ABSTRACT
The United States of America (USA) is an important country for consideration in evaluating forensic evaluations for sentencing from an international perspective. This is because the USA has the largest adult criminal and juvenile justice populations per capita in the world. This chapter reviews the history and status of forensic evaluations for informing criminal sentencing and other related dispositions in the USA. It focuses specifically on adult criminal sentencing, both non-capital and capital; and dispositions for juveniles who are adjudicated delinquent. For forensic evaluation information about dangerousness, rehabilitation potential, and other case management issues, such as emotional distress and other mental health problems, variously inform aspects of the typical sentencing and disposition rationales in the USA- namely, retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. In many ways, forensic evaluations and dangerousness determinations are regarded as so firmly rooted in the legal system that they are beyond reproach.
