Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Training Program

Forensic Court-Ordered and Private Case Evaluations

Each fellow is appointed to the Sacramento County Superior Court Criminal Expert Witness Panel.  Fellows are are appointed to the adult criminal panel and the juvenile criminal panel if applicable.  Fellows are also assigned to private criminal cases as retained through the Sacramento County Public Defender, Federal Public Defender - Eastern District of California (Sacramento), as well as other northern California county public defender, district attorney, and private criminal defense law offices.  Each fellow will conduct approximately 15 to 20 court- ordered and private criminal case evaluations throughout the year, requiring preparation of written reports and potential testimony. The fellows will be supervised on their cases by Dr. Charles Scott, Dr. Jason Roof, and other assigned forensic psychiatry faculty.

Additionally, the forensic psychiatry faculty combined conduct evaluations and reviews on approximately 200 cases annually on both criminal and civil cases.  The fellows will observe, participate or assist on the faculty cases and prepare numerous parallel reports on civil-related training cases under the supervision of Dr. Charles Scott.

The range of cases assigned through the court, private criminal defense firms, and parallel training cases include: 

• Not guilty by reason of insanity
• Diminished capacity/Diminished actuality
• Drug-induced psychosis
• Competency to stand trial
• Competency to testify
• Retrospective competency
• Malingering
• Sex offender risk assessment
• Violence risk assessment
• Dangerousness
• Conservatorship
• Guardianship
• Standard of care
• Psychiatric malpractice
• Toxic tort
• Psychiatric autopsy