Forensic Services

Forensic Psychiatric and Psychological Services at West Virginia University is a division of the Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry.  It was originally established in 1998 as the Forensic Psychiatry Division, to address clinical, legal, educational, academic and public policy concerns involving law and mental health issues.  This later expanded to include Forensic Psychiatrists and Forensic Psychologists.  The Division has implemented a broad scope of services and programs to serve the University, as well as the local and state community.

Professional services are available to attorneys, judges, government organizations, law enforcement, business corporations and others. The Division offers experienced and unbiased professional opinions about a wide array of legal questions, which includes but is not limited to competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, parental fitness/capacity, personal injury, workers’ compensation, medical malpractice, fitness for duty, financial capacity, and testamentary capacity. Evaluators are available for testimony and depositions. Prompt completion of evaluations is a priority. 

A subsection of the Forensic Psychiatric and Services Division was accredited in 1999 by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to provide advanced training in its field, by way of the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship program. It is the only Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship program in West Virginia.

The Division acts as a resource to state and administrative organizations in the creation of public policy or statutes where the disciplines of law and mental illness interface. Contributions have been made in the areas of sex offender evaluations, criminal responsibility and civil commitment laws.