ABSTRACT
Almost three million reports of child maltreatment were made in 1999 in the United States (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001), and the importance of collaboration between the legal and mental health systems to address the issue of child maltreatment is widely appreciated. Psychologists, mental health counselors, and social workers, both in and out of the court system, are asked to make assessments, evaluations, and recommendations to assist the court in critical decision making. Forensic evaluations may be conducted for competency to stand trial, civil commitment, criminal responsibility, probation, parole, and juvenile delinquency issues.
