Forensic Evaluations in Asylum Cases:
Assessing Adherence to Best Practices with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Examinees
Psychological evaluations play a crucial role in asylum decisions, but many may fall short of ethical and cultural best-practice standards.
​
This mixed-method study will assess the quality of a sample of 100-150 psychological evaluations for asylum cases, focusing on adherence to best-practice standards and ethical guidelines.
Results will inform how well forensic evaluators meet these standards, identifying gaps and opportunities to improve the cultural responsiveness and overall quality of these high-stakes asylum evaluations.
​
If you are an attorney or you work at a non-profit organization that serves asylum seekers in California, we are seeking your assistance. We are seeking de-identified reports prepared by psychologists to be used in asylum hearings. We will compensate you with $30 for each report for the time to complete the de-identification process (i.e., remove names, license numbers, and other identifying information).
​​
Thank you to the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues for the funding support to complete this project.
​
You can email us at asylumstudy@paloaltou.edu for more information or check out our flyer here.
Team Leaders
Click on a Team Leader's name for their bio:
​
Amanda Fanniff, PhD (co-Principal Investigator)
Alicia Nijdam-Jones, PhD (co-Principal Investigator)
Martha Hernandez, PhD (co-Investigator)
Sita G. Patel, PhD (co-Investigator)