Consultation & Assessment Services

Dr. Steffan specializes in evaluating adults and juveniles who have been charged with or convicted of criminal offenses. He also provides forensic psychological evaluations of litigants for civil proceedings, including independent medical examinations (IMEs) of adults involved in disability, personal injury, and workers compensation claims. In addition, he offers assessments of persons’ need for guardianships and their cognitive and psychological capacity to manage their affairs and execute wills.

Skilled in applying psychological principles and knowledge to legal questions, Dr. Steffan has been qualified as an expert witness and testified in numerous cases in Kansas and Missouri. These legal proceedings have involved criminal responsibility and other mental state defenses; competency to stand trial, be sentenced, and waive Miranda rights; suppression of confession evidence; civil commitment of sexually violent predators; and hearings for bond reduction, probation revocation, and sentencing.

Dr. Steffan’s consultation and evaluation procedures, which are grounded in the professional and scientific literature, are tailored to questions posed by retaining attorneys and courts. He is experienced and knowledgeable with numerous psychological tests and procedures, the psychology of criminal behavior, and the psychology and criminal justice literatures. Dr. Steffan is well versed in mental disorders and other psychological impairments. He also has an interest in feigning and malingering of mental disorders and psychological and cognitive impairments. He utilizes his knowledge to provide unbiased assessments and opinions in psycho-legal matters.

Dr. Steffan welcomes referrals to address psycho-legal issues in the following areas:

  • Criminal Responsibility and other Mental State Defenses
  • Adjudicative Competencies
    • Stand Trial
    • Waive Miranda and other Rights
    • Sentencing
    • Execution
  • Disputed or False Confessions
  • Sexually Violent Predator Status
  • Sentencing Issues (Sexual, Violent, Nonviolent, and Drug Offenses)
    • Treatment Needs
    • Culpability
    • Mitigating Circumstances
    • Risk to Public Safety
      • Sexual and Violent Recidivism
      • Compliance with Conditions of Community Supervision
  • Management of Offenders in the Community
  • Death Penalty Litigation
  • Juvenile Delinquency Cases
    • Competence to Stand Trial
    • Competence to Waive Miranda Rights
    • Diagnosis and Amenability to Treatment for Disposition
    • Psychosexual Evaluation
    • Transfer to Adult Court
  • Disability Evaluations
    • Eligibility for Disability Benefits
    • Accommodations Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
  • Personal Injury and Workers Compensation Claims
  • Employment Discrimination and Harassment
  • Fitness for Duty
  • Psychological Autopsy
  • Guardianship
  • Testamentary Capacity for Wills
  • Analysis and Presentation of Findings from the Professional Literature
  • Appraisal of Other Professionals’ Work Product
  • Trial Consultation