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)