The heightened national discourse regarding race and racism in the legal system underscores a founding principle of Lorio Forensics: cultural and structural issues matter in a forensic mental health consultation. Every one of our clinician consultants has professional expertise in this area, and this is no coincidence. It is an absolute requirement.
On a routine basis, our consultants provide services in settings that serve high proportions of racial minorities. This experience provides them with a wealth of knowledge that informs their forensic mental health consultations. Additionally, their expertise has led to them presenting and commenting on the interplay between race and mental health in national forums. Just last week, our Principal Consultant Dr. Sarah Y. Vinson was featured in a Wall Street Journal article about racism and mental health and was the speaker for an Additude Magazine webinar regarding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in black children.
As you vet potential experts for your next case, it is important to consider whether they have expertise in the pertinent cultural and structural aspects of it. The unfortunate reality is that the vast majority of professional mental health education and training programs are woefully inadequate in addressing the impact of racism and societal issues on mental health symptoms, assessment, and diagnosis. Thus, it is entirely possible that a highly credentialed mental health professional can have a critical knowledge gap as it pertains to these factors. To help mitigate such instances, there are a few initial questions that legal teams can ask.
- Does the expert have relevant, current patient care experience with socioeconomically and racially diverse patient populations?
- Are forensic contexts the only settings where they evaluate people who have encountered structural issues such as poverty or failing school systems?
- What proportion of their patients is Black or Latinx? How do they approach these topics with their patients?
- Do they have a history of scholarly activity that demonstrates interest or expertise in these areas? Examples may include (but are not limited to) directing courses, teaching, invited lectures, publications, and service on relevant advisory boards or committees.
According to a 2020 study conducted by The National Judicial College, the majority of judges in the United States believe racism is systemic in our judicial system. The problem is clear and multi-faceted, and now it’s time to take concrete steps to remedy it. Making sure that your forensic mental health experts have expertise in cultural and structural aspects of cases is one part of addressing rather than perpetuating the system’s inequities.
