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Forensic Services
About Forensic Services
The Office of Civil and Forensic Mental Health's Forensic Services division provides evaluation, treatment and ancillary services to the forensic population statewide. Forensic clients are individuals who are diagnosed with or suspected of having mental health disorders, involved in the criminal justice system, and are either currently incarcerated or living in the community. In order to best serve this population, the Forensic Services team works across all settings, including the Mental Health Hospitals, jails and the community.
We are hiring!
The Forensic Services Division is currently hiring for several positions, including forensic evaluators, administrative support staff and case management. View a full list of positions on the State of Colorado Job Opportunities website.
To contact the Forensic Services Division, we encourage you to call 720.813.0358, email the respective department or reach out to FSDV leadership:
Director Amanda S. Edwards: amanda.s.edwards@state.co.us
Deputy Director Dr. Gunterman: ashley.gunterman@state.co.us
Programs
Forensic Services' six departments are responsible for coordinating, managing and responding to court orders for forensic evaluation and related forensic services statewide. Expand the sections below for details.
- Court Services
Court Services responds to court-ordered evaluations and provides opinions to the court, as mandated by state statute, regarding:
- Competency to proceed,
- Restoration to competency,
- Sanity,
- Mental condition,
- NGRI Risk, and
- NGRI Release
Resources
- Court Services program profile
- This chart outline each step of the Competency and Restoration process.
Contact Information
Katherine Reis, Psy.D.
Director, Court Services
Phone: 719.252.2871
Email: katherine.reis@state.co.us
- Forensic Community Based Services (FCBS)
Forensic Community Based Services (FCBS) is responsible for the case management of persons found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) and who are living in a community-based outpatient setting. NGRI acquittees on Temporary Physical Removal ("Community Placement") and Conditional Release have the opportunity for continued independence, recovery and community reintegration.
Resources
Contact information
Leah Wallerstein, Psy.D.
Director, Forensic Community Based Services
Phone: 720.601.6677
Email: leah.wallerstein@state.co.us
- Jail-Based Evaluation and Restoration
Colorado's Jail-Based Evaluation and Restoration (JBR) Program provides oversight and support to three inpatient competency evaluation and restoration programs: Restoring Individuals Safely and Effectively (RISE) at the Arapahoe County Jail, Denver Restoration and Transition Unit (DRTU) at the Denver County Jail, and Peak View Behavioral Health (PVBH) in Colorado Springs. At our programs, defendants receive court-ordered competency restoration services tailored to their individual needs. The JBR team has clinical and administrative staff responsible for the management and oversight of these programs.
The Jail-Based Evaluation and Restoration programs were modeled from our existing inpatient forensic treatment units and include comprehensive multidisciplinary teams, with some program specific differences. Treatment teams consist of psychiatry, psychology, social work, reentry, nursing, recreation/activity specialists and peer support specialists. The goal is to provide competency restoration education and comprehensive psychiatric treatment.
Resources
Contact information
Victoria Yopst, LPC
Director, Jail-Based Evaluation and Restoration
Phone: 303.906.5798
Email: victoria.yopst@state.co.us
- Forensic Support Team
The Forensic Support Team (FST) serves as a centralized structure within the Office of Civil and Forensic Mental Health (OCFMH) to coordinate care for forensic clients when the court has ordered inpatient competency restoration services. The team includes a Program Director, Program Assistant, (3) Program Coordinators, (21) Forensic Navigators and (2) Forensic Case Managers throughout the state.
Resources
Contact information
Christina O’Neill
Director, Forensic Support Team
Phone: 719.283.4214
Email: christina.oneill@state.co.us
- Outpatient Restoration Services
The Outpatient Restoration Program serves adults and juveniles in the criminal justice or juvenile justice system, who are found incompetent to proceed (ITP), providing education and case management services in or near their community. This program delivers competency restoration services in the least restrictive setting, increasing a person's ability to engage with local and social support while preventing personal losses such as employment, housing, income and freedom. Education services are at no cost to the individual and are provided by contracted educators throughout the State of Colorado.
Resources
Contact information
Kathryn Davis
Director, Outpatient Restoration Services
Phone: 303.866.7098
Email: kathryn.davis@state.co.us
General email: cdhs_outptrestoration@state.co.us- Operations
The Operations Department directs the operational oversight for Forensic Services Division (FSDV) programs to include contracts management, data reconciliation, quality assurance, program evaluation, records management and training & development.
Resources
Contact information
Catrysse Smith
Director, Operations
Phone: 719.696.4719
Email: catrysse.smith@state.co.us
Student Training Programs
Forensic Services is committed to offering high-quality training opportunities for students interested in entering the forensic mental health field in a variety of capacities. Training the future professionals who will serve our citizens and contribute to our mission is a priority and source of pride for our teams.
- Court Services ABFP-waivered Forensic Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship
Fellows looking for an American Board of Forensic Psychology (ABFP)-waivered fellowship program specializing in forensic evaluation are ideal for our program. This Fellowship will offer an intensive training year in forensic assessment for individuals who seek excellence in forensic practice. Training alongside clinical psychologists who specialize in forensic evaluations of individuals with complex psychiatric presentations will offer you a challenging, yet rewarding, Fellowship year.
Fellowship Information: FSDV Fellowship Brochure
- Colorado Mental Health Hospital and Forensic Services Predoctoral Psychology Internship
The doctoral psychology internship at the Colorado Mental Health Hospital in Fort Logan (CMHHIFL) has been in existence since 1964 and has been accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) since 1966. As of the 2019-2020 internship year, CMHHIFL has become affiliated with the APA-accredited program at the University of Denver Internship Consortium. The Consortium is a "partially affiliated" program that gives preference to doctoral students from the University of Denver's Graduate School of Professional Psychology. However, applications from other doctoral programs are actively encouraged and given full consideration. In recent years, the Consortium has regularly matched with students from various universities other than the University of Denver.
CMHHIFL and FSDV proudly partner with the University of Denver for this internship opportunity. FSDV joined this partnership by the formalization of a forensic track in 2025, marking it the inaugural year of the designated forensic track.
The aim of the Health Service Psychology Internship Program at CMHHIFL and FSDV is to provide high-quality training in inpatient psychiatric treatment and forensic assessment. This is achieved through experiential clinical opportunities, developmentally-tailored supervision, didactic training and professional modeling. Our training program provides strong generalistic skills in both treatment and assessment and offers opportunities to begin building specialty skills within psychology.
Internship Information: CMHHIFL/FSDV Internship Brochure 25-26
A member of the University of Denver Internship Consortium APPIC Numbers:
Forensic Psychology Track (1 position): 117615More information is available on:
DU's website
DU Consortium Handbook
CMHHIFL's website- Forensic Services Externship
The Forensic Services Division (FSDV) has externship training opportunities for graduate students in psychology.
The overall goal of the FSDV's externship program is to offer high-quality and meaningful training opportunities for psychology graduate students. Students who are accepted into our externship will receive training related to providing psychological services in a variety of clinical settings (e.g., inpatient and forensic settings) and client populations (e.g., clients with severe and persistent mental illness and clients who are involved in the legal system).
Externship Information: Forensic Services Division Externship Brochure 25-26
- Forensic Services Training Faculty
Ashley Gunterman, Psy.D. Deputy Director, Forensic Services Department
2015, University of Denver, Graduate School of Professional Psychology, Clinical Psychology, with specialization in AssessmentDr. Gunterman is a licensed psychologist in the State of Colorado and the Deputy Director of the Forensic Services Division. As the Deputy, she is responsible for the oversight and management of five of the Division's departments, including Court Services, the Forensic Support Team, Jail-Based Evaluation and Restoration, Outpatient Restoration and Forensic Community-Based Services.
These departments consist of administrative and clinical staff with varying educational backgrounds and degrees. Together, the Division offers statewide forensic services to Coloradans. Before joining the Forensic Services Division, Dr. Gunterman served as the Chief Clinical Officer at Fort Logan, the Director of Jail-Based Evaluation and Restoration and has worked within jails and inpatient hospitals. Dr. Gunterman received her doctorate from the University of Denver and focused her training and clinical practice in the field of forensic psychology and psychological assessment. Dr. Gunterman received specialized training at Saint Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C., and then began practicing. Her areas of interest include evaluation, competency restoration and violence risk assessment in high-security forensic settings.
Given the size of our Division and the various training opportunities offered within the Forensic Track, Dr. Gunterman serves as the primary administrative contact. Supervisors and experts from each department will vary across training years and are listed below.
Katherine P. Reis, Psy.D. Director of Court Services
2015, The Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP, now William James College), Clinical PsychologyDr. Reis completed her doctoral training at MSPP (William James College) and her predoctoral internship at the Colorado Mental Health Hospital in Pueblo (CMHHIP) in 2013. Following the completion of her internship, Dr. Reis was employed as a restoration provider at CMHHIP, offering restoration services to adult, juvenile and geriatric populations. In 2015, she was one of the first two fellows to complete the Office of Civil and Forensic Mental Health's (OCFMH) postdoctoral fellowship and became a full-time forensic evaluator for Court Services in 2016. Since then, she has served as both a full-time evaluator and a supervisor, and more recently, as the Director of Court Services. She has experience conducting competency and criminal responsibility (sanity/mental condition) evaluations for the State of Colorado.
Karen Grabowski, Psy.D. Director of Training and Program Consultant, Operations
2017, Texas Tech University, Department of Psychology-Counseling PsychologyDr. Grabowski is a licensed psychologist in the state of Colorado and works as the Director of Training and Programs Consultant for the Forensic Services Division (FSDV). In this role, she primarily works with contracted forensic evaluators and FSDV's training programs (both the internship at CMHHIFL and FSDV's externship). Previously, Dr. Grabowski worked as a forensic psychologist/evaluator for the Department of Court Services and the Director of Jail-Based Restoration, while also concurrently working at the University of Denver's Master's in Forensic Psychology Program. Dr. Grabowski earned her doctorate in counseling psychology at Texas Tech University, with a focus in forensic psychology, and furthered her forensic training through an internship at Fulton State Hospital and a fellowship at the University of Denver/Denver FIRST. Dr. Grabowski's areas of interest include supervision/training and forensic assessment (particularly competency and sanity).
Sumandeep Kaur, Psy.D. Associate Director of Training
2017, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Clinical Forensic PsychologyDr. Kaur completed her predoctoral internship with the Bureau of Prisons in Butner, NC as a forensic-track intern conducting psychological evaluations and treatment for pre-trial detainees and civilly committed individuals. She then completed her postdoctoral fellowship with the Vacaville Psychiatric Program with the California Department of State Hospitals, conducting individual and group treatment, as well as psychodiagnostic and quasi-mental status at the time of the offense evaluations. She also worked with active-duty military as an embedded care provider and with HQ USAF in integrated resilience. She is empaneled as a forensic expert with experience in conducting competency to proceed, insanity, mental health diversion, violence risk, sexual violence, fitness for duty/deployment and mitigation evaluations. Her professional interests include criminal responsibility/sanity, confession evidence, threat assessment and the application of forensic evaluations in legal settings.
Charles Harrison, Psy.D. Psychologist II
2008, University of Mississippi, Oxford, Clinical PsychologyDr. Harrison completed his predoctoral internship at the Arkansas State Hospital, and a forensic postdoctoral fellowship at the Minnisota State Hospital. He has been working in the field of forensic psychology for 16 years. Dr. Harrison specializes in various forensic evaluations including competency to proceed, sanity, mental conditions, violence and sexual violence risk, competency to waive Miranda, civil commitment and prerelease evaluations. Dr. Harrison has presented on issues related to psychological testing in forensic evaluations, mental condition evaluations and competency to proceed issues, among others.
Allison Osborn, Psy.D. Psychologist II
2010, Pacific University, Clinical PsychologyDr. Osborn completed her predoctoral internship at the Colorado Mental Health Hospital at Fort Logan in Denver, Colorado providing assessment and treatment to chilren, adolescents and adults with a wide range of mental health issues and developmental disabilities. She then completed her postdoctoral fellowship through the University of Washington School of Medicine at the Child Study and Treatment Center in Steilacoom, Washington conducting juvenile forensic evaluations and adolescent inpatient treatment. After completing her fellowship, Dr. Osborn worked at Harborview Medical Center at the University of Washington in Seattle completing civil commitment evaluations and providing regular expert testimony to the Courts. In addition, Dr. Osborn maintained a private practice, in which she was completing a wide range of forensic and clinical evaluations with children, adolescents and adults including diagnostic, competency to proceed, mental condition at the time of offense, waiver into adult courts and mitigation evaluations. Dr. Osborn has been employed with Court Services through Colorado Department of Human Services since 2018 as both an evaluator and supervisor conducting juvenile and adult competency to proceed evaluations. She maintains expertise in juvenile forensics and provides a variety of trainings pertinent to the issue of forensic evaluations with chilren and adolescents.
Timothy Foster, Psy.D. Psychologist II
1994, University of Denver Graduate School of Professional Psychology, Clinical PsychologyDr. Foster completed his internship at Western State Hospital and Child Study and Treatment Center in Washington, with training in assessment, treatment and forensic evaluation of juveniles and adults. He was then a Postdoctoral Fellow in Public Psychology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center with a focus on forensic and correctional issues. He was a staff psychologist at the Colorado Department of Corrections Youthful Offender System and Denver Reception and Diagnostic Center for several years until engaging in full-time private practice in 2000 providing psychological and forensic evaluations of juveniles and adults in Colorado. A portion of his practice was dedicated to contract competency evaluations for the State of Colorado and evaluations at the request of courts throught the Denver area. He began employment as an evaluator for the State of Colorado Court Services Department in 2013 and has been a supervisor/evaluator since 2014. He has conducted training in the juvenile competency evaluation process for judges, magistrates and the Colorado Bar Association and has testified as an expert witness in courts throughout Colorado for 25 years.
John Edwards, Psy.D. Psychologist II
1996, University of Georgia, Clinical/Counceling PsychologyDr. Edwards completed his Master's Degree in Psychology at Temple University in 1984 and later his Ph.D. in Clinical/Counseling Psychology at the University of Georgia in 1996. He went on to complete postdoctoral training through the U.S. Bureau of Prisons at the Penitentiary of Atlanta and then began working as a forensic psychologist at the Georgia Regional Hospital. While there, he focused on completing evlauations of competence to proceed, criminal responsibility, transfer/reverse transfer, dispositional recommendations and comprehensive study and report evaluations. Dr. Edwards became the Director of the Outpatient Juvenile Forensic Program at Georgia Regional Hospital in 2000 and held this position until his 2018 move to Colorado. In addition, Dr. Edwards has been licensed as a psychologist in Maine since 2008. His practice in Colorado has been as a forensic evaluator, as the Interim Director of Court Services, and as a Supervisory Psychologist, the position he now holds.
Resources
Expand the sections below to view resources for stakeholders, partners, patients and others.
- Stakeholder resources
- Statewide Competency Restoration Best Business Practices Workgroup guidelines
These guidelines were developed by the Statewide Competency Restoration Best Business Practices Workgroup. The Workgroup's mission was to identify points of information exchanges between courts, Forensic Services, and county jails within the competency restoration process. After identifying points of information exchanges, they worked to understand the role of each agency in these information exchanges and created guidelines on how best to exchange information, while ensuring that each agency had the information necessary for every stage of the competency restoration process. In coming years, this workgroup will ensure guidelines stay relevant, up-to-date, and easily accessible.
This workgroup consisted of members from:
- The Office of Civil and Forensic Mental Health (OCFMH) Forensic Services and Mental Health Hospital at Pueblo (CMHHIP) teams;
- The Colorado Judicial Department - Bridges Court Liaison Program;
- District and County Court Judicial Officers;
- Clerks, Clerks Advisory and Trainers;
- The State Public Defender's Office;
- County Public Defenders;
- The District Attorney's Council;
- Assistant District Attorneys;
- and County Sheriff's Offices.
- Actions related to Competency to Proceed (Senate Bill 19-223)
In May 2019, the Colorado General Assembly passed a number of bills to improve behavioral health services and resources across the state. This included Senate Bill 19-223, Actions Related to Competency to Proceed, which directed the Colorado Department of Human Services to implement some new programs and practices. It includes changes to competency-related statutes to align with the Consent Decree and utilizes the court and state systems to contribute to the best outcomes for individuals in the competency process. All of these teams, practices, and services aim to maximize Forensic Services' efforts in providing timely competency evaluations and restoration treatment services to pretrial detainees.
Admissions based on need:
This system created new language to the initial competency evaluations that work to screen each Pretrial Detainee to help make recommendations to the committing court as to the most clinically appropriate level of care to restore the individual to competency. This ensures that patients are connected to the most appropriate care based on their individual needs. This includes language and assessment criteria to assign patients to a Tier 1 or Tier 2 status. The legislation requires that the Department implement a set of policies related to this requirement to achieve the following outcomes:
By July 2019, a tiered triage system was established that admits the most acute patients within 7 days after the Department receives the order and collateral materials. By July 2020, in-custody evaluations were to be completed no later than 21 days after the Department receives the order and collateral materials. Out-of-custody evaluations were to be completed within 42 days after the Department receives the order and collateral materials. And offers for admission for inpatient evaluations must occur within 14 days after the Department receives the order and collateral materials. After the fourth 90-day court review of whether the defendant has been restored to competency, reviews occur every 63 days, and if the court determines that there is not a substantial probability that the defendant will be restored to competency in the foreseeable future, the case will be dismissed.
Forensic Support Team:
The Forensic Support Team serves as a centralized structure for stakeholders to immediately access detailed information about programs, clients, and settings. The team consists of a Supervising Coordinator and 15 Forensic Navigators strategically placed throughout the state. The Forensic Navigators will interface with clients ordered to competency and restoration services, interface with courts, jails, mental health providers, and other agencies to assist with case coordination, and act as a central point of contact overseeing an individual's continuum of care from point of entry to point of exit.
- Careers with Forensic Services
Job vacancies within Forensic Services are announced on the State of Colorado Job Opportunities website. Applications are accepted only during the time period listed on the announcement. Review the job announcements and identify those that you may be qualified for and interested in. To apply for a specific job, follow the instructions in the announcement section titled "How to Apply." When applying for a state job, carefully follow the instructions. Submitting an application to the wrong location or not providing all the required materials may result in not being considered for the job.
- Information requests
- Parties wishing to request access to or copies of their protected health information can contact the Quality Assurance Medical Records Technician, Lindsay Moore at 303.501.2355 or email lindsay.moore@state.co.us.
- Parties wishing to request access to copies of their protected health information from RISE can call 303.866.7369.
- Parties wishing to request access to copies of their protected health information from Outpatient Restoration can call 303.866.7098.
The request must state the specific records being sought. Any requests made with subpoena, or court order pursuant to § 16-8.5-104(4) must include a copy of the subpoena or court order.
- Definitions
The following definitions are common terminology used within Forensic Services.
Definitions related to Sanity can be found in C.R.S. 16-8-101.5, C.R.S. 16-8-102.
- Impaired mental condition - condition of mind caused by mental disease or defect that prevents the formation of a culpable mental state.
- Insanity - a disease or defective mind that is incapable of distinguishing right from wrong at the time of a commission of an act. Disease or defective is not manifested by repeated antisocial behavior and is not attributable to voluntary ingestion of alcohol or other substances.
- Mental disease/defect - severely abnormal mental condition that grossly impairs a person's perception and understanding of reality which is not attributable to voluntary ingestion of alcohol or other Substances.
- Sanity evaluation - a court-ordered evaluation of a defendant who has entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity directed at determining the defendant's sanity or insanity at the time the act was committed.
- Forensic psychologist - a licensed psychologist who is board certified in forensic psychology by the American board of professional psychology or who has completed a fellowship in forensic psychology.
- Community placement - patients committed to Colorado Department of Human Services and Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo that are treated on an outpatient basis.
- Conditional release - a status granted to patients by the court that discharges patients from their commitment to CDHS on a conditional basis and is still subject to hospitalization.
- Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) - a person who is so diseased or defective of mind at the time of the commission of the act as to be incapable of distinguishing right from wrong with respect to that act is not accountable.
- Release examination - a court-ordered examination of a defendant to determine eligibility for release.
- Release hearing - hearing determining whether a defendant previously committed to the Department of Human Services as a result of a not guilty by reason of insanity plea has become eligible for release.
Definitions related to Competency can be found in C.R.S. 16-8.5-101.
- Competent to proceed - means that a defendant does not have a mental disability or developmental disability that prevents the defendant from having sufficient present ability to consult with the defendant's lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understanding in order to assist in the defense, or prevents the defendant from having a rational and factual understanding of the criminal proceedings.
- Incompetent to proceed - as a result of a mental disability or developmental disability, the defendant does not have sufficient present ability to consult with the defendant's lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understanding, or, as a result of a mental disability or development disability, the defendant does not have a rational and factual understanding of the criminal proceedings.
- Competency evaluation - court-ordered examinations of a defendant directed at determining a defendant's competency to proceed at a particular stage of the criminal proceeding that is performed by a competency evaluator and includes evaluations concerning restoration to competency. Can be completed before, during, or after a trial.
- Competency evaluator - a licensed physician who is a psychiatrist or a licensed psychologist who is trained in forensic competency assessments Competency Hearing - a hearing to determine whether a defendant is competent to proceed.
- Developmental disability - a disability that has manifested before the person reaches twenty-two years of age, which constitutes a substantial disability to the affected individual, and is attributable to mental retardation or other neurological conditions that impair general intellectual functioning or adaptive Behavior.
- Mental disability - a substantial disorder of thought, mood, perception, or cognitive ability that results in a marked functional disability and significantly interferes with adaptive behavior. Mental disability does not include intoxication from alcohol or other substances, or any substance abuse impairment resulting from recent use or withdrawal, or any condition manifested only by antisocial behavior. However, substance abuse that results in long-term, substantial disorder of thought, mood, or cognitive ability may constitute a mental disability.
- Restoration hearing - a hearing to determine whether a defendant who has previously been determined to be incompetent to proceed has become competent to proceed.
Submit a complaint
Submit a complaint through the Forensic Services Grievance Form:
Access the Forensic Services Grievance Resolution Policy.
HIPAA compliance
All Forensic Services comply with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) provisions for the privacy and security of client Protected Health Information. Access the Behavioral Health Administration's Behavioral Health Care Compliance Toolbox for related rules, regulations and resources.