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