Forensic Sleep Medicine and
Scientific Evidence
Prosecution &Defense Consultation/Expert Testimony
Sleepwalking may appear amusing, but it and similar disorders can result in serious injury and even death. Sleepwalking is not just "walking" but can include complex behaviors including eating, sex and violence. For this reason, sleepwalking behaviors are sometimes presented as a defense for acts - murder, assault, rape -that would be otherwise criminal.
This defense may have a basis in reliable science or not. It may be a last ditch, "junk science" defense for a criminal act for which the defendant has no excuse. Or it may be a bone fide automatism defense.
When the defense for criminal acts is a claim that they were performed without conscious awareness or without criminal intent due to a sleep disorder, experts in sleep and sleep disorders are often retained by one or both sides. This area of science has become highly specialized with dozens of new research articles appearing every year. As a result, a small number of sleep experts have specialized in sleepwalking and related disorders. An even smaller number have specialized in forensic aspects of sleep disorders. Mark R. Pressman, Ph.D. is one of these highly specialized Forensic Sleep Experts.
Additional services include evaluation of defense and prosecution witnesses to determine if their reports and testimony are based on reliable and up-to-date science. Assistance with Frye or Daubert hearings. Vetting of expert witnesses and evaluation of CV and publications.
Assistance with development, review, writing of research protocols for clinical and experimental studies including pharmaceutical studies.
This defense may have a basis in reliable science or not. It may be a last ditch, "junk science" defense for a criminal act for which the defendant has no excuse. Or it may be a bone fide automatism defense.
When the defense for criminal acts is a claim that they were performed without conscious awareness or without criminal intent due to a sleep disorder, experts in sleep and sleep disorders are often retained by one or both sides. This area of science has become highly specialized with dozens of new research articles appearing every year. As a result, a small number of sleep experts have specialized in sleepwalking and related disorders. An even smaller number have specialized in forensic aspects of sleep disorders. Mark R. Pressman, Ph.D. is one of these highly specialized Forensic Sleep Experts.
Additional services include evaluation of defense and prosecution witnesses to determine if their reports and testimony are based on reliable and up-to-date science. Assistance with Frye or Daubert hearings. Vetting of expert witnesses and evaluation of CV and publications.
Assistance with development, review, writing of research protocols for clinical and experimental studies including pharmaceutical studies.
New Book on Forensic Sleep Medicine
The forensic sleep expert must have expertise and knowledge in sleep science and sleep disorders, excellent clinical skills in sleep medicine, a deep understanding of the methods of science, knowledge of the laws of scientific evidence and how they are applied, and many other areas of forensic practice. This is recently published book from the American Psychological Association contains an introduction to these areas of Forensic Sleep Medicine for the potential expert witness and for others who may be involved in legal cases involving sleepwalking, related disorders and other automatisms.
The forensic sleep expert must have expertise and knowledge in sleep science and sleep disorders, excellent clinical skills in sleep medicine, a deep understanding of the methods of science, knowledge of the laws of scientific evidence and how they are applied, and many other areas of forensic practice. This is recently published book from the American Psychological Association contains an introduction to these areas of Forensic Sleep Medicine for the potential expert witness and for others who may be involved in legal cases involving sleepwalking, related disorders and other automatisms.
See section on "The Book" for details as to content and ordering.