The demand for forensic mental health assessments of juveniles’ competence to stand trial (CST) has increased rapidly in recent years. Many states have adopted new statutes and requirements for juveniles’ CST and for adjudicating the issue. This has produced a growing need to develop systematic ways to deliver juvenile CST assessments, as well as training and support of clinical and legal professionals.
In the area of juvenile CST, NYSAP has more than 25 years of experience researching and developing standards for forensic clinical practice, law, system structuring, and policy. We are uniquely equipped to support agencies in providing scientifically sound and legally informed juvenile CST assessments.
Consultation Services
We help state/county mental health and juvenile justice administrators develop policies and procedures for accessing high-quality juvenile CST assessments. We can assist with:
Structuring systems to provide juvenile CST assessments for the court
Providing court-to-evaluator referral procedures
Developing a professional assessment workforce
Setting standards for assessment practices
Conducting external quality analyses of a jurisdiction’s current juvenile CST reports
Developing internal quality assurance processes
Identifying system-wide training needs of clinical and legal professionals
Structuring juvenile competency remediation services
Mapping current assessment and intervention capacities to identify and target needs related to assessing CST and the remediation of youth found incompetent
Mapping current community intervention assets to identify areas for capacity development related to the remediation of youth found incompetent
Training Services
NYSAP offers training for clinicians who perform juvenile CST assessments and for those who need to understand these assessment reports. Training can be delivered in-person or remotely online and is tailored to meet specific jurisdictional requirements through preparatory dialogue with local leadership.
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Comprehensive Training in Juvenile CST Assessments (Clinician Eligibility Training)
2 Days • Live In-Person or Live Virtual
A two-day training for clinicians seeking to perform juvenile CST assessments at a best-practices level. Content can be tailored to meet the needs of clinicians new to performing juvenile CST assessments, as well as experienced evaluators seeking to refine their practices. The training supports clarity about legal definitions, essential concepts, assessment procedures and tools, interpretation of data, and report writing. -
The Five Question Model to Conducting Juvenile CST Assessments
1/2 – 1 Day • Live In-Person, Live Virtual, or Virtual On-Demand
Assessment quality is enhanced when a conceptual model, integrating scientific and ethical standards, is used to guide data gathering, data interpretation, and the communication of findings. The most widely accepted model for assessments of competence to stand trial, offered by NYSAP professionals (Grisso 1986, 2005), lays out Functional, Causal, Contextual, Conclusory, and Remediation questions. When addressed by evaluators in a systematic manner, this model yields effective and informative assessments and reports that can assist the court. A review of relevant concepts and research, as well as modeling of and practice with the five questions, helps evaluators apply the model to their assessments. -
Case Conceptualization in Juvenile CST Assessments
1/2 – 1 Day • Live In-Person, Live Virtual, or Virtual On-Demand
The value of an assessment model is best appreciated through its applied use. This training focuses on applying Grisso’s Five-Question Juvenile Competence Assessment Model to a sample juvenile competence case. Distribution of case materials parallels a typical evaluation and participants work through the model to reach opinions that are relevant and helpful to the court. This training can be offered independently or integrated into the Five Question Model training.
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Juvenile CST Assessments for Adult Competency Evaluators
1/2 – 1 Day • Live In-Person, Live Virtual, or Virtual On-Demand
Evaluators with a history of conducting competency assessments in criminal court cases may be asked or seek to assist with competency assessments of juveniles. With critical differences between these two tasks, participants develop comfort with a developmental lens on adolescence and unique elements of the juvenile justice context, as well as how these issues impact assessment targets, data collection, and forming developmentally informed opinions. -
Developmentally-Sensitive Interviewing
1/2 – 1 Day • Live In-Person or Live Virtual
This training supports clinicians seeking enhanced skills interviewing adolescents and emerging adults. The training cultivates a perspective based on youths’ cognitive, psychological and social development across the adolescent age span. This training is particularly helpful for clinicians transitioning from adult CST assessments to juvenile work, as well as for systems with statutes that require developmental sensitivity. -
The Juvenile Adjudicative Competence Interview (JACI)
1/2 – 1 Day • Live In-Person, Live Virtual, or Virtual On-Demand
The Juvenile Adjudicative Competence Interview (JACI) currently is the only published, structured assessment tool developed specifically for juvenile CST evaluations. The JACI was developed by NYSAP professionals and is used nationally. This training provides clinicians clarity about the characteristics of the tool, as well as hands-on experience and feedback administering and interpreting it.
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Advanced Topics for Juvenile CST Evaluators
1/2 – 1 Day • Live In-Person or Live Virtual
These trainings are tailored to explore specific advanced issues in juvenile CST assessments. Topics might include evaluating rational appreciation, autism spectrum disorders in juvenile CST, competency in adolescents facing criminal court adjudication, report writing or court testimony in juvenile CST assessments, among many other possible topics. Also, research update trainings can be offered to keep clinicians abreast of scientific developments related to juvenile CST assessments. -
Juvenile CST for Legal Professionals
1/2 Day • Live In-Person or Live Virtual
Training for attorneys, judges, and other legal professionals facilitates a better understanding of the juvenile CST assessment process, supporting more sophisticated use and critique of clinicians’ juvenile CST evaluations. Topics may include the legal relevance of the assessments, screening youth to determine the need for CST assessment, requisite clinician expertise, developmental relevance of assessments, best assessment procedures, and both appropriate and inappropriate report interpretations, among other topics. -
Juvenile CST for Stakeholders
1/2 Day • Live In-Person or Live Virtual
Training for juvenile justice personnel, community child-mental-health providers, and others who may come into contact with the juvenile CST issue to help them better understand the relevance of this legal and clinical issue for their work with youths.
Resources about Juveniles Competence to Stand Trial
For more than 35 years, NYSAP professionals have published empirical studies, conceptual and scholarly explorations, and practice standards relevant to juvenile CST. This experience is brought to bear on every consultation and training project we embark upon. Our publications include the nation’s leading guides on the topic.
Meet Our Juvenile Competence Team
