Forensic Psychology in Military Courts

Forensic Psychology in Military Courts provides a comprehensive review of the many valuable roles that psychologists can play in courts-martial and how they can collaborate with military attorneys to make effective trial teams.

Even though psychologists are becoming increasingly important in military trials, many are unfamiliar with the unique nature of this system. Likewise, lawyers often do not know how to effectively utilize psychologists' expertise. This volume offers much-needed guidance for civilian psychologists and military counsel alike.

The contributors are forensic psychologists and military legal personnel — including defense attorneys, prosecutors, and judges — who offer expert tips and strategies for navigating the court-martial process. They introduce psychologists to the rules, procedures, and people involved in military trials. They also explore psychologists' many potential responsibilities, such as trial and litigation consulting, assisting with panel selection, conducting pretrial witness interviews, educating legal counsel about psychological science, administering psychological evaluations, and testifying as expert witnesses.

Chapters also address ethical and legal issues related to potential role conflicts and protecting therapist–client privilege.

Contributors

Introduction: Why Forensic Psychology in Military Courts?
Christopher T. Stein and Jeffrey N. Younggren

I. Overview of the Military Justice System

1. The Forensic Psychologist in the Military Justice System: Background, Structure, and Process
   Kathleen Coyne
2. Military Trials: Procedures, Parties, and Terminology
   Marcus N. Fulton
3. Military Rules: Expert Qualifications, Admissibility of Expert Testimony, and Competency Hearings
   Joshua Kastenberg
4. Navigating the Mental Health Records Maze in Pretrial Litigation
   Robert D. Merrill

II. Psychologists' Roles in Courts-Martial

5. Addressing Potential Role Conflicts in Military Courts-Martial
   Michael C. Gottlieb and Jeffrey N. Younggren
6. The Varied Roles of the Psychologist in Military Proceedings
   Mary Connell
7. The Psychologist as Trial Consultant
   Deborah Davis and Daniel Reisberg
8. The Psychologist as Courtroom Educator
   Daniel Reisberg and Deborah Davis
9. Psychological Evaluation and Testing in the Court-Martial Context
   Karen Franklin

III. Psychologists and Legal Counsel as Partners

10. The Team Concept in Military Courts
    Andrew R. Norton
11. Psychologist–Prosecutor Collaboration: A Prosecutor's Perspective
    Brian M. Thompson
12. An Integrated Approach to Defending Those With Mental Health Conditions
    Eric Carpenter

Index

About the Editors

Christopher T. Stein, JD, is an active duty U.S. Air Force officer. Currently the staff judge advocate (general counsel) for a Fighter Wing in the Republic of Korea, he is one of the Air Force's most experienced trial lawyers, having prosecuted and defended complex cases around the world.

Mr. Stein graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a bachelor of arts in psychology, before completing his juris doctor (JD) at the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Most recently, he received his master of laws (LLM) as an Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army's Judge Advocate General's School at the University of Virginia.

In addition to numerous military awards and decorations, including the Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, and Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Mr. Stein was recognized as the American Bar Association's Outstanding Young Military Lawyer.

Jeffrey N. Younggren, PhD, ABPP, is a forensic psychologist and clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of New Mexico. Prior to that appointment, Dr. Younggren was on the faculty of the University of Missouri and the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine.

Dr. Younggren received his bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees in psychology from the University of Arizona and his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Arizona. Since graduation, he has published extensively in the areas of ethics and law and served for 19 years as a risk management consultant for the Trust. Recently, he was awarded the Alumnus of the Year in the College of Sciences at the University of Arizona.

In addition, Dr. Younggren is a retired colonel in the U.S. Army, where he served as the clinical psychology consultant for the Army Reserves for the Surgeon General of the Army.

Dr. Younggren's military awards include the Legion of Merit and the Meritorious Services Medal. Recently, he was inducted into the inaugural class of the U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Hall of Fame.

Even if you know a lot about criminal justice, you may not know much about the military justice system. You will after reading this splendid volume. Stein and Younggren have gathered some terrific writers with "in the trenches" experience to help two important groups: psychologists who want to be involved in military courts, and military attorneys who could benefit greatly from the help of psychologists. I know of no other volume that does this so well.
—Elizabeth F. Loftus, PhD
Distinguished Professor, University of California, Irvine