Ira Packer

Dr. Packer is currently the Director of Forensic Service for Bridgewater State Hospital, where he oversees the delivery of forensic evaluations (over 1,000 a year) to the District and Superior Courts in Massachusetts.  He is a diplomate in Forensic Psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology and served as Assistant Commissioner for Forensic Services in the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health from 1993-1996.  Dr. Packer is also an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.  At the medical school, Dr. Packer directs the nationally respected Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Forensic Psychology.

Select Publications:
Appelbaum, K.L., Hickey, J.H., & Packer, I.K. (2001). The role of correctional officers in multidisciplinary mental health care in prisons. Psychiatric Services, 52, 1343-1347.

Fisher, W.H., Dickey, B., Normand, S., Packer, I.K., Grudzinskas, A., and   Azeni, H. (2002). Use of a State Inpatient Forensic System Under Managed Mental Health Care. Psychiatric Services, 53, 447-451.

Fisher W.H., Packer I.K., Banks S.M., Smith D., Simon L.J., and Roy-Bujnowski K. (2002). Self-reported lifetime psychiatric hospitalization histories of jail detainees with mental disorders: Comparison with a non-incarcerated national sample. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 29,458-465.

Vitacco, M.J and Packer, I.K. (2004). Mania and Insanity: An Analysis of Legal Standards and Recommendations for Clinical Practice. Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice, 4, 83-95.

Pinals, D .A., Packer I,K., Fisher W., and Roy-Bujnowski. K. (2004).Relationship between race and ethnicity and forensic clinical triage dispositions. Psychiatric Services, 55, 873-878.