Deanna Deaton

Dr. Deaton provides therapeutic services to forensic populations, with particular focus on at risk youth and adults under community supervision. She previously served as associate director of a nonprofit offender reentry program and has worked extensively with female juvenile offenders in residential commitment settings through the Department of Youth. Dr. Deaton has maintained a consulting practice specializing in psycholegal research, case discovery review, and expert report preparation for court ordered assessments. Her evaluative work has addressed competency to stand trial, treatment amenability, risk assessment, dangerousness determinations, and criminal intent. Her research employs qualitative methodologies across diverse forensic domains. Published and ongoing scholarship addresses filicide and neonaticide, anger dysregulation among combat veterans, juvenile firesetting behavior, and suggestibility and confabulation in juvenile forensic interviews. Dr. Deaton is currently pursuing certification in retrospective fatality analysis to provide pro bono consultation services to underserved rural Appalachian communities. Beyond formal teaching responsibilities, Dr. Deaton dedicates substantial voluntary time to mentoring students and scholar practitioners and reflects her commitment to cultivating the next generation of practitioners working at the intersection of mental health and the justice system.

Courses Taught

FPSY 6102/8102 - Intersection of Crime, Psychology, and the Law

FPSY 6126 - Understanding Violence, Risk, and Threat Assessment.

FPSY 6135 - Criminal Behavior

PSYC 6115 - Understanding Forensic Psychology Research

FPSY 8002 - Foundations of Graduate Study in Psychology

RESI 8402 - PhD Residency

FPSY 6915 - Forensic Psychology Field Experience

DPSY 8700 - Dissertation Lab

FPSY 8991 - Dissertation Journey

DPSY 8185 - Writing a Quality Prospectus

FPSY 8400 - Advanced Issues in Forensic Psychology

FPSY 9000 - Dissertation

Education

PhD, Walden University

MA, Liberty University

BS, Liberty University

Awards / Honors

Faculty Excellence Award, Walden University , 2020

Publications

Deaton, D. (2020). Suggestibility and Confabulation Among Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: A Review for Criminal Justice, Forensic Mental Health, and Legal Interviewers. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry

Deaton, D. (2021). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and youth firesetting: A call on criminal justice, emergency responder, and fire prevention specialists to become informed. Behavioral Sciences & the Law

Presentations

Beyer , K., Hickey , E., Deaton , D. (2018). An Analysis of Mothers and Fathers Who Kill Their Children: Examining Offense Characteristics and Adjudication Outcomes. Walden Univeristy