Expert Mitigating Factors Psychological Evaluations
in Chicago, Atlanta, and Fort Lauderdale
Dr. Steven Gaskell at Psycholegal Assessments, Inc. offers expert mitigating factors psychological evaluations prior to a defendant entering a plea or prior to sentencing.
👉 Contact Us Today. Call us at 630-903-9193 or contact us by email at drgaskell@gmail.com for a Free Consultation and more information about any of our Forensic Psychological Evaluations. Evaluations can be completed in Illinois, Georgia, Florida, and Arizona.
Dr. Steven Gaskell | Mitigating Factors Psychological Evaluations
Even in situations where the defendant’s mental disorder does not meet the criteria for a not guilty by reason of insanity defense, the defendant’s state of mind at the time, as well as relevant past history of mental disorder and psychological abuse can be used to attempt a mitigation of sentence. Dr. Steven Gaskell’s psychological evaluation and report is an important element in presenting evidence for sentence mitigation. A mitigating factors psychological evaluation can be quite helpful in plea negotiation and assists the defense attorney and the court to be able to understand factors that affected the defendant’s judgment, perception, or intent in committing the offense. The evaluation will often include some form of a risk assessment and may have treatment recommendations of how treatment and what type of treatment may reduce the likelihood of recidivism.
In Mitigating Factors at Sentencing cases, a defense attorney will ask for an assessment of his or her client's personal history and determine whether or not congenital, intellectual, educational, socioeconomic, or developmental injuries or deprivations have predisposed the defendant to commit a crime or could reduce their culpability. These findings may then be offered to the court in an effort to reduce the severity of the sentence imposed on the defendant. "Mitigating factors" refer to information about a defendant or the circumstances of a crime that might tend to lessen the sentence or the crime with which the person is charged. "Aggravating factors", refer to information about the defendant of the crime that may make the crime worse than similar crimes. Although such evaluations are typically conducted at the request of the defense, prosecutors may also obtain their own evaluator in order to gain an independent assessment or to challenge the findings of the defense expert.
- Review of official records related to the specific offense (e.g., police records, witness statements)
- Review of background records and history (e.g., academic records, psychiatric/ psychological treatment records)
- Relevant background information
- Clinical interview of defendant
- Collateral interviews, as necessary
- Psychological testing
- Psychological evaluation of malingering
- Assessment of defendant's state of mind close in time, leading up to, and during the offense based on interview with defendant and collateral information
- Diagnostic impressions
- Future risk assessment
- Summary of relevant mitigating and/or aggravating factors
- Recommendations
Relevant Landmark Cases
In Hamblin v. Mitchell, 335 F.3d 482 (6th Cir. 2003), the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision of a lower court because counsel did not thoroughly investigate the defendant's mental history in preparation for the sentencing phase of the trial. Specifically, the court stated that such investigation should include members of the defendant's immediate and extended family, medical history, and family and social history (including physical and mental abuse, domestic violence, exposure to traumatic events and criminal violence). This issue was further addressed in Wiggins v. Smith and in Bigby v. Dretke.
Flexible Mitigating Factors Psychological Evaluation Options
We offer mitigating factors psychological evaluations both in-person, as well as via secure online videoconferencing. We offer in-person Mitigating Factors Psychological Evaluation services in or offices in:
Chicago, Illinois: Serving the greater Chicago area and throughout Illinois.
Atlanta, Georgia: Providing services across the Atlanta region and the state of Georgia.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Covering Fort Lauderdale, surrounding areas, as well as the state of Florida.
In addition, Dr. Steven Gaskell is a holder of the PSYPACT Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (APIT) which allows him to provide psychosexual evaluations remotely online by telehealth across 39 States.
Schedule a Mitigating Factors Psychological Evaluation
If you or your client requires a Mitigating Factors Psychological evaluation for legal proceedings, treatment planning, or other purposes, contact Psycholegal Assessments, Inc. to schedule an appointment with forensic psychologist Dr. Steven Gaskell. Call us at 630-903-9193, 404-504-7039 or 954-332-3513. Alternatively, you can email us at drgaskell@gmail.com.
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Areas of Expertise
