20 Hours / 20 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Mental Illness, Dangerousness, the Police Power, and Risk Assessment is presented by Michael L. Perlin, JD, and Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD, in partnership with Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates (MDLPA). 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 Mental Disability Law Certificate and share your new digital credentials with prospective employers and colleagues.

This program deals with the relationship between mental illness, dangerous behavior, and 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 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 training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe the relationship between mental illness, dangerous behavior and the police power
  • 2 Describe the perceived and actual relationship between mental disorder and violence
  • 3 Describe how violence is assessed clinically and actuarially (structured and unstructured)
  • 4 Describe the significance of the Police Power in the commitment process
  • 5 Describe the ability of mental health professionals to predict dangerousness
  • 6 Describe the significance of the Parens Patriae power in the commitment process
  • 7 Describe the significance of risk assessment instruments for decision making in the legal system
  • 8 Describe extent to which the public misapprehends the relationship between mental illness and dangerousness
  • 9 Describe the significance of the MacArthur Network research
  • 10 Describe the relationship between basic involuntary civil commitment principles and risk assessment
  • 11 Describe the significance of defining “mental illness” for the purposes of civil commitment statutes
  • 12 Describe the strengths and limitations of various assessment approaches and techniques employed by mental health professionals to assess for violence risk
  • 13 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
  • 14 Describe the significance of risk assessment instruments for a variety of decisions to be made in the legal system

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for clinicians and forensic mental health professionals who want to develop expertise in assessing the relationship between mental illness, dangerous behavior, and legal decision-making. It is ideal for those specializing in forensic psychology, clinical psychology, psychiatry, or legal-psychology consultation, as well as professionals who provide expert evaluation and testimony in criminal cases involving mental illness or disability. Participants will gain practical skills relevant to collaborating effectively with legal and criminal justice professionals.

    • Forensic Psychologist
    • Clinical Psychologist
    • Psychiatrist
    • Legal-Psychology Consultant
    • Mental Health Professional
    • Professional providing expert evaluation and testimony in criminal cases involving mental illness or disability
    • Criminal Justice Professional
    • Criminologist
    • Public Defender
    • Assistant District Attorney
    • Legal Professional involved in mental health-related cases
    • Staff of mental health courts, problem-solving courts, and forensic hospitals
    • Community program staff working with justice-involved individuals with mental health needs

  • Experience Level

    This training is appropriate for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at all experience levels who seek to deepen their understanding of the intersection between mental illness, dangerous behavior, and legal decision-making.

    Beginner:
    Participants with limited or no prior experience in forensic mental health or legal settings; seeking foundational knowledge of civil commitment, risk assessment, and the role of police power.

    Intermediate:
    Participants with some experience in clinical or forensic settings; familiar with basic risk assessment concepts and legal processes, seeking to expand their skills in applying assessment tools and understanding legal standards.

    Advanced:
    Participants with substantial experience in forensic mental health, expert evaluation, or testimony; seeking to refine their expertise in complex legal cases, advanced risk assessment techniques, and the application of research findings such as the MacArthur Network studies.

  • Practice Setting

    Practice settings for this training include environments where mental health and legal systems intersect, focusing on the assessment and management of individuals with mental illness who may pose a risk of dangerous behavior. Professionals work in settings that require collaboration between clinicians, legal professionals, and criminal justice staff to inform legal decisions such as civil commitment, competency, criminal responsibility, and risk management. These environments often involve high-stakes evaluations, expert testimony, and the application of risk assessment tools to guide court or administrative decisions.

    • Forensic psychiatric hospitals and secure treatment facilities
    • State or county mental health courts and problem-solving courts
    • Correctional institutions and jails with mental health units
    • Outpatient forensic mental health clinics
    • Community-based programs serving justice-involved individuals with mental health needs
    • Law offices or public defender agencies handling mental health-related cases
    • District attorney’s offices involved in criminal cases with mental health components
    • Courtrooms where expert testimony on mental illness and risk is provided
    • Academic or research settings focused on forensic mental health and legal policy
    • Consultation roles for police departments or probation/parole agencies
    • Sex offender evaluation and management programs
    • Civil courts handling involuntary commitment, right to refuse treatment, or duty to protect cases

Presented By

Michael L. Perlin, JD, Professor of Law Emeritus at New York Law School (NYLS)

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.

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Michael L. Perlin, JD

Presented By

Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD, Prof. Distinguished Adj., NYLS; Owner, MDLPA; Prof. Adj., Emory University School of Law; Bd. Dir. Collier School

Heather Ellis Cucolo is Distinguished Adjunct professor of law and the facilitator of the joint JD/MA program with John Jay College of Criminal Justice, at New York Law School (NYLS). She is also an adjunct professor in the JM Program at Emory University School of Law, and a Fellowship faculty member at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In addition to those roles, Professor Cucolo is co-owner of Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates, a legal education and professional training company, and was elected to the board of trustees for the International Society of Therapeutic Jurisprudence, a non-profit organization. Formerly, in her full-time legal practice, Professor Cucolo dedicated her career to representing individuals at trial facing civil commitment under both the New Jersey Mental Hygiene Law and New Jersey’s Sexually Violent Predators Act. She authored and argued appeals before the New Jersey Appellate Division with over 27 reported decisions. She has published four textbooks and over 21 law review articles with mentions in an Eastern District of New York court decision and an Iowa appellate decision. She was honored to receive the Otto L. Walter Distinguished Writing Award for two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019. Professor Cucolo’s international work has included: expert testimony on extradition from the United Kingdom to the United States for persons convicted of a sex offense; pro bono advocacy for LawAid International; speaking at the United Nations on the rights of persons with disabilities in the Asia-Pacific region; and the creation of an instructional course on disability legislation for attorneys in Japan.

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Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Relationship between mental illness, dangerous behavior, and the police power

  • Violence
    -Perceived and actual
    -Public misapprehensions

  • Ability of mental health professionals to predict dangerousness

  • Significance of risk assessment instruments for a variety of decisions to be made in the legal system

  • MacArthur Network research

  • Parens Patriae

  • Commitment process
    -Civil commitment
    -Assessment approaches

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.
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We are proud to partner with

Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates (MDLPA)

Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates (MDLPA)

We are proud to partner with Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates, LLC for this training. MDLPA is a boutique educational training company that offers specialized mental disability law consulting, the creation or enhancement of distance learning programs, in-house or online courses, and day or weekend training seminars to reputable organizations, educational institutions, professional groups, and advocacy groups focused on providing advanced knowledge and skills to persons working with marginalized populations.

Learn More About Our Partner

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.