Thomas Grisso

Thomas Grisso is an American clinical and forensic psychologist and professor emeritus of the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. Grisso's research has forged a pathway for the reshaping of Juvenile Justice systems' policy and adolescent forensic evaluation, for this, he has been coined 'The Architect". Grisso's father was a Brethren minister and his mother was a special education teacher; his parents were a significant inspiration for his research of juveniles. He later went on to study at the University of Arizona where he successfully achieved a PhD in psychology in 1969. Grisso completed his doctoral internship from 1967 through 1968 at Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown Connecticut.

In 1998, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York presented Grisso with an Honorary Doctor of Laws.

Career Grisso's career began as an assistant professor for psychology undergraduate students at Ashland College, OH after he received his Ph.D. from University from Arizona in 1969. Later, he received another NIMH grant to write the first edition of Evaluating Competencies.

Grisso moved to Massachusetts in 1987 to co-direct the Law and Psychiatric Program at the University of Massachusetts. He became a member of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice and its "Models for Change" Initiative from 1996 to 2015, which focused on juvenile justice and development.

Research Grisso's research influenced the reform of the juvenile justice system in many ways that changed the treatment services and view of adolescent offenders. His research impacted the "abolition of the death penalty" and "life without parole sentence" for this population in the court system. The Roper v Simmons (2005) case ruled on prohibiting sentencing juveniles to death, Graham v Florida (2010) ruled that sentencing juveniles without the possibility of parole was unconstitutional for non-homicide offenses and then Miller v Alabama, (2012) sustained the ruling for homicide offenses committed by juveniles due to the Eighth Amendment. Grisso's research provided evidence on developmental differences for juveniles in areas of maturity, competency, and decision making during this period that supported the notion of rehabilitation. Some of his books include, "Evaluating Juveniles' Adjudicative Competence: A Guide for Clinical Practice" (2005),"Clinical Evaluations for Juveniles' Competence to Stand Trail: A Guide for Legal Professionals" (2005) and "Mental Health Screening and Assessment in Juvenile Justice" (2005). Grisso has also been the recipient of international awards. Grisso's leadership was also recognized as the recipient of the Juvenile Law Center Leadership Prize. In 2001, He received a Guttmacher Award for a book on having the most significant contribution to psychiatry and law. He became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the United Kingdom in 2006.