1 Hour / 1 CE

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Suggestibility in the Criminal Justice System: An Advanced Overview with Implications for Criminal Justice, Forensic Mental Health, and Legal Professionals is presented by Jerrod Brown, PhD.

Suggestibility occurs when a person adopts inaccurate yet plausible information as accurate. Although the causes of suggestibility are many and varied, cognitive impairments (e.g., executive function and memory), social deficits (e.g., communication skills and self-esteem), and traumatic life experiences may contribute to the phenomenon. The potential for suggestibility is particularly dangerous in legal settings. Here, self-reported information strongly influences an individual’s capacity to participate in legal processes (e.g., legal decision-making and standing trial). This is troubling because this information is used to charge and convict, perhaps resulting in false confessions and wrongful convictions. To protect against this possibility, this training is intended to increase awareness of suggestibility among criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal professionals. Topics addressed include defining suggestibility, reviewing situational and environmental features that elicit suggestibility, and identifying approaches to minimize suggestibility.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe the forensic and legal implications of suggestibility
  • 2
    Describe screening and assessment options for identifying individuals who may be prone to suggestibility
  • 3 Describe questioning techniques that minimize the likelihood of suggestibility

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for mental health and legal professionals seeking to understand how suggestibility can affect a defendant’s competence and participation in legal processes. The program explores the impact of suggestibility on competence-related abilities and is relevant for those working in forensic, clinical, criminal justice, health care, social service, and educational settings. The content is suitable for professionals at all experience levels, from beginner to advanced.

  • Experience Level

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

  • Practice Setting

    • Mental health professionals (e.g., forensic psychologists, clinical psychologists, counselors)

    • Legal professionals (e.g., attorneys, legal consultants, court personnel)

    • Professionals working in:
        • - Forensic clinics
        -Courts and legal settings
        -Correctional facilities
        -Law enforcement agencies
        -Health care organizations
        -Social service agencies
        -Educational institutions

Presented By

Jerrod Brown, PhD

Jerrod Brown, PhD, is the Treatment Director for Pathways Counseling Center, Inc., the lead developer of an online Master of Arts degree in Human Services with an emphasis in Forensic Behavioral Health from Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota, the founder and CEO of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS), and the Editor-in-Chief of Forensic Scholars Today (FST) and the Journal of Special Populations (JSP).

View More Programs from this Presenter
Jerrod Brown, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Define suggestibility

  • Review features that elicit suggestibility

  • Identify approaches

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.