Mia Ricardo

Dr. Mia M. Ricardo earned her Master of Arts and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Sam Houston State University after completing her pre-doctoral internship at Western State Hospital/Washington State Office of Forensic Mental Health Services. She then completed her Postdoctoral Residency in Forensic Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. Since 2017, she has undergone extensive training in forensic mental health assessment and specializes in court-ordered evaluations of competence to stand trial, criminal responsibility, general violence risk, and sexual violence risk, among other psycho-legal questions. Dr. Ricardo is a Licensed Psychologist in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and has served as an expert witness in both district and superior courts in criminal and civil proceedings. Dr. Ricardo has also undergone specialized training in evaluation and treatment of those with sexually problematic behaviors. Dr. Ricardo has been working in the field of substance use treatment and evaluation since 2011 and in a variety of settings, including at residential facilities, probation departments, state jails, and federal prisons, with both juveniles and adults. Her research interests are at the intersection of psychology and law: She has particular interests in quality and content of forensic mental health evaluation reports, forensic mental health policy and legislation, forensic mental health evaluation procedure and training, mental health case law, substance use disorder policy, and substance use disorder harm reduction. Dr. Ricardo has also been appointed to the Early Career Professionals Committee of the American Psychology – Law Society for the 2023 – 2026 term. Dr. Ricardo joined Assumption University as an adjunct faculty member in 2023 and presently teaches Abnormal Psychology (PSY 500).

Education:

AAS, Southern Maine Community College (2012)

BA, University of Southern Maine (2015)

MA, Sam Houston State University (2017), thesis title: The effect of the Brain Disease Model of Addiction on juror perceptions of culpability. 

PhD, Sam Houston State University (2022), dissertation title: Increasing support for alternatives to incarceration for drug use: Is the Brain Disease Model of Addiction effective?

Postdoctoral Residency in Forensic Psychology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (2023)

Select publications and presentations:

Ricardo, M.M. & Frommer, N. (Accepted). Proper consideration of mental health as mitigating evidence in capital punishment proceedings. The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. 

Ricardo, M.M., Raymond, A. & Boccaccini, M.T. (March 18, 2023). Good cause exceptions: What delays submission of competency evaluation reports in Washington State? Paper presented at the annual convention of the American Psychology – Law Society, Philadelphia, PA.

Raymond, A., Ricardo, M.M. & Boccaccini, M.T. (March 18, 2023). Competence evaluations in Washington State: Addressing submission delays, contempt fines, and defendant intoxication. Poster presented at the annual convention of the American Psychology – Law Society, Philadelphia, PA

Ricardo, M.M., Formon, D.L., Bailey, C.A. & Boccaccini, M.T. (March 17, 2023). What is happening to forensic evaluators amidst the competency crisis? Paper presented at the annual convention of the American Psychology – Law Society, Philadelphia, PA.

Formon, D.L., Ricardo, M.M., Bailey, C.A. & Boccaccini, M.T. (March 17, 2023). “We didn’t start the fire”: The competency crisis and forensic evaluator burnout. Paper presented at the annual convention of the American Psychology – Law Society, Philadelphia, PA.

Kurus, S., Holdren, S., Rubenstein., Ricardo, M.M., Varela, J.G., Boccaccini, M.T., Turner, D.B. & Hamilton, P.M. (2022). Static or dynamic? Evaluator difference in trends in the Static-99R scoring, sex offender treatment completion, and risk level determination in sexually violent predator civil commitment evaluations. Poster presented at the annual convention of the American Psychology – Law Society, Denver, CO.

Ricardo, M.M., Henderson, C.E., Reed, K., Salami, T. & Drislane, L. (2022). Increasing support for alternatives to incarceration for drug use: Is the Brain Disease Model of Addiction effective? Addiction Research and Theory, 31(1), 9-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2022.2090543

Trupp, G., Ricardo, M.M., Boccaccini, M.T. & Murrie, D.C. (2021). Forensic evaluators’ opinions on the use of videoconferencing technology for competency to stand trial evaluations after the onset of COVID-19. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 27(4), 537-549. https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000322

Ricardo, M.M., Boccaccini, M.T., Gardner, B.O., Murrie, D.C. & Torres, A.N. (2021). Association between formal forensic training and adherence to governing laws and professional guidelines in sanity reports. Poster presented at the annual convention of the American Psychology – Law Society, Virtual.

Christensen, M.R., Anderson-White, A., Ryan, L.J., Ricardo, M.M., Krembuszewski, B.A., Sze, C. & Henderson, C.E. (2021).  Substance Use Disorders, 279-310.  In Venta, A., Sharp, C., Fonagy, P. & Fletcher, J. (Eds.). Developmental Psychopathology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.   

Ricardo, M.M. & Henderson, C.E. (2020). Drug policy: Harm reduction, punitive policies, and capital punishment in a voting paradigm. Poster presented at the annual convention of the Texas Psychological Association, Virtual

Ricardo, M. M., Boccaccini, M.T., Gardner, B.O., Torres, A.N. & Murrie, D.C. (2020).  Association between formal forensic training and adherence to statutory requirements in competency to stand trial reports.  Poster presented at the annual convention of the American Psychology – Law Society, New Orleans, LA