Sponsored with the Juvenile Justice Center and the Committee for Public Counsel Services

Date: Friday, October 20, 2000

Location: Suffolk University Law School, 120 Tremont St., Boston, MA
Time: 09:00 AM - 05:00 PM

The ability of forensic psychiatrists and psychologists to accurately assess whether any particular individual is likely to act violently towards himself or herself has been the subject of long-standing, often heated debate – not only within the legal profession, but also within and between the clinical disciplines. Despite the controversy, forensic clinicians are routinely called upon to offer their opinions as to “dangerousness” before courts of the commonwealth in a wide range of cases – civil commitments, 209A proceedings, pre-trial dangerousness hearings, CHINS and youthful offender proceedings, etc., etc. And, more often than not, their opinions are dispositive!

Predicting Violent Behavior brings together leading forensic clinicians, jurists and attorneys to discuss the “state-of-the-art” in the clinical assessment of violence and demonstrate its proper use in court. “Reality” programming being the current vogue, an actual client will be evaluated by an experienced forensic psychiatrist. The doctor’s opinion will be the subject of a Daubert/Lanigan admissibility-hearing and then, if held to be admissible, will be proffered and subjected to cross-examination.

Prudence Baxter, Ph.D. is Director of the Cambridge Court Clinic, Senior Forensic Psychiatrist for the Forensic Division of the Mass. Dept. of Mental Health, and Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She has been NE Regional Consultant to the US Secret Service for the past 10 years, and also maintains a private practice in forensic psychiatry. She is a graduate of Harvard and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

Lester Blumberg is Deputy General Counsel to the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. He received his JD from Northeastern University School of Law in 1984 and a Masters in Child Development from Tufts University in 1980. Prior to working for the DMH in 1992, he was in private practice. He is a lecturer at Tufts University where he teaches courses in Child Advocacy and Education Rights.

Gary G. Dube is the Director of Clinical Practice for Justice Resource Institute, a non-profit human service provider. He is also Program Director for JRI’s Juvenile Court Clinic Program in Barnstable, Bristol and Plymouth Counties. As a Designated Forensic Psychologist (DFP) and DFP Supervisor, Dr. Dube has conducted violence risk assessments in correctional, psychiatric and court clinic settings over the past twenty years and has conducted evaluations of “sexual dangerousness” under MGL Ch. 123A as a Qualified Examiner. He has also provided violence risk assessment training for DFP candidates and other professionals over the past decade. Dr. Dube is a graduate of Nova University (Ph.D. Clinical Psychology) and of the McLean Hospital Law and Psychiatry Institute’s internship program.

Stan Goldman is the Director of Mental Health Litigation for the Committee for Public Counsel Services. He is the former Executive Director of the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee of the S.J.C., and has served as the Director of Litigation and Assistant General Counsel of the Mass. Department of Mental Health and as Assistant Legislative Counsel to former Governor Michael Dukakis. He is the author of many articles and manuals and a frequent speaker at conferences. He also serves on the Human Rights Advisory Committees of the Mass. Departments of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, the Advisory Board of the Mass. Protection and Advocacy Project, and the Mental Health and Retardation Committee of the Massachusetts District Courts.

Honorable Robert J. Kane was appointed Associate Justice of the Edgartown District Court in 1985. From 1990-92, he sat on the appellate division for the Southern District. Prior to joining the bench, he served in the Bristol District Attorney’s Office from 1979-85, as First Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Revenue from 1978-79, as Executive Director of the Governor’s Committee on Criminal Justice from 1975-78, and as a trial attorney for the Massachusetts Defenders Committee from 1973-75. His recent publication is “A Sentencing Model for the Twenty First Century”, Federal Probation, September 1995. From 1990-99, he taught Evidence, Trial Practice and Massachusetts Criminal Practice at Southern New England School of Law. He received his JD from Boston College Law School.

Honorable Daniel F. Toomey has been a member of the Superior Court since 1992. He served on the District Court from 1988-92. Prior to joining the Bench, he worked in the District Attorney’s Office for the Middle District from 1976-88, was the Chief Appeals Attorney for the Massachusetts Defenders Committee from 1973-76, U.S. Army (JAG) from 1969-72 and in the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General from 1968-69. He is currently the President of the Mass. Judges Conference and the Chair of the Supreme Judicial Court’s Standing Advisory Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedure. He was an Instructor, Criminal and Constitutional Law and Procedure at Clark University. He is a graduate of Boston U. School of Law.

Robert H. Weber graduated from Northeastern University Law School in 1974. He is the former General Counsel to the Massachusetts Office for Children. He has litigated many complex adoption cases. Mr. Weber is also the former Executive Director of the Mental Health Legal Advisor’s Committee of the Supreme Judicial Court. Attorney Weber received the Paul J. Liacos Mental Health Advocacy Award for “Zealous Advocacy and Outstanding Legal Services to the Poor,” presented by the Committee for Public Counsel Services on May 14, 1999.