The Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center Evaluation has been undertaken by the USC Leonard Davis School since 2006 and has been supported by several projects. Initial evaluation of the Forensic Center encompassed inquiry into the structure and process of the Center. Downstream, the Evaluating the Elder Abuse Forensic Center Model project added an analysis of three of the Forensic Center’s outcomes, comparing the Forensic Center cases to usual care APS cases on three outcome metrics: prosecution, conservatorship, and reduction of recurrence/recidivism. Most recently, the Evaluating the Cost Effectiveness of the Elder Abuse Forensic Center Model project examined the costs associated with the Forensic Center’s operation and identified the marginal cost of Forensic Center’s attainment of case prosecution, conservatorship, and reduction of recurrence.

During A Cross Site Evaluation of Four California Elder Abuse Forensic Centers, a team from USC compared the structure, process, and outcomes of four Elder Abuse Forensic Center-type models across California, located in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco, and San Diego.

Publications:

• Navarro, A. E., Wilber, K. H., Yonashiro, J., & Homeier, D. (2010). Do we really need another meeting? Lessons from the Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center. The Gerontologist, 50(5), 702-711. [IT MAY MAKE SENSE FOR THIS ONE TO GO UNDER THE CURRENT PROJECTS SECTION INSTEAD/IN ADDITION)
• Navarro, A. E., Gassoumis, Z. D., & Wilber, K. H. (2013). Holding abusers accountable: An elder abuse forensic center increases criminal prosecution of financial exploitation. The Gerontologist, 53(2), 303-312.
• Gassoumis, Z.D., Navarro, A.E., & Wilber, K.H. (2015). Protecting victims of elder financial exploitation: The role of an elder abuse forensic center in referring victims for conservatorship. Aging & Mental Health, 19(9), 790-798.
• Navarro, A. E., Wysong, J., DeLiema, M., Schwartz, E. L., Nichol, M. B., & Wilber, K. H. (2016). Inside the black box: The case review process of an elder abuse forensic center. The Gerontologist, 56(4), 772-781.
• Wilber, K. H., Navarro, A. E., & Gassoumis, Z. D. (2014). Final report: Evaluating the elder abuse forensic center model. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice.
• Nichol, M. B., Wilber, K. H., Wu, J., & Gassoumis, Z. D. (2015). Final report: Evaluating the cost effectiveness of the elder abuse forensic center model. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice.

Contact:

Zach Gassoumis(gassoumi@usc.edu)