20 Hours / 20 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Evaluations for High Stakes Sentencing is presented by Mark Cunningham, PhD, ABPP. This badge-earning program can be shared digitally on platforms like LinkedIn or your resume and counts towards a certificate. Enroll in this program to earn credit towards Criminal Forensic Assessment Certificate and share your new digital credentials with prospective employers and colleagues.

Landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases such as Woodson, Jurek, Atkins, and Miller mandated individualized sentencing when the death penalty is sought, or a defendant is facing a life-without-parole for an offense committed as a juvenile. Mental health professionals are routinely called upon to assist in illuminating the associated considerations of moral culpability and specific deterrence. The program is divided into four modules, each focusing on a high-stakes sentencing context or issue: Evaluation for capital mitigation, Capital violence risk assessment for prison, and Evaluation of intellectual disability Evaluation in juvenile murder. For each type of evaluation, Dr. Cunningham describes the conceptual underpinnings, evaluation procedures, and relevant research literature and presents an analysis/integration of case data. Dr. Cunningham provides extensive illustrations of how the findings can be effectively communicated in reports and through slide-assisted testimony. 

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe the contrasting theories of the State and defense at capital sentencing and how these are operationalized in evidence and argument
  • 2 Describe moral culpability and its relationship to choice
  • 3 Describe the procedures in conducting an evaluation of capital mitigation
  • 4 Describe four methodologies for violence risk assessment
  • 5 Describe the various sources for rates of serious prison violence and specify the primary inmate-specific correlates
  • 6 Describe the conceptual basis for the exclusion of persons with ID from death-sentencing
  • 7 Describe the two sources for the primary diagnostic criteria for ID and their common elements
  • 8 Describe the evolution of diagnostic criteria for ID from DSM-IV-TR to DSM-5
  • 9 Describe the four primary factors in brain maturation
  • 10 Describe how brain immaturity impacts decision-making and susceptibility to peer influences

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for clinicians and professionals involved in high-stakes forensic evaluations, particularly those related to capital and juvenile sentencing. It is especially relevant for individuals specializing in forensic psychology, clinical assessment, or legal-psychology consultation, with a focus on mitigation, risk assessment, and intellectual disability evaluations. While primarily intended for mental health and legal professionals, the training also appeals to anyone interested in the complexities and procedures of high-stakes forensic work.

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Psychologist
    • Psychiatrist
    • Social Worker
    • Counselor
    • Attorney
    • Judge
    • Legal Consultant
    • Forensic Psychologist
    • Clinical Assessor
    • Professional specializing in mitigation, risk assessment, or intellectual disability evaluations

  • Experience Level

    This training is applicable for all career stages: entry-level, mid-career, and experienced professionals.

    • Beginner: Participants new to forensic mental health or high-stakes sentencing who seek foundational knowledge of relevant Supreme Court cases, core psycholegal concepts (e.g., moral culpability, specific deterrence), and basic evaluation procedures.
    • Intermediate: Participants with some experience in forensic assessment who wish to deepen their understanding of capital mitigation, violence risk assessment, intellectual disability evaluations, and juvenile murder cases, including integration of research and case law.
    • Advanced: Participants with substantial forensic experience who aim to refine their skills in complex case analysis, advanced report writing, and expert testimony, and to stay current with evolving legal standards and research.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals who participate in this training typically work in environments where legal and mental health systems intersect, such as forensic units, correctional facilities, court clinics, private forensic practices, and academic or research institutions. Their work often involves conducting comprehensive assessments, preparing detailed reports, and providing expert testimony in court. These settings require collaboration with attorneys, judges, and other legal professionals, as well as adherence to strict ethical and legal standards. The environment is often high-pressure, given the significant consequences of the evaluations for defendants facing capital punishment or life sentences.

    • Forensic units within state or federal psychiatric hospitals
    • Correctional facilities or prison mental health services
    • Court-based mental health clinics or evaluation centers
    • Private forensic psychology or psychiatry practices
    • University-based forensic research or training programs
    • Legal consulting firms specializing in mitigation or risk assessment
    • Public defender or prosecutor’s offices with in-house mental health professionals
    • Juvenile justice assessment centers
    • Specialized clinics for intellectual disability evaluations in legal contexts

Presented By

Mark Cunningham, PhD, ABPP, Board-Certified Clinical and Forensic Psychologist/Private Practice

Mark D. Cunningham, Ph.D., ABPP is a Seattle-based, board-certified clinical and forensic psychologist, researcher, and prolific scholar. His forensic practice is national in scope and he is licensed in 14 states. He has testified extensively in high stakes cases, including insanity defenses involving the differential between delusional disorder and extreme political beliefs. The SPJ model he is presenting was developed in response to these evaluations. Dr. Cunningham’s research, scholarship, and practice have garnered regional, national, and international recognition.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Mark Cunningham, PhD, ABPP

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Conceptual overview
    Sentencing considerations
    Moral culpability
    Specific deterrence

  • Modules
    Capital mitigation
    Violence risk in prison
    Intellectual disability
    Juvenile murderers

  • Approach
    Psycholegal issue
    Case law
    Conceptual understandings
    Procedures of evaluation
    Relevant research
    Models of report writing
    Use of slides in testimony

Earning a Certificate

This is a badge-earning program, which means it will help you earn a certificate that can be showcased on digital platforms like LinkedIn.
View Certificates

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. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. 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.