If you get one done as part of your defense strategy, you will have the option of ever presenting it to the judge. If it looks like it could hurt then you don't have to give it to them. If it looks like it would help then you can. Remember if submitted to the court it can also be used against them as the prosecution will then have access to it and can present their own questions and opinions about the evaluation.

It will also give you an idea of what the prosecution could find if they choose to do the same. It will also be able to be used to counteract anything that the Pre-sentencing investigator says about them too. I know that the Dr that evaluated my husband said completely different things than the PSI did. Which can have an influence on the judge if the Dr is compelling enough and the PSI can be made to appear more biased and wrong (which it is anyway on some levels).

If you are considering it a possible waste of money, I can tell you that it is not. It should do more good than harm in the majority of cases.

In my experience, I had a full assessment on my son and it was not cheap by far! I thought it would help my son, but as for as using it for court, no. As far as knowing that my son needs therapy and medication, yes. Our attorney said that if we stated that my son had mental problems, then the judge would not let us plea and we would have gone to trial and that would have been 20 years. We live in Louisiana (the Capital of the World for incarceration), so it may be different with where you live. You never know, it could work for you. Just be careful.

HB

It is expensive, but I feel it's an investment in my son's future. If he needs help we be able to get the help he needs. My husband and I are working extra hours to pay for it. The attorney said if it didn't help the defense he would not use it. The Dr. he referred us too has been a witness for the state in some high profile cases in my area. Our attorney has said looking at the evidence and speaking to our son and the Dr . He feel it is worth having the eval. done. I hope and pray we all doing all we can to help him.

We spent $2500 on an evaluation. At sentencing the judge looked at the results and said my son was NOT to take SO Treatment when released. ... but who knows what will really happen. I keep it in our files as proof of my son's innocence, hoping someday I can use it for something other than sentencing.

I think you said you moved to Philly, If he does need treatment, there is an excellent program in Philly

He doesn't need treatment. He accidentally downloaded cp that he never looked at.

Worried; what is the program in Philly?

Joseph J Peters Institute, They are non profit organization, They have a website with information. I understand your worry the legal system is so hard to understand, Our attorney tries to explain to us, but I still have to goggle everything. I hope your family is doing well. My son called last night and sounded a little better.

Thanks for the info, any bit could help somebody. Glad your son sounded better. We become thankful for the smallest things. It's not an easy process. Family support is more important than even I would have thought. I see so much during visits. Last night a little girl in a fairy costume looked up at an inmate and said "I love you Daddy"! I'm thinking that gave the inmate something to carry w/ him and help in times that might be mentally hard for him. I've become a bit of an armchair student of Mental Health since the Black Op's raid!

I have trying to learn as much as possible. They raided our hose, the door was busted, They made a mess, It's strange because at night I never uses to close the blinds in the living room or dining, now as soon as it gets darks . I close them , I really don't feel secure in my home anymore.

Yup, the Black Op's Raid. It might be worse, but I saw a daylight raid shortly after my families. A mysterious car and about all State Police curisers converged on a convience store for a young man, while he was working. Seeing as how this thread is about mental eval's ~ I'm thinking those of us who have been thru this are probably needing one?

If your son is currently involved in a criminal case and a psych eval is done it may help or may harm him, and if person conducting the eval writes a report it is required to be given to the prosecutor. Likewise, the report will also become apart of his file, which can be used later to ascertain if civil commitment is warranted in your son's case. Therefore, I would suggest you speak with your attorney and see if he can and will file a motion with the court to have the psych eval report sealed by the court so it cannot be used against your son later on in his life.

As to the question of whether they are useful, it is a lot like flipping a coin in the air. In my wards case, his mental status was used against him by the judge to sentence my ward to prison whereas the judge gave three other defendants (all in different cases but all involving sex crimes) probation because they did not have severe mental health disabilities.