Welcome from Dean Eric Hickey
Welcome to the California School of Forensic Studies (CSFS). I hope you will take time to explore our website and contact us with any questions.
Our doctorate programs in clinical forensic psychology are the first and largest in the U.S., and emphasize the scholar/practitioner model. With over 50 core and adjunct faculty, students are able to immerse themselves in the more than 50 areas of forensic studies. As you may know, we have experienced substantial growth over the past few years- from 100 students in 2008 to over 430 today. We have established programs on four of Alliant International University's California campuses, and our program directors and faculty are some of the best and brightest in the field.
With strong encouragement from faculty, our students are presenting at national and international professional conferences, are publishing as co-authors with faculty in peer-reviewed journals, and are developing key professional contacts.
For the next several years as we continue to grow and fulfill our mission, there will be many opportunities for you to pursue your academic and professional interests with us. I invite you to inquire about our programs, research, employment and development opportunities. You are welcome to contact us today.
Eric Hickey, Ph.D. - Dean,
California School of Forensic Studies
About Dean Eric Hickey
Dr. Hickey is the Dean of the California School of Forensic Studies at Alliant International University where he oversees the growth and development of the largest clinical forensics studies program in the United States. At Alliant he currently teaches seminars in profiling psychopaths, sex offenders and sexual predators. Dr. Hickey has taught many courses in criminal personalities, sex crimes and paraphilia, homicide, and psychopathology in several universities and colleges, as well as for jail and prison staff. He supervises theses and dissertations involving forensic and criminal psychology. Dr. Hickey has considerable field experience working with the criminally insane, psychopaths, sex offenders and other habitual criminals. He has also served as an adjunct instructor for the American Prosecutor's Research Institute at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina profiling stalkers and cyber-stalkers.
He publishes books, articles and lectures extensively on the etiology of violence and serial crime. His book, Serial Murderers and Their Victims, 2012, 6th ed., (Thompson-Wadsworth-Cengage Publishers), is used as a teaching tool in universities and by law enforcement in studying the nature of violence, criminal personalities and victim-offender relationships. Another of his books, The Encyclopedia of Murder and Violent Crime, (Sage Publishers), explores the phenomenon of murder and violence through the eyes of some of the world’s most noted experts. In 2006 he published Sex Crimes and Paraphilia (Prentice-Hall Publishers), a comprehensive examination of sexual perversions, sex offending and sexual predators. A coauthored book, The Myth of a Psychiatric Crime Wave, (Carolina Academic Press) examines the misperceptions and reality of the mentally ill and mentally disordered as criminals. His current research focuses upon the development of his theory of relational paraphilic attachment (RPA) and sexual predators. He is also writing his first novel, The Crib, a disturbing journey into the minds of psychotics, psychopaths and the criminally insane. His expertise is regularly sought by the media including appearances on CNN, History Channel, NPR, Larry King Live, 20/20, A&E Biography, Good Morning America, CBC, True TV, Discovery and TLC.
He consults with private agencies and testifies as an expert witness in both criminal and civil cases. He is a court qualified expert in paraphilia including pedophilia, child molestation, fetishes; stalking; adult rape and sexual assault; violent criminal behavior including robbery, burglary and homicide (solo and serial).A former consultant to the FBI's UNABOM Task Force, Dr. Hickey currently assists local, state, and federal law enforcement in training and investigations. This includes assisting Peace Officer Service Training (POST) in developing course material and job aids for investigators. He also conducts seminars for agencies involving the profiling and investigating of sex crimes, arson, robbery, homicide, stalking, workplace violence and terrorism as well as workshops for mental health practitioners. Dr. Hickey is a member of an FBI Threat Assessment Regional Evaluation Team that addresses campus violence and potential threats. He is internationally recognized for his research on multiple homicide offenders and has conducted seminars in countries throughout Europe, Asia and North America. He has also trained VIP protection specialists in Israel in profiling stalkers, threat assessment and interventions.