Biography
Dr. Atkins is a clinical, forensic and consulting psychologist who has been in clinical practice since the mid nineteen seventies and has worked in the forensic arena since the mid nineteen eighties. Dr. Atkins has been admitted as an expert witness before state and federal courts in both the criminal and civil arenas. He has been called upon by attorneys from across the country to address issues related to substance abuse, competency, criminal state of mind defenses, coercive interrogation/interview techniques and the assessment of both perpetrators and victims of sexual abuse. He has recently provided consultation to defense counsel in multiple high-profile civil and criminal institutional child sexual abuse cases. He has been retained by both the prosecution and the defense as a trial consultant in sexual abuse cases by the United States Air Force’s Judge Advocate General’s office. Dr. Atkins co-authored two chapters (Capacity to Waive Miranda Rights and Sentencing) in the Handbook of Forensic Assessment: Psychological and Psychiatric Perspectives. He has co-authored a chapter on death penalty mitigation in the textbook, Handbook of Forensic Psychology and Forensic Sociology. He recently co-authored a chapter on mitigation in Representing People with Mental Disabilities: A Criminal Defense Lawyers Guide. He is co-authoring a chapter on remote combat trauma in Ethics, National Security and the Law.
Dr. Atkins recently prepared an amicus brief, and testified on the constitutionality of, polygraphing paroled sex offenders. He has been a consultant to municipal, state and federal agencies and legislative bodies on the issue of substance abuse and rehabilitation. Dr. Atkins has published articles and presented CLE workshops on topics related to the insanity defense, neonaticide, borderline personality disorder, sentencing and the collaboration of clinicians and attorneys regarding the issue of professional boundary violations.
