Forensic Psychology Consulting & Education Services

My Services

I have been providing consultation in forensic psychology for close to fifty years in a wide variety of areas where there is a significant interface of psychology and the law. In criminal cases, I frequently consult on Competency to Stand Trial, Criminal Responsibility and mitigation in capital sentencing.

In civil areas, I have provided consultation on issues regarding psychological impairment in tort cases involving personal injury. I also consult frequently on cases involving professional liability and malpractice in psychology, as well as in Administrative Hearings in front of Psychology Licensing Boards.

Criminal Court Evaluations

Dr. Shapiro has performed well over 5,000 evaluations in court cases involving competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, and the use of mental health issues in determining sentencing ( sometimes called mitigation, downward departure, or diminished capacity). The methodology he developed early in his career of integrating multiple data sources has been used as a model for forensic evaluations for…

Evaluations in Civil Court proceedings

In Civil proceedings, the primary issue is proximate cause: did the accident or injury directly cause or exacerbate certain symptoms presented by the person who has filed suit. This involves not only the use of extensive psychological testing but a meticulous and painstaking reconstruction of the plaintiff ’s activities in their daily functioning, as determined by careful interviews with people…

Comprehensive Evaluations in Capital Sentencing Procedures

In capital sentencing cases, a judge or jury is asked to weigh “aggravating” against “mitigating” factors in determining whether a defendant who has been convicted of a capital crime should be sentenced to death or to life imprisonment. The United States Supreme Court has ruled that mitigating factors are essentially open-ended, that the defendant can present any history, background, or…

Teaching

Dr. Shapiro was a Professor of psychology at the College of Psychology of Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he has taught courses in Ethics and Legal Issues, Psychological Assessment, criminal law and forensic assessment, as well as a course that reviews and analyzes a variety of Supreme Court cases dealing with mental health and the law. Prior…

Malpractice and other Standard of Care Issues

Dr. Shapiro can assist you with a determination of the standard of care in situations involving alleged professional negligence; in doing so, Dr. Shapiro will draw upon his thirty years of experience serving and consulting to ethics committees and licensing boards.

Continuing Education

Dr. Shapiro regularly appears at continuing education programs and communicates the most recent and relevant forensic issues in civil, criminal, and administrative law and the interface with the mental health disciplines in an engaging and stimulating manner.