Pirelli INSANITY & COMPETENCY Evaluations
Insanity and competency evaluations reflect very specialized and nuanced areas of forensic mental health practice and, therefore, call for the involvement of a highly reputable expert. Dr. Pirelli is 1 of just 6 people in New Jersey who is Board Certified in Forensic Psychology and 1 of 300 or so, nationally – out of over 100,000 licensed psychologists in the U.S. (i.e., 0.4%). He has trained and worked in a wide range of medical, mental health, and correctional settings, and he co-ran a forensic unit for insanity acquittees (Krol patients) from 2010-2013 at a state psychiatric hospital. Since starting his private practice in 2012, Dr. Pirelli has conducted 1,500+ evaluations in private practice over the last 13+ years and has overseen an additional 1,000+ in matters from all 21 NJ counties, in addition to NY, PA, and federal court. Furthermore, he has testified over 120 times and has been qualified as an expert every time he has been called to the stand.
When it comes to forensic experts, credibility is everything – and Dr. Pirelli is retained by both Defense Attorneys and Prosecutor’s Offices throughout New Jersey due to his strict adherence to best practices and his strong reputation as an objective, independent professional. It is also essential to secure an expert like Dr. Pirelli, who is detail-oriented and proficient at reviewing and gathering complex sets of case and clinical data, and who is articulate and relatable when conveying findings and related opinions in forensic reports and testimony. In addition to testifying well over 100 times, Dr. Pirelli has taught 40+ courses at the postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate levels, and many continuing education trainings for a range of clinical and legal professional groups. As such, his ability to develop rapport, educate, and connect with others is not only his priority, but one of his strongest attributes.
Dr. Pirelli’s standing as a leader in the field of forensic psychology extends beyond the courtroom and legal circles, as he is a recognized and highly cited scholar in the scientific community. He has been the lead on three (3) books published by Oxford University Press, in addition to dozens of peer-reviewed and professional journal articles and book chapters in authoritative texts, such as The Handbook of Forensic Psychology (Wiley). Moreover, Dr. Pirelli has conducted 2 of the 3 meta-analyses ever published in the competency literature, which spans 60+ years, and his research has been cited over 600 times in the professional literature, as well as in amicus briefs to the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS), the New York Court of Appeals, and in the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice final report (2020). In addition, he has received numerous awards for his scholarship over the last 20 years, including but certainly not limited to the American Psychology-Law Society’s (AP-LS, Div. 41 of the APA) 2024 Lawrence S. Wrightsman Book Award and its 2nd Place Dissertation Award (2009), and the New Jersey Psychological Association‘s 1st Place Dissertation Award (2010), as well as John Jay College of Criminal Justice’s Doctoral Program Scholarly Achievement and Productivity Awards four (4) times – every year he was in the program: from 2005-2009.
CONTACT DR. PIRELLI
Dr. Pirelli can be reached via email at pirelli@gpirelli.com or by phone at 973-944-0810.
NOTABLE INSANITY- AND COMPETENCY-RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Within the context of Dr. Pirelli’s numerous publications, many are specific to the competency and insanity arenas, and they are particularly noteworthy given their reach and impact in the field. In addition to the aforementioned citations and awards he received for his meta-analyses and related work, he has co-authored chapters in a leading text in the field, with preeminent scholars. That is, chapters on insanity as well as competency with Drs. Patricia Zapf, Ron Roesch, and Stephen Golding in Weiner and Otto’s Handbook of Forensic Psychology (4th edition); he has also co-authored chapters in two other notable texts:
Zapf, P. A., Roesch, R., & Pirelli, G. (2013). Competency to stand trial. In: I.B. Weiner & R.K. Otto (Eds.), Handbook of forensic psychology (4th Edition). John Wiley & Sons.
Zapf, P. A., Roesch, R., Golding, S. L. & Pirelli, G. (2013). Criminal responsibility. In: I.B. Weiner & R.K. Otto (Eds.), Handbook of forensic psychology (4th Edition). John Wiley & Sons.
Zapf, P. A., & Pirelli, G. (2012). Report writing and testimony in competency and capacity evaluations. In: G. Demakis (Ed.), Civil capacities in clinical neuropsychology: Research findings and practical applications. Oxford University Press.
Zapf, P. A., Zottoli, T., & Pirelli, G. (2009). Insanity and competency to stand trial. In: J. D. Lieberman & D. A. Krauss (Eds.), Psychology in the Courtroom. Ashgate Publishers.
Dr. Pirelli’s peer-reviewed journal articles in these areas are as follows:
Pirelli, G., & Zapf, P. A. (2020). An attempted meta-analysis of the competency restoration research: Important findings for future directions. Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice, 20(2), 134-162.
Pirelli, G., Zapf, P. A., & Gottdiener, W. H. (2011). Competency to stand trial research: Guidelines and future directions. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology, 22(3), 340-370.
Pirelli, G., Gottdiener, W. H., & Zapf, P. A. (2011). A meta-analytic review of competency to stand trial research. Psychology, Public Policy and Law, 17(1), 1-53.
Dr. Pirelli has also contributed to encyclopedia/reference books by top publishers in these areas:
Witt, P., & Pirelli, G. (2017). Insanity defense. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Abnormal and Clinical Psychology, pp. 1808-1811. Sage.
Pirelli, G., & Zapf, P. A. (2008). Competence to stand trial Assessment Instrument. In B. L. Cutler (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Psychology and Law. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
LIST OF GROUPS: TRAININGS, SEMINARS, TALKS GIVEN BY DR. PIRELLI
