Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) produces a broad range of primary disabilities (i.e., cognitive deficits) that lead to adverse life course outcomes (“secondary disabilities”) in children raised in adverse environments. Inappropriate sexual behaviors are a commonly occurring secondary disability, with a large minority of individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) displaying sexual aggression. Adults with FASD who commit repeated criminal sexual acts may be subject to legal proceedings for indefinite involuntary civil confinement as sexually violent predators (SVPs) in 21 of the United States and in federal jurisdictions. Studies that have examined the diagnostic practices of psychologists and psychiatrists retained by states to evaluate individuals as SVPs do not recognize FASD as a mental disorder, although extrapolated data reported in this chapter suggest hundreds of individuals petitioned for involuntary commitment as SVPs suffer from undetected FASD. Establishing an FASD diagnosis may provide exculpatory evidence to refute a government petition that an individual suffers from a mental condition affecting emotional or volitional capacity by predisposing the person to committing criminal sexual behavior. This chapter provides a framework for determining whether an FASD diagnosis in persons subject to possible SVP determination meets the legal requirements of a mental condition necessary to indefinitely commit people to civil confinement as SVPs. Recommendations are made for conducting a comprehensive forensic evaluation of this legal issue.
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Abbott, B.R. (2021). Adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in the Context of Sexually Violent Predator Involuntary Civil Commitment Psychological Evaluations. In: Novick Brown, N. (eds) Evaluating Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in the Forensic Context. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73628-6_14
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