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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Compass has extensive experience supporting Criminal Court proceedings at plea, trial and sentencing stages. Instructions commonly arise at different points in the legal process, depending on the issues before the Court. This includes matters relating to a defendant’s psychological functioning, vulnerability, or risk, as well as cases where expert psychological opinion may assist the Court in reaching informed decisions.
Compass works across a wide range of criminal matters, including sexual offences, violent offences and homicide cases. Our experience reflects the diversity and complexity of cases heard in the criminal Courts, and our work is tailored to the specific legal questions arising within each case rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach.
In Criminal Court work, instructing questions often focus on issues such as fitness to plead and stand trial, intellectual or memory functioning, suggestibility and reliability of evidence, and defendant vulnerability. Courts may also require expert opinion on personality factors linked to offending, risk of violence or sexual harm, recidivism, and treatment or management needs within custodial or community settings. Psychological formulations of offending behaviour can also be requested so that the Court can take into account mitigating and wider contextual factors underpinning crimes.
Compass has produced numerous reports for the Criminal Courts that have been relied upon as expert psychological evidence, including cases where that evidence has been tested through cross-examination. Reports are prepared with the expectations of the Court in mind, ensuring clarity, defensibility, and adherence to professional and legal standards. And experts are trained and supported to deal with oral examinations.
Compass provides Criminal Court services for both adults and adolescents, where psychological input may assist the Court at any stage of proceedings. This includes consideration of developmental factors, cognitive functioning, vulnerability, and risk, ensuring that opinions are appropriately framed for the individual and the legal context in which they are being considered.
