On June 6, 2026, Dr. Schultz and a veteran youth defense attorney will co-present: Okay, Boomer: The Psychology of Words in Youth Defense. This training focuses on the intersection of adolescent development, psychology, trauma, disability, and communication within juvenile legal settings. Developmental stage, trauma exposure, disability, and generational differences can all shape how young people express themselves, process information, and respond under stress. Participants

By: Kathryn Grier, MLIS and Amy James, PsyD Forensic psychological evaluations are conceptually and procedurally different from solely clinical evaluations. Although both require adequate referral information regarding the scope of the assessment and information sought from the assessment, a forensic psychological evaluation is designed to answer specific psycholegal questions posed by the referral source. Referral sources may include, but are not limited to, the court, an at

By: Paige D Schultz. PsyD Recently, courts have found several defendants in high-profile criminal cases incapable of proceeding. Media coverage of these cases inevitably drives high social media engagement. With that, comes a flood of comments like: “He was competent when he did it” or “He was competent the last 14 times he was released.” That’s not how this works. “Capacity to proceed” (also called competency to stand trial) is defined in Dusky v. United States (1960) and i

By: Amy D James, PsyD In 2019, I wrote a critique of the RADAR protocol and provided reasons it fell short of meeting Daubert standards for admissibility in court. As a recap, for evidence to be admissible in a court of law in federal and many states courts, including North Carolina courts, Daubert standards should be met. The Daubert standard comes from the Supreme Court case, Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc., 509 U.S. 579 (1993). Under Daubert, the factors to be

By: Amy D James, PsyD Every publication I have read places the ownership of the school threat assessment process squarely within the realm of the public school system. I strongly disagree that this is the best option. The primary duty of the school system is to educate students. It is essential to educate students in a safe environment, yet the primary goal remains education. The primary purpose of the mental health system is to diagnose and treat individuals with mental

By: Amy D James, PsyD In order for evidence to be admissible in a court of law in federal and many states courts, including North Carolina, Daubert standards must be met. The Daubert standard comes from the Supreme Court case, Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc., 509 U.S. 579 (1993). Under Daubert , the factors that may be considered in determining whether the methodology is valid are: (1) whether the theory or technique in question can be and has been tested; (2) w

By: Amy D James, PsyD Our society is one that (thankfully) affords our citizens significant constitutional rights, which can not be removed without due process. There are times in which rights are stripped away. Some of these rights include the right to be the guardian of one’s person, the right to be the guardian of one’s finances, the right to parent, the right to live freely, the right to vote, and the right to possess or own a firearm. In our country, Felons are not leg

By: Amy D James, PsyD I turn away many, many referrals and requests for evaluations. The most frequent reason I will not accept a referral or an evaluation is because the person calling (person to be evaluated, referring attorney, or referring agency) wants what we (forensic psychologists) refer to as a BFE. A back-door forensic evaluation. BFEs usually happen because of three reasons. 1) Error in the referral and/or scheduling process (lack of asking adequate questions prior