Services
The Law & Psychiatry Program provides evidence-based services to agencies serving youth and adults, including emerging adults, involved in justice, forensic, and behavioral health systems. We help agencies address complex needs and risk and protective factors associated with continued justice involvement through best practices in implementation science, screening and assessment, forensic evaluation, and risk-need-responsivity.
We work with legal and behavioral health professionals and individuals with lived experience to strengthen:
- Policies and procedures
- Decision-making
- Screening and assessment
- Case management and treatment practices
Our work supports agencies and communities across juvenile and adult systems, including:
- Forensic mental health
- Mental and public health agencies
- Law enforcement
- Courts and attorneys
- Diversion
- Pretrial services
- Probation
- Reentry
- Parole
Our services are informed by implementation science, research, forensic clinical expertise, and positive youth development. Our goal is to strengthen systems, promote positive development, improve responsiveness to interventions, and enhance public safety.
Visit our MAYSI-2 Headquarters page for our training and technical assistance services on the MAYSI-2 (adolescent mental health screening tool).
Service Areas
Training for Justice Personnel
We provide everything from trainings for stakeholders (e.g., court personnel and judges; diversion, probation, and corrections staff; service providers) about effective implementation of risk-need-responsivity; staff training on risk-needs screening and assessment tools (e.g., SAVRY, YLS/CMI, detention and diversion screening); interviewing procedures for youth; need-to-service matching; and assessment of protective factors.
PROJECT: Risk Screening & Case Planning for Youth Pre-Arraignment Diversion (funder: MA Department of Youth Services)
- The Law & Psychiatry team has been working with the MA Department of Youth Services to develop, implement, and sustain quality risk screening and RNR-based case planning for their Youth Diversion Program. This statewide, pre-arraignment diversion program supports youth in their positive development to avoid formal involvement with the juvenile justice system. We provide training, quality assurance, and coaching to community-based organizations in the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Version 2 (MAYSI-2), the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) and its screening version, and risk-need-responsivity-based case planning.
Correctional Classification & Risk Tool Validation
We work with agencies to develop and validate new or existing risk screening instruments (e.g., juvenile detention screening, classification, PREA screening, police diversion tools) in an equitable way to decrease health disparities
PROJECT: Validation of a Risk Screen for Prosecutorial Diversion (funder: Colorado Department of Public Safety)
- A partnership with juvenile prosecutor’s offices across eight Colorado judicial districts to implement and validate the Arizona Risk-Needs Assessment (ARNA) adapted for Colorado. Predictive validity for new charges (recidivism), including violent charges across sex and race, was excellent, and the ARNA is now used for prosecutorial diversion statewide
PROJECT: Validation of Prison Classification Instruments(funder: National Institute of Justice)
- A partnership with the MA Department of Correction assessing the predictive accuracy and neutrality of its prison classification system, resulting in a practical validation toolkit for correctional agencies.
Implementation of Risk-Need-Responsivity and Evidence-Based Approaches
Involves multiple activities including but not limited to evaluation and needs assessment, development of effective policy and procedures, implementation of appropriate risk tools, development of service matrices, development of pre-disposition/pre-sentence recommendations, training and implementation in case planning/management, implementation of suitability for release protocols, and court and parole decision-making
PROJECT: Implementation of Thinking for a Change for Effective Violence Reduction Among Youth and Emerging Adults with Mental Health Conditions (funder: SAMHSA and the MA Department of Mental Health)
- The Law & Psychiatry Program conducted an Environmental Scan of effective, feasible, and sustainable early violence intervention and crisis interventions for youth and emerging adults (ages 12 to 25) with mental health conditions. This led to recommendations for adoption and expansion of Thinking for a Change in communities within Massachusetts. We are working with over 10 provider agencies to support this implementation effort.
PROJECT: Improving Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices in Parole (funder: MA Parole Board)
- The Law & Psychiatry Program provides consultation, implementation support, and training to parole staff and parole board members to evaluate and improve the use of evidence-based practices (i.e., risk assessment, risk-need-responsivity, case planning, structured decision-making) in parole practices.
Justice System Analytics
We provide consultation on electronic case management system improvements; state-of-the-art service data tracking; analysis of administrative and operational datasets to identify implementation challenges and drivers of outcomes
PROJECT: Assessing Delays in Release to Parole (funder: MA Executive Office of Public Safety and Security)
- The Law & Psychiatry Program is the independent evaluator for this collaborative effort between the Parole Board and the Department of Corrections to examine the length and cause of delays in the release of incarcerated persons from custody. This is a comprehensive data analysis project that also involves gathering information about barriers to release on parole from incarcerated persons, parolees, and staff. The Law & Psychiatry Program is using the findings to facilitate agency implementation plans for reducing delays.
PROJECT: Implementation & Effectiveness of Jail-Based Peer Recovery Support Services (funder: Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction
- The Law & Psychiatry Program team provided strategic, analytic, and evaluation support to an Indiana program providing jail-based peer recovery support services, which assists justice-involved individuals with behavioral health challenges. The project team utilized quality improvement methods paired with implementation science to examine program analytics, implementation determinants, and participant outcomes. Findings were used to strengthen program delivery, support decision-making, and inform the expansion of peer recovery services within legal settings.
Forensic Case Consultation and Evaluations
Our expert forensic clinical faculty consult on cases nationwide, assist the criminal and juvenile justice systems in improving evaluation practices, and testify to state and U.S. legislatures. Specialized expertise includes risk for violence assessment, evaluations of sexually problematic behavior, magical thinking, and substance abuse disorder
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Forensic Clinician Trainings
Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), HCR-20 Version 3, Considerations in Miranda Waivers, asylum evaluations, parenting evaluations, evaluations with emerging adults, providing expert testimony, and many others
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