The collaboration described in this chapter differs somewhat from that in other chapters. A university in Texas—Sam Houston State University—established a forensic training clinic staffed by doctoral trainees in clinical psychology and supervised by faculty members. This clinic offered services to courts in the region, primarily involving the evaluation of individuals involved in the criminal justice system on issues such as competence to stand trial, sentencing for individuals committing sexual offenses, mental state at the time of the offense, and others. This yielded valuable specialized training opportunities for graduate students, strong evaluations at a reasonable rate for courts, and an opportunity to generate funding for the university and the training program. The “collaboration,” therefore, was between the university and the court system rather than a state department of mental health; however many of the developmental and operational considerations were comparable to those described in other chapters.
Sam Houston State University: An Institutional Memory, 1879-2004 (review)