Christopher M. King

Montclair State University · Department of Psychology

Project Choices ( PC), a newly developed videogame for correctional intervention, consists of realistic decision-making scenarios and cognitive behavioral skills feedback. A pilot study investigated PC engagement and immersion by employing a cross-over design with a sample of 24 men on probation remanded to residential treatment. The study also exa...

Areh et al. (Psychiatry, Psychology and Law 29:183–205, 2022) recently commented on what standards should be applied to determine whether a test is appropriate for psycholegal use and concluded that the Rorschach does not meet their proposed standards. Accordingly, they concluded that psychologists should not use it in legal contexts. However, Areh...

The field of psychology–law is extremely broad, encompassing a strikingly large range of topic areas in both applied psychology and experimental psychology. Despite the continued and rapid growth of the field, there is no current and comprehensive resource that provides coverage of the major topic areas in the psychology–law field. The Oxford Handb...

The special issue editors selected us to form an "adversarial collaboration" because our publications and teaching encompass both supportive and critical attitudes toward the Rorschach and its recently developed system for use, the Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS). We reviewed the research literature and case law to determine if the...

Objective: We conducted a systematic literature review of e-mental health technologies in juvenile justice contexts. Hypotheses: Our exploratory research questions were as follows: First, what types of e-mental health exist for justice-involved youth, their caregivers, and juvenile justice professionals? Second, what are the characteristics of s...

The purpose of this secondary analysis of an archival sample of 100 Canadian men remanded for evaluations of fitness to stand trial was to investigate the relationships among fitness, competence to make treatment decisions, and psychosis. As hypothesized, competence to make treatment decisions was more often impaired in those with impaired fitness....

This pre–post follow-up randomized trial investigated the receptiveness and responsiveness of 82 incarcerated men undergoing reentry to feedback (discussion-based, form-based, or none–minimal) regarding their criminogenic risk–needs assessment results. Both short-term outcomes (self-perceived risk–needs, motivation for change, treatment readiness,...

Military veterans make up 8% of the total incarcerated population in the US, and many more veterans are involved in some stage of the criminal justice system. This chapter provides an overview of the extant literature on criminal justice involvement among veterans, with a focus on key differences between justice-involved veterans and their civilian...

Treatment models and approaches for juvenile offenders consist of a variety of theories and applications that aim to reduce juvenile delinquency. Within the general subject of criminal psychology, this topic concerns policies and services to both promote prosocial youthful development (e.g., regular school attendance, participation in structured ac...

Adolescence is a tumultuous time of profound development across neurocognitive, social, biological, self/identity, and moral domains. Some degree of rule breaking, conflict with authority (e.g., parental, school), and antisocial behavior (e.g., curfew violations) is considered normative during adolescence. However, for adolescents with juvenile jus...

Purpose of Review Prior research and assessment of aggression in schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions has focused on one or two levels of measurement (third-party observation and self-report) identified by the NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC), while frequently neglecting a third (laboratory behavioral paradigms). We review aggression in...

A psycholegal research agenda on guilty pleas is in its nascent stage. Multijurisdictional surveys of related law and policy may advance this research agenda by focusing investigators on the specifics of existing policies and motivating cross‐jurisdictional comparisons of diverse policies. We thus conducted a systematic, national survey of statutes...

The most recent legislative attempts to curb violence in schools have been school-based dating violence prevention laws. In the previous decade, there was an increase in legislation designed to prevent bullying in schools; these laws now exist in 50 states. However, most anti-bullying laws provide an expansive definition of bullying that includes a...

It remains unclear whether forensic mental health assessments for juvenile reverse transfer (to juvenile court) are distinct from those for juvenile transfer (to adult court). This survey consisted of an updated review of transfer and reverse transfer laws (in jurisdictions that have both mechanisms) in light of the generally accepted three-factor...

Mobile computing technology presents various possibilities and challenges for psychological assessment. Within forensic and correctional psychology, assessment of justice-involved persons facilitated by such technology has not been empirically examined. Accordingly, this randomized controlled experiment involved administering questionnaires about r...

Focusing on juvenile transfer and disposition evaluations, this volume provides an up-to-date integration of current law, science, and practice with respect to juvenile risk assessment, treatment needs/amenability, and sophistication-maturity. Included are perspectives relating to international practices, the use of specialized assessment tools, an...

This chapter reviews and critically analyzes the evidence for interventions for justice-involved individuals. The focus in particular is on interventions that reduce the risk of subsequent criminal offending. However, given the high prevalence of behavioral health disorders in this population, we also address the debate about whether such intervent...

Professional psychology involves comprehensive training incorporating coursework, clinical experience, research, teaching, and professional development. One critical but often overlooked part of professional development is leadership experience. Developing leadership skills is likely to enhance psychology students' training and professional compete...

Recent years have seen the incorporation of telepsychology into poorly accessed, rural, and underserved settings, including criminal justice and substance abuse treatment. A systematic search of the literature on telepsychological and related services with justice-involved and substance abuse clients revealed numerous descriptive reports, but few e...

The use of psychological and psychiatric evaluations for the courts has grown considerably in the last three decades. For the purposes of this article, we will refer to such an evaluation as a forensic mental-health assessment (FMHA). There are two important components to the definition of FMHA. First, such activity involves evaluations conducted i...

Forensic mental health professionals are likely to become increasingly involved in immigration court proceedings in coming years; however, little published work has discussed the significance of recent developments for forensic mental health assessment. Removal (i.e., deportation and exclusion) proceedings are complex and highly consequential heari...

Paraphilia diagnoses applied in forensic settings are an ongoing subject of debate among psycholegal professionals and scholars. Disagreements pertain to both means-related issues having to do with issues of diagnostic reliability and validity, and ends-related issues regarding the consequences inherent to the legal contexts in which the diagnoses...

Little research has examined offenders’ understanding of the factors that increase their likelihood of future criminal activity. Although social-psychological research has described many ways in which individuals have overly positive views of themselves and their performance, a more limited body of literature has demonstrated that offenders exhibit...

Community-based alternatives to conviction and imprisonment for adult offenders with severe mental illness are receiving increasing attention from researchers and policy makers. After discussing the justifications that have been offered in support of community-based alternatives, this article reviews the current empirical evidence relevant to such...

With three variations of the International Megan's Law proposal having been proposed in Congress in 2008, 2009, and 2010, discussions of sex-offender-specific laws and policy at the foreign and international levels are greatly needed. Here, I attempt to contribute to that need. I first review federal sex offender laws in the United States. I then c...