ABSTRACT
This chapter will address practical aspects and issues presented by the various laws that one may encounter in any violence assessment. It will focus on United States law, but the concepts for certain sections apply internationally. The authors are not lawyers, so none of the information in this chapter should be interpreted as legal advice. Also, the law continues to evolve constantly and some of the information presented could be outdated in the weeks or months surrounding publication. Both of these considerations are sufficient reason to have competent legal counsel available for consultation. In some cases, especially the more serious ones, there may be a need for two types of legal counsel: one who specializes in criminal law and one who specializes in civil law.
