Comprehensive
and trusted
psychological
services for the
court
Criminal Court Services
Compass has a strong track record in the Criminal Court and this has covered Plea, Trial and Sentencing Hearings. We can offer you assessments for adults and adolescents at all stages of the legal process.
Compass have produced numerous reports for the Criminal Court and these have sometimes lead to cross-examination of this evidence in Court. The types of cases have involved varied offences including Fraud, Sexual Offences, Violence and Murder.
Typical instructing questions have included:
Fitness to plead and stand trial
Intellectual and memory functioning of defendants
Suggestibility and reliability of evidence
Personality and psychological factors underpinning risk and offending
Defendant vulnerability
Treatment and management issues for defendants and prisoners
Assessment of risk of violence, sexual violence and domestic abuse
Assessment Process
Assessments will include reading and analysis of relevant background documents, a clinical interview with the client as well as administration of relevant and appropriate psychometric measures.
The report will usually include a psychological formulation, and this can often be a helpful adjunct to the expert opinion. A psychological formulation offers a proposed explanatory framework in which the development and maintenance of an individual’s difficulties can be understood.
Appointments with clients for criminal proceedings typically take place in their solicitors’ offices or in custodial settings when necessary.
Adult Assessment
Assessing a wide range of presenting difficulties for adults is a core aspect of the services offered by Compass. Assessments draw upon the engagement skills of the Psychologist, along with the psychological research evidence and technical procedures employed (such as psychometric measures).
All assessments will be undertaken with the primary aim of producing an accurate formulation, setting the scene for a comprehensive response to instructing questions. If instructed specifically to do so, assessments will also lead to us recommending meaningful and realistic strategies and interventions for managing identified psychological vulnerabilities.
Child Assessment
The foundations of positive emotional health are laid within the early stages of life, particularly in attachment relationships, and Compass are committed to providing quality assessments to support young people towards a healthy trajectory into future life. Children and adolescents using Compass can expect to be treated with respect and at a level that suits their developmental stage and understanding.
