Ethical and Practical Considerations for Conducting Psychological Assessments with Justice-Involved Youth During COVID-19

In this discussion, we will address ethical and practical considerations for conducting psychological evaluations via telehealth with justice-involved youth in the context of COVID-19. We will use the framework of existing guidelines (e.g., APA) to discuss the risks and benefits of testing, including balancing the constitutional rights of justice-involved youth with concerns about test security and non-standard test administration. We will also address cultural considerations that arise when testing with a juvenile justice population and discuss common challenges and creative solutions to conducting telehealth assessments. To this end, we will share lessons learned to help make testing feasible and inclusive given the limitations this population faces. Finally, we will discuss ways to explain potential limitations of psychological assessments conducted remotely, including the use of disclosures and disclaimers as a way to enhance transparency for both the courts and families being served. 

Objectives

Objective #1 Based on the content of this program, participants will be able to identify ethical, cultural, and practical challenges associated with tele-assessment in a juvenile justice population.
Objective #2 Based on the content of this program, participants will understand limitations of virtual psychological assessment results with justice-involved youth.
Objective #3 Based on the content of this program, participants will understand and discuss best-practice considerations for remote test administration and communication of assessment results in a juvenile justice population.