Competence Interviewing Using the JACI

NYSAP: Developmentally Sensitive Competence Interviewing Using the JACI

Presented by: Ivan Kruh, PhD

4 Hours / 4 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Developmentally Sensitive Competence Interviewing Using the JACI is presented by Ivan Kruh, PhD., in partnership with The National Youth Screening & Assessment Partners.

State statutes increasingly recognize developmental immaturity as a basis for youth in juvenile court to be found incompetent. However, only one focused competence assessment tool, the Juvenile Adjudicative Competency Interview (JACI), was developed specifically for the developmentally-sensitive competency assessment. This program discusses the development of the JACI, focusing on how it considers the potential impact of cognitive and psychosocial immaturity upon a youth’s competence-related abilities. The administration and interpretation of the JACI are also explained (and practiced).

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

1 Describe the development process behind the Juvenile Adjudicative Competency Interview (JACI)
2 Develop familiarity and comfort with the administration of the JACI in forensic practice

Intended Audience

This training is designed for mental health and allied professionals who work with youth involved in the juvenile justice system. It is intended for those who specialize in areas such as forensic psychology, child and adolescent psychology, or juvenile forensic assessment, as well as professionals who support justice-involved youth.
Experience Level

This training is appropriate for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals with varying levels of experience in juvenile forensic assessment.
- Beginner: Little or no prior experience with juvenile adjudicative competency evaluations or the JACI; seeking foundational knowledge about developmental immaturity and its legal relevance.
- Intermediate: Some experience conducting forensic assessments with youth; interested in deepening understanding of developmentally-sensitive tools and practical application of the JACI.
- Advanced: Extensive experience in juvenile forensic mental health; seeking to refine skills in administering and interpreting the JACI and integrating advanced concepts of cognitive and psychosocial immaturity into practice.
Practice Setting

Professionals who work with justice-involved youth typically practice in environments that intersect mental health, legal, and social service systems. These settings are often multidisciplinary, requiring collaboration with courts, detention centers, community agencies, and schools. The work environment may be structured (such as juvenile detention facilities or court clinics) or community-based (such as outpatient clinics, non-profit organizations, or probation offices). These professionals frequently engage with youth and families in settings that prioritize safety, confidentiality, and trauma-informed care, and may also provide consultation or testimony in legal proceedings.
Examples of practice settings:
- Juvenile detention centers or correctional facilities
- Court-based mental health clinics or forensic assessment units
- Community mental health centers specializing in youth services
- Outpatient therapy or counseling practices serving justice-involved youth
- Probation or parole offices
- Non-profit organizations supporting at-risk or court-involved youth
- School-based mental health programs with a focus on diversion or re-entry
- Child advocacy centers or multidisciplinary teams addressing juvenile justice issues

Presented By

Ivan Kruh, PhD, Partner, National Youth Screening and Assessment Partners

Ivan Kruh received his PhD in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Psychology & Law from the University of Alabama in 1998 and subsequently completed fellowship training in forensic psychology through the University of Washington. For ten years, he was the Director of Juvenile Forensic Mental Health Services for Washington State and directed a Juvenile Forensic Psychology fellowship through the University of Washington. He has offered juvenile forensic mental health evaluations privately in Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut since 2012. Dr. Kruh specializes in the conduct and coordination of evaluations of juvenile competency to proceed (JCTP) and has co-authored two manuals with Thomas Grisso regarding creation of state standards for these evaluations. He has provided training, quality assurance and technical assistance for a variety of state agencies nationally since 2010, all aimed at supporting the day-to-day provision of high quality juvenile forensic mental health evaluations.

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Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

The development of the JACI + focuses on the ways it considers the potential impact of cognitive and psychosocial immaturity upon a youth’s competence-related abilities.
The administration and interpretation of the JACI are explained
The administration and interpretation of the JACI are practiced.

We are proud to partner with

National Youth Screening & Assessment Partners (NYSAP)

The National Youth Screening & Assessment Partners (NYSAP) is a technical assistance and research group dedicated to helping juvenile justice and related programs nationwide. Since 2000, NYSAP has assisted juvenile justice systems to make decisions about adolescents that are consistent with youths’ health and positive development and with the community’s interests by helping systems use reliable, evidence-based methods for screening and assessment. We provide training, technical assistance, and quality implementation services to agencies and programs in the areas of risk screening and risk-needs assessment, behavioral health screening, and competence to stand trial evaluations.

NYSAP professionals have played a key role for 25 years in research on juveniles’ competence to stand trial and in developing juvenile competence standards for forensic clinical practice, law, and policy. In response to the growing demand for juvenile competence evaluations nationally, we provide consultation to assist agencies in developing or refining their juvenile competence service delivery system, as well as creating and conducting quality assurance procedures. We train clinicians and juvenile justice stakeholders (e.g., judges, attorneys, and community partners) in practice standards for conducting high-quality juvenile competence evaluations.

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CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here.

American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.
Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.
National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).

Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356 and the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6811. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CONCEPT Professional Training, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. CONCEPT Professional Training maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits.