Cultural Considerations in Forensic Work with Latinx Defendants: An Approach for culturally responsive practice

Description

Forensic practitioners are ethically committed to conduct culturally sensitive evaluations and legally bound by rules of evidence and due process. While ethics and law define ideal and impermissible practice, they rarely tell us how to achieve culturally responsive and legally defensible work. Science offers clearer clinical guidance, but much of forensic research was developed using predominantly White, English-speaking samples, often overlooking the lived experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse individuals. As a result, practitioners working  with Latinx individuals, particularly those with low English proficiency and acculturation, frequently face limited guidance, unanswered research questions, and uncertainty in applying evidence-based practices. 

This presentation will provide a research- and practice-informed review of cultural considerations when working with Latinx individuals in the U.S. legal system.

First, it will examine how sociocultural factors shape behavior, symptom expression, communication patterns, and interactions with legal and mental health professionals. These cultural differences may be misinterpreted as pathology, deception, or lack of insight, which may lead to inaccurate case formulations, ineffective interventions, and potentially unjust legal outcomes. Second, this presentation will review disparities in forensic outcomes for Latinx defendants. Third, it will address how culture and language may affect the assessment process and test selection, with emphasis on the cross-cultural psychometric properties of commonly used psychological and forensic assessment instruments. Building on this foundation, the presentation will transition to sex offender risk assessment, highlighting how sociocultural characteristics may influence pathways to offending, risk factors, and treatment responsivity. The session will conclude with considerations for future research needed before undertaking projects to culturally adapt or replace existing tools.

Maria Aparcero-Suero, Ph.D., is the Director of Forensic Mental Health Services and an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She is a bilingual (English & Spanish) licensed clinical and forensic psychologist. Dr. Aparcero-Suero completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a Forensic Psychology concentration at Fordham University and a Forensic Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship at the California Department of State Hospitals-Patton (DSH-Patton). Prior to her appointment at SIU, she worked as a senior psychologist specialist conducting forensic evaluations at DSH-Patton. In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Aparcero-Suero conducts applied research in forensic psychology. Her research examines the validity of psychological and forensic assessments, emphasizes their application with culturally and linguistically diverse adults, and provides practical solutions to support practitioners’ needs through, for example, the development or adaptation of assessment instruments. She has published in the areas of violence and sex offender risk, malingering, cross-cultural assessment, immigration evaluations, and intellectual disability screening in correctional settings

This workshop will earn you 2 hours of Cultural Competency Continuing Education.

WATSA is a Washington State DOH approved CE provider. CE Hours earned at this training count towards hours needed to renew your SOTP credential and/or your underlying health care license. We are not an approved provider for organizations such as the APA, NASW, AAFT or NBCC. 

Please visit https://www.watsa.org/events to sign up!