The Adam Walsh Act (AWA) prohibits a US citizen petitioner who has been convicted of a specified offense against a minor from having an immigrant visa approved on behalf of a relative. However, the statute provides a “limited exception” if the Secretary of Homeland Security determines the petitioner poses no risk to the beneficiary. This limited exception determination is made after an assessment of the petitioner, usually by a psychologist specialized in treating and assessing individuals who have sexually offended.

Assessments for determining risk under the AWA are intricate, involving evaluators in complex clinical and ethical dilemmas uncommon in typical sexual offender evaluations. During this training, psychologist Dr. Thompson and immigration attorney Mr. Lolly discuss the intricacies of these assessments—what works and what doesn’t—arriving at recommendations from both legal and clinical perspectives.