change the way we punish criminals?
Psychiatrist testifies mentally ill teen had “risk for violence” when he was shot by officer
‘My Brain Made Me Do It’: New Study Analyzes Neuroscience in the Criminal Courtroom
Documenting a client’s symptoms of mental illness
As public defenders, we struggle with challenging clients: clients who don’t trust us, clients who refuse to hear our best advice, and clients who sometimes lash out at us in ways that are difficult to absorb, let alone understand. Most of our challenging clients are mentally ill and a significant percentage of those have poorly …
Does a psychology expert need to be licensed in NC?
Attorneys may need the services of a psychologist to evaluate whether a client is competent to stand trial, to present evidence regarding a mental health defense or mitigation, or to perform other psychological testing of a client. Attorneys have asked me whether a psychologist needs to be licensed in NC to perform these services. I’ll …
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Two genes linked with violent crime
Psychologist: “Affluenza” is Junk Science
The Best Reporting on Mental Illness in Prisons
New data reveal extent of genetic overlap between major mental disorders
North Carolina Defender Manual: Chapter 2, Capacity to Proceed
John Rubin & Alyson Grine, NORTH CAROLINA DEFENDER MANUAL, VOL. 1 PRETRIAL (2d ed. 2013). Discusses in detail the standards for capacity to proceed, how attorneys can recognize signs of impairment, the ethical concerns with questioning capacity, and the potential benefits and harms of raising an incapacity question.
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