Section: Research

Al Grudzinskas, Jr., JD

Academic Role: Assistant Professor

Faculty Appointment(s) In:
   Psychiatry

Albert J. Grudzinskas, Jr., J.D. is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in Law and Assistant Coordinator of Law and Psychiatry for Legal Studies. His research interests include mental health issues in criminal trial practice, expert testimony, involuntary commitment, and substance abuse.  My research focuses on the involvement of persons with mental illness in the criminal justice and civil court systems. I would like to develop a better understanding of how and why the courts have become the access point for social services in most communities for persons living in poverty. I am also interested in the protection of human subjects in research. I am developing an agenda to address the needs of courts to understand social science testimony and its utility in addressing issues before the courts.

Ongoing Projects:

1. Massachusetts Mental Health Diversion Program  is funded by a number of small private foundations. Albert J. Grudzinskas, Jr.,J.D. Principal Investigator. Role: Research Director, at 30% effort; 7/1/2002 – indefinite; This program implements programmatic change directed at assisting police departments and local mental health providers in maximizing available resources to improve management of arrestees and potential arrestees with mental health needs.

1 RO1 MH65611 Modeling Criminal Justice Involvement Among Persons With Mental Illness (William Fisher, Ph.D., P.I.) Funder: NIMH; Period: 8/15/03 – 8/14/06 Total Direct Costs: $625,000 Role: Co-Investigator, 30% effort. This project represents a preliminary effort to discern the role of mental health services in patterns of criminal offending displayed by persons with severe mental illness. It incorporates theoretical frameworks and methods commonly used in criminology to understand patterns of offending over time, the effects of social environments, and the potentially mediating effects of mental health services with regard to patterns of offending.

3. 1RO1 MH067862 Arrest Patterns Among Youth in Mental Health Systems (Maryann Davis, Ph.D., P.I.) Funder: NIMH; Period: 4/1/04 – 3/31/07 Role: Co-Investigator, 5% Effort Total Direct Costs: $450,000 This project examines patterns of juvenile and adult criminal offending of youths identifi ed as receiving services from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health’s as children/adolescents and who “aged out” of that system.

Office: WSH 8B-23
Phone: 508-856-8719
Fax: 508-856-8700
E-mail: Albert.GrudzinskasJr@umassmed.edu

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