conducting forensic evaluations for juvenile waiver
for forensic evaluators
FRIDAY February 7, 2025| 8:30 am - 4:30 pm pacific
live via zoom
cost $199 |7.0 CE Hours
This training is open to forensic evaluators and will focus specifically on the waiver evaluation process with an emphasis on the three prongs of the statute (sophistication-maturity, amenability to treatment, and risk for future offending). We will briefly review research on adolescent brain development, discuss ways to define sophistication-maturity and attempt to bridge the gap between the psychological and legal expectations regarding maturity and development. The evaluation process, recommended information to include, and challenges in completing waiver evaluations will be thoroughly reviewed, with case examples included to further illustrate the information.
Learning Objectives:
Identify key resources and scholarship regarding adolescent developmental maturity within a forensic context.
Articulate the conflict between the legal and psychological/developmental constructs of maturity.
Develop a working definition of maturity that bridges the gap between the legal and psychological fields.
Examine how factors such as trauma exposure, community safety, substance use, racial stress and trauma, and gang involvement may impact adolescent decision-making.
Discuss factors related to treatment responsivity and amenability.
Identify relevant sources of information to include in an evaluation.
Construct a meaningful assessment battery for waiver evaluations.
Understand and articulate the importance of contextual factors in assessing adolescent decision-making and problem-solving.
Elizabeth “Libby” Rapkoch, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist and Oregon Certified Forensic Evaluator with over 20 years of experience working with children and adolescents in clinical and forensic settings. Libby received her doctoral degree from Pacific University in 2007 where she focused her research and clinical training on the impacts of trauma on young people. She completed her postdoctoral residency at Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) in 2009 and returned to OYA as a contracted psychologist from 2012 to 2021, providing psychological evaluation, consultation, and training. Over the years, Libby has also provided clinical, forensic, supervision, and/or administrative services to various organizations and institutions, including Trillium Family Services, St. Mary’s Home for Boys, Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, and Reed College. Libby currently maintains a private practice focused on child and adolescent mental health, and juvenile forensic issues. Her forensic work includes juvenile waiver, fitness to proceed, mitigation, psychosexual risk, and violence risk assessments. She also provides expert witness, consultation, and training on topics related to juvenile forensic and mental health concerns.