Sarah Fishel, JD, PhD

Dr. Fishel is a Posdoctoral Research Associate. She is licensed as an attorney (associate status) and clinical psychologist in Virginia. She is joining the research and policy team after recently completing her clinical postdoctoral fellowship with the ILPPP and Western State Hospital. 

Dr. Fishel pursued her graduate training at Drexel University in their JD/PhD program. Her clinical work has included forensic evaluations and therapeutic work with individuals in outpatient clinics, psychiatric hospitals, community centers, children’s residential behavioral health facilities, county jails, state prisons, and federal prisons. Broadly, her research interests are positioned at the intersection of law and psychology.

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Research interests:

  • Mental health and criminal justice policy implementation and reform

  • Identifying and understanding “bias” and “noise” in the legal processes

  • Initiation and cessation of delinquency and criminal legal involvement across the lifespan

Clinical interests:

  • Forensic evaluations (CST, MSO, sentencing, violence risk assessment)

  • Reentry services for formerly incarcerated individuals

  • Evidence-based treatments for trauma and trauma-informed care

Select Publications

Shah, S. & Fishel, S. (2023). Legal issues in working with trainees with problems of professional competence. In R. Schwartz-Mette, E. Hunter, & N. Kaslow (Eds.), Supporting trainees with competence problems: A practical guide for psychology trainers (pp. 171-191). Cambridge University Press.

DeMatteo, D., Fishel, S., Wiltsie, K., & Tansey, A. (2023). Legal and ethical issues in mental health assessment and treatment in jails. In V. Barber Rioja, A. Garcia-Mansilla, B. Subedi, & A. Batastini (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of mental health assessment and treatment in jails (pp. 272-288). Oxford University Press.

Fishel, S. (2023). How solid is the foundation? Assessing jurors’ pre-trial application of the presumption of innocence [Unpublished dissertation]. Drexel University.

Flack, D., Fishel, S., Wiltsie, K., Kudatzky, A., & DeMatteo, D. (2022). Following up after Moore & Hall: A national survey of state legislation defining intellectual disability. Psychology, Public Policy, & Law, 28(4), 459-478.

Fishel, S., Wiltsie, K., & DeMatteo, D. (2022). Certainly uncertain: Facilitating law school professional growth and well-being through supervision in light of COVID-19. Journal of Legal Education, 70(2), 331-347.

See more of Dr. Fishel’s publications by downloading her CV.