Encyclopedia of Psychology and Law

context, and the cultural context of cases. It facilitates

the use of logic and reasoning in the integration of

evaluation data. Research provides a basis for under-

standing family relationships, understanding the

family system from the child’s perspective, recom-

mending relevant interventions, understanding and

interpreting parental risk of harm, and placing para-

meters around interpretations and recommendations

based on limitations in the state of the science. A

forensic assessment report with legal utility has pro-

bative value based on the science of psychology as

it is applied to and interpreted within specific legal

standards.

Forensic Assessment in

Care and Protection Matters

Evaluation methodology and forensic assessment

reports in care and protection matters vary with the

breadth and comprehensiveness of the referral ques-

tions(s). A typical evaluation involves an interview with

the caregiver(s), an interview with the child, caregiver-

child observations, collateral information, relevant

records, and psychological assessment and/or risk

assessment measures when indicated. Multimodal

assessment is the most optimal approach. Focus is

placed on hypothesized factors that potentiated family

distress and child maltreatment, the viability and treat-

ment utility of the service plan, whether conditions

have changed or have been adequately addressed, and

whether positive changes might be stable over time.

Evaluation methodology might alternatively focus on

the child’s attachment to substitute caregivers and the

child’s readiness for adoption. Depending on the refer-

ral question, the interpretation section of a report might

address the parent’s level of functioning; the strength

and quality of the parent-child relationship; child mal-

treatment risk and the mediators of risk; parental

amenability to treatment; accommodations that might

contribute to parental amenability to treatment; the

expected intervention outcome for a parent or a child;

specific changes (or lack thereof) in a parental condi-

tion, such as mental illness or substance abuse; support

services that would allow a parent with intellectual lim-

itations to parent adequately; the description of a partic-

ular child’s special needs and their bearing on the

child’s parenting needs; and the matter of whether a

positive intervention outcome might be expected within

statutory time limits. Meaningful reports and testimony

answer the referral question(s) with scientific integrity,

within the parameters of the legal standards and con-

text, in a tone respectful of all parties to the case and the

judiciary, and with appropriate caveats.

Lois Oberlander Condie

See alsoChild Maltreatment; Children’s Testimony,

Evaluation by Juries; Child Sexual Abuse; Sex Offender

Assessment; Sex Offender Treatment; Substance Abuse

Treatment; Substance Use Disorders

Further Readings

American Psychological Association, Committee on

Professional Practice and Standards. (1988). Guidelines

for psychological evaluations in child protection matters.

Washington, DC: Author.

Belsky, J. (1993). Etiology of child maltreatment:

A developmental-ecological analysis. Psychological

Bulletin, 114,413–434.

Condie, L. (2003). Parenting evaluations for the court

(Perspectives in Law and Psychology, Vol. 18, R. Roesch,

Ed.). New York: Kluwer-Plenum.

Dubowitz, H. (1999). The families of neglected children.

In M. E. Lamb (Ed.),Parenting and child development

in “nontraditional” families (pp. 327–345). Mahwah,

NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Goldstein, R. D. (1999). Child abuse and neglect: Cases and

materials.St. Paul, MN: West.

TERRORISM

Terrorism, like many other horrific types of violence,

has begged in the minds of many for a psychological

explanation. The research and systematic analysis that

has been done on the topic, however, show that neither

mental illness nor a simple “lack of conscience” are

significant primary causes of terrorism. There is no

known “terrorist personality.” The pathways and

influences that lead certain individuals to become ter-

rorists are quite diverse. Psychological research and

systematic analysis, however, can help illuminate the

processes by which people and groups come to adopt

extremist ideologies and subsequently use those ideas

to justify violent actions.

Since the attacks on the United States on September

11, 2001, leaders in the U.S. intelligence, diplomatic,

and law enforcement communities have concurred

that terrorism currently poses the most serious threat

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