Introduction to Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) Evaluations

Live Online Training

October 20, 2023, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) evaluations are unique and challenging evaluations that are distinct from other forensic evaluations that may address sexually offending. Our speakers have extensive experience performing SVP evaluations across state and federal jurisdictions. Along with an attorney who overviews the legal context, Drs. Hastings and King will describe best practices in SVP evaluations, providing crucial information for trainees who want to move from other forensic practice towards this highly specialized niche. Brock Maust, Esq., will provide a legal introduction to SVP evaluations with an overview of the SVP statute in VA and its relation to other state statutes.

Please contact us for detailed information about the days schedule.

Learning Objectives

• Learn the statutory criteria of a sexually violent predator (SVP) in Virginia and the various steps in the SVP process.

• Identify the primary components of a SVP evaluation.

• Identify the most common diagnoses in SVP evaluations, and become familiar with diagnostic challenges and controversies.

• Identify components of an assessment of risk for sexual violence, including commonly used instrruments.

Instructors

Mark E. Hastings, PhD, CSOTP, is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Certified Sex Offender Treatment Provider in the Commonwealth of Virginia with 28 years of experience conducting a wide range of forensic psychological evaluations and providing expert testimony.  Dr. Hastings has a private practice conducting forensic psychological evaluations throughout the mid-Atlantic region with a particular emphasis on sex offender evaluations. He has been conducting Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) evaluations for the CRC, defense, and OAG since 2007 and Sexually Dangerous Persons (SDP) evaluations under the Adam Walsh Act for the court and United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of North Carolina since 2010.  Dr. Hastings also works as a Court Psychologist at the Loudoun County Mental Health Center where he has been conducting court-ordered forensic psychological evaluations for the past 28 years, including presentence sex offender (§19.2-300), sanity at the time of the offense, and competency to stand trial evaluations. He has previously provided outpatient and inpatient sex offender treatment as well as treatment for personality disorders, anger management, and domestic violence. Dr. Hastings was an Assistant Research Professor at George Mason University from 2005-2015 where he conducted research on violence risk, psychopathy, offender treatment, and recidivism. His research has been presented at national-level scientific meetings such as the American Psychological Association, American Society of Criminology, and American Psychology-Law Society, and published in peer-reviewed journals. He has taught undergraduate and graduate-level courses in forensic psychology and assessment at GMU and other universities and provided forensic psychology-related training at both the local and state level.

Craig King, PsyD, started his career as a predoctoral intern at Atascadero State Hospital where California housed their Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) population, which was the impetus for him subsequently conducting SVP evaluations in Virginia since 2007 and in California since 2016. Dr. King completed a postdoctoral fellowship in forensic psychology and addictions at the Springfield Hospital Center near Baltimore, Maryland and then he started his career working for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Central State Hospital in Virginia, and then with the Virginia Department of Corrections where he oversaw the state's sex offender and mental health evaluation and treatment programs for the community corrections division. Dr. King entered full-time private in July 2007 where he has conducted a wide variety of forensic evaluations over the years, including competency, criminal responsibility, psychosexual, death penalty, fitness for duty, parenting capacity, custody, and psychoeducational evaluations. Dr. King's practice moved towards specializing in SVP evaluations, which resulted in him completing hundreds of such evaluations in Virginia and California where he has testified as an expert witness numerous times throughout both states for the prosecution and the defense. 

Brock Maust, Esq., is an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Attorney General for Virginia. Brock has been with the Sexually Violent Predator Civil Commitment ("SVP") Section since April 2017. Prior to joining the SVP Section, Brock served as an Assistant Commonwealth Attorney in Newport News, Virginia, assigned to the violent crimes unit, from 2007 until 2017 when he left to accept his current position. Brock graduated from Old Dominion University with a bachelor's degree in Political Science. Thereafter, he graduated from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University.

Daniel Murrie, PhD, serves as Associate Director of UVA's Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy.  He is also a Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences in the UVA School of Medicine.  He oversees the ILPPP’s training programs in forensic evaluation and the postdoctoral fellowship in forensic psychology.  As a clinician, he performs forensic evaluations through the ILPPP’s Forensic Psychiatry Clinic.  As a scholar, his research and teaching address a variety of topics in forensic psychology, particularly topics addressing reliability, bias, and quality improvement in forensic evaluation.

Neither the instructors nor the program planning committee (Daniel Murrie, Ph.D., Lucy Guarnera, Ph.D., & Angela Torres, Ph.D.,) have any conflicts of interest or commercial support to disclose.

Continuing Education

Participants are eligible for up to 5 hours of continuing education credits (CEUs) approved by the American Psychological Association (APA). ILPPP is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. ILPPP maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

You must join by 9:45 am and stay for the duration of the presentation in order to recevie the CE credits.

CE credits are applicable for licensed psychologists; other disciplines will need to check the relevant statutes and guidance regarding whether or not this can count towards any CE requirement.

Training Fees

• $200: Standard registration

• $100: Employees of Virginia DBHDS or a Community Services Board (CSB)

Please note that the reduced rate is available only for DBHDS and CSB employees, rather than all state employees, because DBHDS partially sponsors this training program.

Occasionally large facilities or state agencies outside Virginia want to send a team of trainees, for whom we can arrange a discounted group rate. Please contact us to discuss such arrangements.

How to Register

Scroll to the top of the page to register via the Eventbrite checkout. You will receive the Zoom link upon registering and detailed attendance instructions.

Cancellation Policy

You may cancel your registration up to 7 days before the event starts. Your confirmation email will have information on how to cancel. All refunds will be assessed by Eventbrite's service fee. This fee is 6.6% of the registration price + $1.79. This fee will be assessed regardless of when the cancellation occurs in relation to the date of the training.

Please allow 30 days to receive a refund. Refunds will be processed according to the original payment method.