Making A Difference in Juvenile Justice - JDAI Helpdesk

Speaker Biographies/Information
Dr. James Morris
Dr. James (Jim) Morris is Director of Forensic Services for the Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance
Abuse Services. In that role, he is responsible for his department’s statewide system of mental health services delivery for persons with
mental illness and criminal justice system involvement. His role as Forensic Services Director also requires that he provide consultation
and testimony to Virginia General Assembly Committees and work groups on a frequent basis, in addition to developing and promoting
legislative and budgetary initiatives. Since 2003, Dr. Morris has chaired his department’s Forensic Work Group, which has been the
key statewide MH stakeholder entity for promoting positive change for persons with mental illness who have criminal justice system
involvement. Dr. Morris developed the Commonwealth Consortium for Mental Health/Criminal Justice Transformation, a program that was
recently established by Governor Kaine in Executive Order 62. Dr. Morris is also currently a member of the Criminal Justice Task Force
of the Virginia Mental Health Law Commission. Dr. Morris is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with expertise in forensic psychology,
clinical neuropsychology, child development and family counseling. He holds the rank of Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and
Pediatrics with the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System. Dr. Morris is a member of the Executive Council of the Virginia
Association of Clinical Psychologists, and is the representative for the Southern Region to the Forensic Division Executive Council of
the National Assn. of State Mental Health Program Directors. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Virginia
Psychological Association, the Society for Neuroscience, and the National Academy of Neuropsychologists.
Office of Forensic Services, Virginia DMHMRSAS
1220 Bank Street, Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: 804-786-2615 E-Mail: james.morris@co.dmhmrsas.virginia.gov
Daniel Murrie, Ph.D.
Daniel Murrie, Ph.D., serves as Director of Psychology at the Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy (ILPPP) and as an
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
Dr. Murrie’s duties at the ILPPP involve training community and hospital-based clinicians in forensic evaluation, and supervising
the ILPPP’s psychiatric, post-doctoral, and practicum trainees. Within the ILPPP’s forensic clinic, Dr. Murrie performs criminal
and civil forensic psychological evaluations of juveniles and adults. These often include questions of competence, legal sanity,
sentencing issues, violence risk, and waiver of rights. After earning undergraduate degrees in psychology and social work, Dr.
Murrie completed a doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Virginia. He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in
forensic psychology at the ILPPP. For several years thereafter, Dr. Murrie served as core faculty in the clinical psychology doctoral
program at Sam Houston State University, a program that emphasizes forensic clinical psychology, where he trained students and
maintained an active research program. In Texas, Dr. Murrie also consulted with state criminal justice agencies and maintained
a private practice in forensic assessment. As a researcher, Dr. Murrie has published on a number of topics related to forensic
assessment, psychopathy, diagnostic labeling, and juvenile justice. His current research involves risk assessment among sexual
offenders, psychological assessment within the juvenile justice system, and projects addressing bias and quality control in forensic
evaluations.
Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy
Associate Professor of Psychiatry,
University of Virginia School of Medicine
P.O. Box 800660, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0660
Phone: 434-924-8308 E-Mail: Murrie@Virginia.edu
Making a Difference in Juvenile Justice
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