Prenatal alcohol exposure: An assessment strategy for the legal context.
Studies over the last two decades have shown that people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) have the kind of brain damage that increases risk of criminal behavior. Thus, it is generally accepted that FASD is likely to affect a sizable minority of individuals involved in the justice system. Most of these defendants have never been diagnosed because they lack the facial abnormalities and severe intellectual deficiency that would have improved identification and diagnosis in childhood. Despite the fact that an FASD diagnosis and associated cognitive deficits may be directly relevant to offense conduct and post-arrest capacities, screening for prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) by legal teams remains relatively rare. This article addresses the relatively straightforward screening process with strategies that may be used singly or in combination to produce information that can establish PAE and provide a foundation for diagnostic assessment by medical and mental health experts.
University of Washington School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 180 Nickerson St., Suite 309, Seattle, WA 98109, United States. Electronic address: natnb@uw.edu.
Natalie Novick
NN
Brown
University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, 501N. Columbia Rd., Grand Forks, ND 58203, United States.
Larry
L
Burd
University of Washington School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 180 Nickerson St., Suite 309, Seattle, WA 98109, United States.
Therese
T
Grant
Office of the Public Defender, 210 West Temple Street, 19th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012, United States.
William
W
Edwards
University of Washington School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 180 Nickerson St., Suite 309, Seattle, WA 98109, United States.
Richard
R
Adler
University of Washington School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 180 Nickerson St., Suite 309, Seattle, WA 98109, United States.
Ann
A
Streissguth
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000523:psychology*; D003417:Criminal Psychology; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors
Corrections; Courts; Criminal justice; Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder; Maternal drinking; Mitigation; Pre-trial investigation; Prenatal alcohol exposure; Screening