Neil Gowensmith
Associate Professor, Professional Psychology
University of Denver, USA
Professional Biography
Neil Gowensmith is a core faculty member at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology, teaching exclusively in the Forensic Psychology graduate program. In 2014, he created and became the director of the department’s forensic mental health institute, Denver FIRST (The University of Denver’s Forensic Institute for Research, Service, and Training). Denver FIRST now operates a postdoctoral fellowship, an outpatient competency restoration program, and a robust forensic evaluation service. Dr. Gowensmith has worked in prisons, jails, courts, community mental health centers, and mental health hospitals throughout his career. From 2006-2012 he served as the Chief of Forensic Services for the State of Hawaii, helping lead Hawaii out of federal oversight and implementing several innovative and evidence-based community forensic policies and programs. He continues to serve as a national expert in forensic mental health, with consultation, research, and practice focusing specifically on outpatient competency restoration, standards for forensic evaluators, conditional release of insanity acquittees, and public forensic mental health systems. He is one of two Special Masters designated by the US District Court (Colorado) to help oversee the transformation of the competency services system in Colorado.
Degree(s)
Post-doctoral Residency in Forensic Psychology Forensic Psychology (APA Accredited Specialty Practice Program in Forensic Psychology)
- Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Washington D.C.
- Forensic Inpatient Services & Bureau of Legal Services Divisions
- September 1999 to September 2000
Clinical Internship Internship in Clinical Psychology (APA Accredited)
- Honolulu Veterans Affairs Medical & Regional Office Center, Hawaii
- September 1998 to September 1999
Ph.D. Counseling Psychology (APA Accredited)
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
- Awarded: Summer 1999
B.A. Psychology
- The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
- Awarded: December 1992
Professional Affiliations
- Licensed Psychologist, Colorado
- Member, American Psychological Association
- Member, American Psychology-Law Society
- Member, Colorado Psychological Association
Research
Standards of forensic evaluation: Reliability, validity and quality of forensic evaluation reports, certification and qualification of forensic evaluators, state certification processes
Competency to stand trial evaluation and restoration: Contrasting models of competency restoration, effectiveness and models of outpatient and jail-based competency restoration, infrastructural and clinical approaches to managing increasing numbers of competency evaluation referrals
Insanity acquittees and conditional release: Management and supervision of insanity acquittees on conditional release, decision-making in evaluators of conditional release requests, recidivism and rehospitalization of insanity acquittees on conditional release
Cross-cultural issues in forensic psychology: Ethnic and racial bias in forensic evaluation, comparisons and contrasts between forensic mental health systems in the United States versus other countries (South Africa in particular)
Animal abuse evaluation: Development of a measure for evaluation of propensity and risk for animal maltreatment
Social justice in forensic mental health: Investigation of unjust policing and correctional practices, evaluation of community re-entry programs, effective strategies to combat stigma / discrimination / criminalization of persons with mental illness