20 Hours | 20 CEs

This self-paced training program on Mental Illness, Dangerousness, the Police Power, and Risk Assessment is presented by Michael L. Perlin, JD and Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD.

This course deals with the relationship between mental illness, dangerous behavior and the police power, the ability of mental health professionals to predict dangerousness, and the significance of risk assessment instruments for a variety of decisions to be made in the legal system. Participants will discover how these relationships and concepts play out in a variety of settings, including involuntary civil commitments, right to refuse treatment, insanity defense acquittee retention hearings, sex offender status hearings, sentencing cases, death penalty ‘future dangerousness’ inquiries, death penalty mitigation hearings, and Tarasoff (duty to protect) cases in civil law.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course you will be able to:

  • Describe the relationship between mental illness, dangerous behavior and the police power

  • Describe the perceived and actual relationship between mental disorder and violence

  • Describe the significance of the Police Power & Parens Patriae power in the commitment process

  • Describe the significance of risk assessment instruments for decision making in the legal system

  • Describe extent to which the public misapprehends the relationship between mental illness and dangerousness

  • Describe the relationship between basic involuntary civil commitment principles and risk assessment

  • Describe the significance of defining “mental illness” for the purposes of civil commitment statutes

  • Describe the strengths and limitations of various assessment approaches and techniques employed by mental health professionals to assess for violence risk

  • Describe how these relationships and concepts play out in a variety of settings, including involuntary civil commitments, right to refuse treatment, insanity defense acquittee retention hearings, sex offender status hearings, sentencing cases, death penalty ‘future dangerousness' inquiries, death penalty mitigation hearings, and Tarasoff (duty to protect) cases in civil law

Presented By

Michael L. Perlin, JD

Michael L. Perlin is Professor of Law Emeritus at New York Law School (NYLS), founding director of NYLS’s Online Mental Disability Law Program, and founding director of NYLS’s International Mental Disability Law Reform Project in its Justice Action Center. He is also the co-founder of Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates. He has written 31 books and nearly 300 articles on all aspects of mental disability law, many of which deal with the overlap between mental disability law and criminal law and procedure.

Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD

Heather Ellis Cucolo is an adjunct professor in New York Law School’s online mental disability law program, has served as Acting Director of that program, and has contributed to the development of courses within the program as well as assisted in collaboration with Asia-Pacific partners to foster international distance learning. Professor Cucolo currently teaches the Americans with Disabilities Act, Therapeutic Jurisprudence, Mental Disability Law and Sex Offenders to both law students, clinicians and other professionals.

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  • Intended Audience

    This self-paced course is intended for mental health and other allied professionals.

  • Experience Level

    This self-paced course is appropriate for beginner, intermediate, and advanced level clinicians.

  • CE / CPD Credit

    APA, ASWB, CPA, NBCC Click here for state and other regional board approvals.

Curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome

    • Review Before Proceeding

  • 2

    Introduction

    • Lesson 1 Video

    • Background

    • A Jurisprudence of Risk Assessment

    • Actuarial Versus Clinical Assessments

    • Lesson Quiz

  • 3

    Mental Illness and Dangerousness

    • Lesson 2 Video

    • Constitutional "Civil" Mental Health Law

    • Re-read Monahan

    • Lesson Quiz

  • 4

    Use of Police Power

    • Lesson 3 Video

    • Mental Health Law 97-114; 560-571

    • Dangerous and Expertise

    • Lesson Quiz

  • 5

    Violence and Risk Assessment

    • Lesson 4 Video

    • Mental Health Law 114-119

    • Daubert & Danger

    • Lesson Quiz

  • 6

    Dangerousness

    • Lesson 5 Video

    • Mental Health Law 119-143

    • A Dangerous Charade

    • Bad Science

    • Involuntary Outpatient Commitment

    • Lesson Quiz

  • 7

    Right to Refuse Treatment

    • Lesson 6 Video

    • Mental Health Law 397-471

    • Mental Health Law 486-489

    • Judging Judgment

    • Lesson Quiz

  • 8

    Risk Assessment

    • Lesson 7 Video

    • Mental Health Law 238-255

    • Prosecution-Retained

    • Insane Fear

    • Far from the Turbulent Place

    • Lesson Quiz

  • 9

    Retention Hearings

    • Lesson 8 Video

    • Mental Health Law 213- 238

    • Mental Health Law 1087-1096

    • Risk-Needs Assessment

    • Rules for an Exceptional Class

    • Prevention

    • Lesson Quiz
  • 10

    Death Penalty

    • Lesson 9 Video

    • Mental Health Law 1019-1087

    • Dangerousness, Risk Assessment and Police Power

    • Lesson Quiz
  • 11

    Duty to Protect

    • Lesson 10 Video

    • Mental Health Law 723-744

    • Tarasoff at Thirty

    • Lesson Quiz
  • 12

    Course Evaluation

    • Evaluation

    • Submission Verification

Develop a Specialty Area of Practice

Transforming mental health professionals into experts

  • Expert Instructors

    Professional training developed and delivered by the field's leading experts

  • CE Credit

    Earn CE credit for meaningful professional training that will elevate your practice

  • Convenience & Flexibility

    Learn at your own pace, from wherever you might be!

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