Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Forensic psychology'

An emerging area of study has begun to look at the perceptions of justice of the family and friends of crime victims – or, secondary victims. It is important to improve understanding of secondary victims’ experiences of justice, partly because knowledge about how they perceive justice may help forensic psychologists assist them more effectively. This research attempted to assess how well existing justice theories could account for secondary victims’ perceptions of justice, and also help determine what is important to them. Using the largely ignored group of secondary victims of non-sexual violent crime, the research consisted of two interrelated stages. In Stage One, qualitative analysis was used to determine the justice perceptions of 22 secondary victims. The findings revealed that a combination of principles from various theories of justice were present in secondary victims’ views. However, participants also endorsed unique aspects of victimisation that did not link directly to existing theories. Importantly, many participants made primary victim and offender outcome comparisons using seven variables. Three related to the primary victim and four related to the offender. A second stage of research involved 156 potential secondary victim participants drawn from the community. They responded to a scenario involving a victim of crime, in order to determine whether they considered the same seven variables identified in Stage One in deciding whether justice had been achieved for that victim. The results showed that participants considered these variables when making comparisons of outcomes, and did so irrespective of whether they felt justice had been achieved in the given scenario. Overall, the findings of the two stages of this research represented an important step towards a more comprehensive understanding of the justice experiences and perceptions of secondary victims of violent crime, and therefore have important implications for forensic psychologists working with this group.

Background: Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) has been increasingly utilised in forensic services to target emotional dysregulation that may be linked with self-harm, suicide, offending behaviour, and institutional rule-breaking, yet no systematic review of empirical research in this area has been carried out. Aim: To explore the nature and quality of research into the uses and effectiveness of comprehensive DBT and DBT skills training in forensic services. Method: An electronic search for studies utilising DBT with a forensic sample was carried out using PsycInfo, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge databases. Reference lists of relevant retrieved papers were also examined. Results: After application of exclusion criteria, a total of thirteen papers were reviewed. The interventions targeted a range of psychosocial variables related to emotions, personality, self-evaluation, psychopathology, coping strategies, self-harm/suicide, risk, and offending behaviour including institutional rule-breaking. They were broadly categorised into studies that specifically targeted individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in the criminal justice system, and studies that targeted the general offender population. Conclusions: When similar outcomes were assessed across studies, there were no consistent improvements in any emotional, psychological, cognitive, interpersonal, or behavioural variables. Implications of methodology and study quality are highlighted and recommendations for future research are made.

Forensic psychology is a distinct specialization requiring practitioners to approach problems differently than in other psychological specialties. While the use of problem-based learning in the medical field is well-researched, there is a lack of literature regarding its use in forensic psychology. This quantitative survey-based study was designed to investigate the relationship between learning models and personality traits and job satisfaction in forensic psychologists. In the current study, an adaption of Vygotsky’s constructivist zone of proximal development theory and Holland’s theory of career choice were applied to forensic psychology instruction to assess the degree to which personality and learning models interrelate among forensic psychologists. Overall, the sample population of 49 forensic psychology professionals experienced moderate to high levels of job satisfaction, irrespective of personality. No statistical significance was found with regard to learning model, personality, and job satisfaction. While not statistically significant, the findings do highlight a personality typology that differed from the overarching psychology profession. Holland’s theory categorized individuals in the psychology/psychologist profession as social and artistic. In the current study approximately 37% identified as investigative, while only 4% identified as artistic. It may be beneficial to expand the inclusion criteria to international participants to provide additional statistical analysis with a larger data set. Positive social change may result from an increased awareness of which personality types are better aligned to the forensic psychology profession.

Includes bibliography.
The discussion in this paper centers around the development of a paper-and-pencil fact sheet for collecting and systematizing forensic case material. This paper-and-pencil device is the prototype fact sheet that will be used to collect the data to form a computerized, forensic information system. The system, known as FOCIS, the Forensic Computerized Information System, will serve the largest Forensic Unit in the Western Cape, at Valkenberg Hospital, and the new unit that is being developed at Lentegeur Hospital. FOCIS will comprise case material from all forensic referrals to these two hospitals, under the present law: Sections 77, 78 and 79 of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of the 1st of July 1977. Additionally, FOCIS will develop dynamically, continuing to incorporate case material as referrals are made to these hospitals. The estimated 7500 cases that will constitute FOCIS by the time this project is completed, include all of the officially classified population groups of South Africa, i.e. the so-called 'black', 'coloured' and 'white' groups [POPULATION REGISTRATION ACT, 1982]. The prototype fact sheet has a schematic layout and uses a mixed-format for data collection, i.e. checklists, multiple choice answer-options and semi-structured narrative text.

The level of burnout among a sample of Western Australian psychologists and a comparison of scores to the American normative sample of mental health workers was investigated. The study was also particularly interested to explore whether issues pertinent to the forensic psychologist were predictive of burnout. Burnout was measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), which comprises three components: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and low personal accomplishment The study explored whether characteristics in relation to the psychologist, the client and the workplace had predictive value for the level of burnout. Variables considered across these characteristics were age and gender, client problem type and voluntary status of the client and work setting and caseload, respectively. Within these, variables considered more likely to occur within the forensic psychologist's work included, working predominantly with behavioural problems, involuntary clients and within a prison setting. Participants included 90 psychologists from a variety of work settings in Western Australia. The sample were found to be experiencing greater emotional exhaustion, but less depersonalization and particularly less burnout attributable to low personal accomplishment than their American counterparts. Despite the finding that over one fifth of the sample were experiencing emotional exhaustion, the overall prevalence of burnout across the components, particularly in relation to personal accomplishment, was low. In relation to the predictive value of the variables considered, multiple regression analyses were conducted for each burnout component. Findings suggest that working with clients in relation to behavioural issues, but particularly being a female had a significant main effect on burnout attributable to emotional exhaustion. Gender appears to be a significant predictor independently of all other variables considered. Further, findings suggest that working greater hours with clients could provide a buffering effect on burnout attributable to low personal accomplishment. None of the variables considered had any impact on depersonalization. Working in a prison setting and with involuntary clients did not predict burnout. Although working with predominantly behavioural issues is associated with forensic work, the overall findings challenge the assumption that psychologists working within the forensic arena are at increased risk of burnout

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 90-96).
Intimate femicide is prevalent in South Africa, and represents the lethal end of a continuum of male perpetrated intimate partner violence. For various reasons attention has only begun to be paid to intimate femicide in the last three decades. International research has established existing rates for intimate femicide, mostly in North America and the United Kingdom, and has confirmed that intimate femicide constitutes a unique form of homicide, which does not fit with the established patterns for other forms of homicide. South African studies have predominantly focused on establishing the rate of intimate femicide in the country. This study sought to examine a smaller number of intimate femicides (n=24) within a broader context in order to provide information, not only on the perpetrator and the victim, but also the state and status of their relationship, and to investigate how the perpetrator accounts for the event.

The forensic artists who create suspect composite drawings of wanted criminals for law enforcement agencies are frequently exposed to the details of traumatic events. The manner and degree to which this exposure to details of violence affects the perceptions and lives of these artists comprise the basis of this phenomenological study. Interviews with 8 experienced forensic artists include inquiries about their background and training and their perceptions of the most disturbing type of crimes, and also about how they subjectively process the traumatic material received via the cognitive interviews that they conduct with victims and witnesses of violent crime. Perceptions of a more comprehensive effect of violence on society are also explored. Other pivotal aspects of this study include the manner in which memories of criminal cases are evoked, and specifically the way in which specific facial features that these artists have imaged in composites may act as triggers to these memories. The results of this inquiry reveal the varied degrees to which these forensic artists are conscious of the effects of this repeated exposure to traumatic detail. However, conscious revelations of such an impact on their lives occur frequently during the research interviews due to the narrative process of specific cases with which they had been involved. Recommended future research includes further exploration of specific facial features as triggers to traumatic memory and of the gender of the forensic artist may have on the perception of facial features and their translatable meanings within the context of a suspect composite interview.

This study examines the quality of forensic assessments conducted by mental health professionals to determine competency to stand trial. Data were collected from 68 cases involving Rule 11 proceedings in the Superior Court of the State of Arizona for Pima County from 1986 through 1989. Two raters independently evaluated the court order forms and rated each report on recommended assessment and reporting procedures. Percent agreement and Cohen's Kappa results revealed moderate to excellent inter-rater reliability. These results suggested that competency to stand trial assessments lacked basic information recommended by acknowledged experts and written Arizona Bar Association (A.B.A.) standards. Implications of these findings suggest the establishment of a multi-disciplinary panel to examine and evaluate the court order forms and utilization of assessment and reporting procedures in Competency to Stand Trial proceedings.

Prison sexual violence is prevalent and impacts the witnesses to it. Previous literature has fully discussed the victims of prison sexual violence; however there remains an important gap in the current literature regarding the experiences of witnesses. The purpose of the present qualitative case study was to explore the lived experiences of witnesses to prison sexual violence. The theoretical foundation of this study was the self-categorization theory linked to the prison code of silence. Four ex-inmates answered semi structured interview questions. Transcripts were coded and themes developed. Five themes that emerged were exposure (to prison sexual violence), ineffective guards, avoidance (of witnessing prison sexual violence), distress, and violence. The themes of this study add more information to the literature regarding witnessing prison sexual violence by expanding information beyond aggression and violence. Recommendations from this research can assist prison administrators with assisting to break the prison code of silence; which would enhance social change.

Introduction Evolutionary psychology (EP) is a discipline born between evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and physical anthropology. It's both a theoretical and practical scientific discipline which principal purpose is to study human behavior, in order to understand the biological and evolutionary causes that generated it. Evolutionary psychology finds its roots in the Darwinian theory, considering human behavior as the product of adaptations to recurring problems in the ancestral environment, which evolved as functional results of natural or sexual selection forces. A branch of this discipline, Evolutionary forensic psychology, is a burgeoning fieldwhich explores the application of science and the profession of psychology to questions and issues relating to the law and legal systems. It make use of empirical methodologies, as fieldwork, the method mutually exclusive of multiple hypotheses, and the deductive investigative logic, which allowsto create psychological profiles. These profiles are based on objective data from the analysis of the cases, and aim to predict and understand biological motives that led people to commit violent behavior. Evolutionary forensic psychology promise to be a useful tool to study and analyze the variables of different situations, in order to assist and direct police and defensive investigations. In this PhD research I addressed different aspects and applications of this discipline. In the specific, during my research period at Philippe-Pinel research institute of Montrèal, Canada, I have explored the application of evolutionary psychology in the study of presence, a psychological state akin to perceptual illusion, first identified by cognitive and cyber psychology, and here analyzed as sexual presence. However , my research has mainly concentrated on the study of the adaptive value of maternal infanticide, with a special focus on the phenomenon of maternal neonaticide, here meant as "reproductive disinvestment", and its social and legal implications. Following this line of research, as part of the Evolutionary Forensic Psychology Laboratory, I experienced the role of the investigative psychologist, attending as defensive consultant a case of suspected maternal infanticide. Applying the methodology of evolutionary forensic psychology, I conducted, with my supervisor, an interdisciplinary research between forensic psychobiology and legal medicine, aiming to verify the validity of tympanic and rectal temperature in estimating the time of death. I suggest that the results of this research had relevant consequences both in medico-legal and investigative domain but, above all, our outcomes brought to light a number of methodological errors, that are systematically made in our country during the crime scene investigation and the rescuing in outdoor conditions. According to these findings, I have analyzed the European Guidelines for resuscitation in wild conditions, and I took in exam what happens in the practice in our country. Finally I present representative cases, where the time of death was a crucial data, but its erroneous interpretations led to controversial verdicts. The sexual presence model Introduction to the concept of presence Presence is defined as a psychological state or subjective perception causing an individual to give into the illusions created by a computerizing system., it’s a real feeling of been immersed in a virtual environment, mediated by emotional states and biological predispositions. In the practice, it is very important to define and measure the feeling of presence, since Virtual Reality is used to for a large number of purpose. Most recent research show how useful virtual reality is in medical context, both in diagnosis and treatment assessments. According to this, here is presented a special kind of the feeling of presence, the sexual presence, which describes the particular psychological cognitive and physical feeling generate by the experience of sexuality through different media, as erotic movies or chat-line. Aim of the theory To define and understanding sexual presence is crucial to maximize and recall this feeling in an experimental context. In fact, virtual reality is a powerful tool to assess sexual fantasies and interests in individual. Especially with child molesters, and sexual offenders. To get the highest level of presence, which integrates, the users need as much identification as possible inside the virtual system, which should be provided by the developer through a convincing and controlled motor and perceptual illusion. For all these reasons, this work aims to identify the features of sexual presence, and how to induce it in an experimental situation. Main aspects of the sexual presence model Sexual presence is an evolutionary phenomenon featured by motivational emotional and physical feelings, that an individual experiences when exposed to internal or external stimuli, like erotic movies, on-line erotic chat and most of all, sexual fantasies. Sexual presence arises from an adequate combination of form and contents, and is strictly related to sexual arousal and sexual behavior. Following Riva and colleagues (2011) this work identified three sub-processes of sexual presence: proto, core and extended presence, which are deeply connected, and represent both in conscious and in unconscious behaviors and in intents that features sexual presence, and they differ from male and female. This three level model should be well-known when we need to induce sexual presence in experimental context. Thus to maximize sexual presence it is important to identified the erotic imagery features for each participant, and to develop a virtual environment which is significant to the participant. Conclusion This model could be particularly useful in the study of paraphilias and sexual behavior disordered using virtual reality system. In fact, at the present time, the research team I worked with at the Philippe-Pinel Institute, is applying this model in the study of evolutionary hypothesis on rape. Mothers Who Kill Their Offspring: Testing Evolutionary Hypothesis in a 110-case Italian Sample Introduction and aim The killing of a child by own biological mother has occurred in our species since its origin, most probably in every culture and every population. According to evolutionary theory, the killing of offspring by its own mother may, under certain conditions, represent an evolved behavioural pattern that increases the reproductive fitness of the mother. This research aimed to identify incidents of mothers in Italy killing their own children, verifying if neonaticide (killings of children within the first day of life), infanticide (killing of children within the first year of life), and filicide (killing of children after the first year of life) can be objectively distinguished by psychobiological profiles that might help to prevent them, and testing an adaptive evolutionary hypothesis to explain their occurrence. Methods 110 cases of mothers killing 123 of their own offspring from 1976 to 2010 were analyzed. Each case was classified using 13 dichotomic (yes/no) variables. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical cluster analysis were performed both for cases and variables, and significant differences between clusters were analyzed. Results: The Italian sample of neonaticides was found to satisfy most evolutionary predictions for an evolved behavioral, emotional and motivational pattern to increase fitness, showing a consistent profile for the offending mothers. All neonaticide cases fall in a single cluster, distinct from all other cases. Infanticide and filicide, on the contrary, do not significantly differ according to the variables measured (marital status, conditions of the body, mothers age, violent killing, other sons, psychopathology, economical condition, suicide, nationality). The common profile of mothers who have committed infanticide or filicide includes psychopathology, suicide or attempted suicide after killing their children, violent killing of their victims, and no attempt to conceal the victims’ bodies. These results suggest that maternal infanticide and filicide represent an improper functioning of adaptation, and their profile are much more variable than those of neonaticide offenders. Conclusion: Our study confirms that only neonaticide is an adaptive reproductive disinvestment, possibly evolved in the remote past, to increase the biological fitness of the mother by eliminating an unwanted newborn and preserving resources for future offspring born in better conditions. I here show that Neonaticide is clearly distinct from infanticide and filicide and therefore should be approached, prevented, and judged differently in penal assessment. Why mothers kill newborn: a focus on Italian sample Introduction and aims In the light of the results just presented, it has been defined deeply the phenomenon of neonaticide in our country. In line with the literature, our previous outcomes show that neonaticidal mothers are young women, in bad socio-economical situation, who can’t grow their offspring, due to a so defined “reproductive comprehensive instinct”. The socio-biological profile of these women seems very similar to those who decide to have an abortion: renounce to a pregnancy, in this case, doesn’t mean to go against the reproductive instinct, but preserveenergy and resources for a future pregnancy. Here we compared the profiles of neonaticidal mothers and women who decide to interrupt their pregnancy, in order to identify risk factors and contribute to the prevention of this phenomena. Methods 35 cases of neonaticide were analyzed. Each case was classified using 7 main dichotomic variables. To analyze possible risk factors, all data have been normalized, based on the actual frequency of the reference populations, in order to have comparable values, according to ISTAT 2002. Results This study shows that neonaticide and abortion share similar traits, especially concerning the young age of the women. The profile of these women “at risk” suggests that they are 1) normally at their first birth, 2) usually very young with 3) a great residual reproductive potential and (4) immigrated from another country. Conclusion The results here presented might have important implications in therapeutic assessment, as the identification of risk factors, to offer and promote adequate socio-psychological support to at risk future mothers. Evaluation of tympanic and rectal temperature measurements to estimate the time of death in accidents in cold water Introduction and aims The reliable measurement of core deep body temperature is fundamental to estimate the time of death (TOD) in Hessnge nomogram. The golden standard is measuring through rectal or oesophagus probe. Recently infrared tympanic thermometers (ITT), have substituted in some cases the golden standard. We assisted, as defense consultants, a case of suspect maternal infanticide, where the emergency service revealed a deep temperature of 24.9° C with ITT on a female victim of 2 years old, immersed in a 18° C river. The ITT estimated time of death, which seemed to be the only strong evidence against the mother, was in contrast with the predictions from most other biological and thanatological evidences (bloodgas analysis and myocardium electric activity). I could ascertain that according to the psycho-biological profile, the mother had no motive to kill her daughter. To validate the TOD evidence, this work aimed to provide a reliable correlation between the golden standard and infrared tympanic temperature to be eventually used in this and future cases of TOD measurements in accidents occurring in cold water. Methods To compare the ITT and the rectal probe temperature measurements, we tested laboratory rats, in three different conditions: dry alive, immersed alive in 18C° water, and immersed dead (by cervical dislocation) in 18°C water. To sample infrared temperature, we used 3 infrared thermometers. Genius 3000 A (used in this forensic case, 2 samples) and Genius 2 (the most popular at present in Italian emergency services). The rectal temperature was assessed using a rectal probe connected to a monitor Propaq. We also tested the accuracy of ITT, recording body temperatures on a human volunteer before during and after exposing its right ear to 3 minutes running water at 18°C and subsequently dried. Results The Genius 2 stopped registering at 33°C and never resumed recording following the first measurement after the rat was submersed in water. This observation was a posteriori confirmed in the user manual, which stated that this thermometer stopped reading below 33°C. When the rats were submerged in the 18°C running water, the rectal temperature began to decline steadily. The tympanic temperature recorded with Genius 3000A, in contrast, dropped sharply from 34°C to 24°C after the rats were submerged alive in the water. After their deaths, the rectal temperatures continued to decline steadily without major variations, while the tympanic temperature fluctuated above water temperature. On the human volunteer ITT measures immediately fell under 19C°, while the whole body temperature, remained unchanged at 36.5C°. ITT measurements recovered the subject correct body temperature after 33 minutes from water exposure. Conclusion In water-related accidents, such as near drowning, infrared ear thermometry is not a suitable method to measure the actual deep body temperature. Further, confirming these results, the temperature readings of the ITT device provide unreliable measurements of the core temperature. This inaccuracy could lead to inappropriate medical decisions, and thus, we suggest ITT measurements should not be utilised for such cases. Moreover, the use of the ITT Genius 2 is not recommended in emergency settings, especially in case of hypothermia due to his its incapacity to register under 33 C°. Errors, Guidelines and Remarks: what happens in the practice? Introduction and aims The results of previous study left a lot of unanswered questions. The bulk of knowledge necessary to diagnosis of the time of death, known as thanatology, is a multidisciplinary field of study, that includes forensic pathology to biology, through chemistry, physics and also forensic entomology., Assessing the victims time of death is a crucial point in forensic practice: it allows investigators to clarify the last hours alive of the victims, it also helps to point out the causes of death and, moreover, it’s crucial to substantiate suspicious alibis. Nevertheless, before becoming a crime scene, the environment and setting where a body is found, is a place where someone need to be rescued and treated by medical assistance, and this interferes with thanatological requirements. Here we aim to analyze what happens in the forensic and medico-legal practice in our country. Methods We have analyzed the European guidelines for resuscitation in wild conditions as hypothermia and drowning in cold water, with a focus on what are the suggestions for estimating the core temperature, both for the resuscitation procedure and the estimation of the time of death. Then we took in consideration what happens in Italian emergency services and which procedures, if any, they implement in the described conditions. Those data were found on the Hospital’s websites, in our Country. Finally, we have examined some relevant cases, taken from the analysis of specialized books and from the archives of major newspapers that have followed the penal processes reported, where the investigation of the crime scene and the estimation of the time of death were decisive to solve the crime. Results The European guidelines for resuscitation are very precise concerning the treatment for a patient affected by injuries due to hypothermia or drowning. But they are not that specific for what concern the use of a particular method to register the core temperature. In the forensic practice the methodology to estimate the TOD is heterogeneous. In Italy, the guidelines to resuscitation are provided just at local level, and it’s not even mandatory to have a temperature recording device on the ambulance. Conclusion We found out that procedural mistakes and lack of univocal rules in the practice have led to controversial outcomes in legal processes. Our work urges further studies regarding the techniques to estimate the post- mortem period, and suggests an adequate training for the rescue teams members, to provide the best care and to preserve such important evidence as TOD. General Conclusions In this thesis I’ve explored the applications of evolutionary psychology in the forensic practice, outlining the role of the investigative psychologist. The research outcomes might have both theoretical and practical implications. First, It has been described for the first time the sexual presence, which is a phenomena which might be involved in the assessment of paraphilias and violent behavior with virtual reality. Second, it has been found that maternal neonaticide, in our species, has an evolutionary cause, and the neonaticidal woman profile is different from infanticidal and filicide ones. These suggestions have relevant effects in the investigation phase, in correctional assessment, and also in the definitions of preventive measurement targeted to at-risk future mothers. Third, collaborating as consultant in a case of suspect infanticide, I found that the tympanic temperature, very used in the practice, is not a valuable measure to assess the time of death in extreme outdoor conditions, where the body core temperature is essential. In light of these results, it has been noticed the lack of regulations in our country about the estimating of TOD, and I provide suggestions to improve medico –legal and resuscitation actions in the forensic practice. These studies show the versatility and the practical value of evolutionary psychology in the forensic domain. In fact, the most important outcome of this work is to demonstrate how the techniques and theories learned and explored during three PhDs years, have important applications in the clinical, criminological and forensic practice, and how it could be important to carry on researches in evolutionary forensic psychology, due to its social implications.
Introduzione La psicologia evoluzionistica è una disciplina che proviene dall’incontro tra diverse materie, quali la biologia evoluzionistica, le scienze cognitive e l’antropologia fisica. E’ una disciplina basata sull’approccio scientifico, il cui principale obbiettivo è comprendere le cause biologiche ed evoluzionistiche che hanno generato il comportamento umano. La psicologia evoluzionistica affonda le radici nella teoria Darwiniana, che considera il comportamento umano come un prodotto dell’evoluzione dei diversi adattamenti a problemi ricorrenti che i nostri antenati hanno dovuto risolvere in un ambiente ancestrale, presumibilmente plio-pleistocenico. Questi comportamenti si sono evoluti sotto la spinta della selezione naturale e sessuale. Una branca di questa disciplina, la psicologia evoluzionistica forense, è un settore di studio in grande espansione, che studia l’applicazione della scienza e il ruolo di psicologo nell’analisi di aspetti forensi e legali. Questa disciplina si avvale dell’approccio empirico, come lo studio sul campo, il metodo delle ipotesi multiple mutuamente esclusive, e il ragionamento logico-deduttivo, che consente di creare profili psicologici basati su dati oggettivi provenienti dall’analisi dei casi, con lo scopo di comprendere e predire i moventi biologici che portano le persone a commettere comportamenti violenti. Per questi motivi la psicologia evoluzionistica forense si appresta ad essere un valido strumento nell’analisi delle diverse variabili in situazioni differenti, così da assistere e guidare l’operato delle forze dell’ordine e delle indagini difensive. Durante il mio dottorato, ho potuto esplorarediversi aspetti e applicazioni di questa disciplina. Nello specifico, durante il mio periodo di ricerca all’estero, presso l’Istituto di ricerca Philippe-Pinel di Montrèal, in Canada, ho applicato le teorie della psicologia evoluzionistica nello studio del concetto di “presence” uno stato psicologico derivante dall’illusione percettiva, originariamente identificato dalla cyber psicologia cognitiva, e qui analizzato come “sexual presence”. Tuttavia, la mia ricerca si è principalmente concentrata nello studio del valore adattivo dell’infanticidio materno, con particolare attenzione al fenomeno del neonaticidio, qui inteso come “disinvestimento riproduttivo”, e le sue implicazioni sociali e legali. Grazie a questi studi, in collaborazione con il laboratorio di psicologia evoluzionistica, ho collaborato come consulente della difesa, in un caso di sospetto infanticidio materno. Applicando le metodologie della psicologia evoluzionistica forense, ho condotto, in collaborazione con il mio supervisor, il Prof. Andrea Camperio Ciani, un ricerca interdisciplinare a cavallo tra la psicobiologia forense e la medicina legale, il cui obiettivo è stato quello di verificare la validità delle temperature rettali e timpaniche nella stima dell’ora del decesso. Il risultato di questi esperimenti potrebbero avereconseguenze rilevanti sia dal punto di vista medico legale che medico investigativo, ma soprattutto, ha mostrato come, nel nostro paese, vengano commessi diversi errori durante l’analisi della scena del crimine e nelle fasi del salvataggio in situazioni estreme. Alla luce di questi risultati ho preso in esame le linee guida per la rianimazione in situazioni estreme, osservando quello che succede nel nostro Paese, portando come esempio dei casi rappresentativi in cui la stima del decesso era un dato fondamentale, ma la cui erronea o incompleta interpretazione ha portato a risultati controversi. Il modello della sexual presence Introduzione al concetto di presence La presence è un stato psicologico, una percezione soggettiva che fa sì che un individuo sperimenti l’illusione creata da un computer, definibile come una sensazione reale di essere immersi in un ambiente virtuale mediata da stati emotivi e predisposizioni biologiche, nella pratica è molto importante definire e misurare la sensazione di presence, in quanto la realtà virtuale ha diverse applicazioni. Recenti ricerche hanno mostrato l’importanza della realtà virtuale nel contesto diagnostico e trattamentale, per questo motivo, in questa tesi viene presentata uno speciale aspetto della presence, la sexual presence, che descrive la sensazione psicologica, cognitiva e fisica generata dall’esperienza della sessualità tramite diversi media, come ad esempio i film o le chat-line erotiche. Scopi della teoria Comprendere e definire la sexual presence è fondamentale per massimizzare e richiamare questa sensazione nel contesto sperimentale. Infatti, la realtà virtuale è uno strumento efficace per testare le fantasie e gli interessi sessuali degli individui, in particolarecon i molestatori sessuali e i pedofili. Per raggiungere il massimo livello di presence, gli utenti o i soggetti in esame,hanno bisogno della massima identificazione possibile all’interno del sistema virtuale, che dovrebbe essere fornita dai programmatori, attraverso un’illusione percettiva e motoria controllata e convincente. Per tutte queste ragioni, questo studio si pone l’obiettivo di identificare le caratteristiche della sexual presence e di come indurla in una condizione sperimentale. Principali aspetti del modello La sexual presence è un fenomeno che ha delle basi evolutive, caratterizzato da sensazioni motivazionali, emozionali e fisiche, che un individuo sperimenta quando esposto a stimoli, esterni o interni, come film erotici, chat-line erotiche e, soprattutto, le fantasie sessuali. La sexual presence è generata da una combinazione adeguata di forma e contenuto, ed è strettamente connessa all’eccitazione e al comportamento sessuali. Seguendo le nozioni di Riva e colleghi (2011), questo lavoro identifica tre sub-processi che sottostanno alla sexual presence: la proto la core e la extended presence, che sono strettamente connessi e rappresentano comportamenti ed intenti sia consci che inconsci, e che si differenziano tra maschi e femmine. Questo modello a tre livelli dovrebbe essere ben noto, nel momento in cui si vuole indurre la massima sensazione di presence in un esperimento. Quindi, per massimizzare la sensazione di presence è importante identificare l’immaginario erotico di ogni partecipante e sviluppare un ambiente virtuale che sia significativo per il partecipante. Conclusioni Questo modello potrebbe essere particolarmente utile nello studio delle parafilie e dei disturbi del comportamento sessuale tramite realtà virtuale. Infatti, attualmente, il gruppo di ricerca a cui ho partecipato al Philippe- Pinel Institute, sta applicando questo modello nello studio delle ipotesi evoluzionistiche sullo stupro, tramite realtà virtuale. Madri che uccidono: studio su un campione di 110 casi in Italia Introduzione e obiettivi L’omicidio di un bambino da parte della madre biologica accade nella nostra sin dalle origini, in ogni cultura e popolazione. Secondo la teoria evoluzionistica, l’omicidio materno della prole può, in alcune circostanze, rappresentare un comportamento adattivo che si è evoluto per aumentare la fitness riproduttiva della madre. Questa ricerca si pone l’obiettivo di identificare l’incidenza delle madri che uccidono i loro figli nel nostro paese, verificando se il neonaticidio (l’omicidio dei neonati entro le 24 ore dal parto), l’infanticidio (entro il primo anno di vita) e il figlicidio (dopo il primo di vita), possono essere oggettivamente distinti in profili psicobiologici che possono aiutare a prevenirli, e testare le ipotesi evoluzionistiche adattive per spiegarne le dinamiche. Metodi Sono stati analizzati 110 casi di madri che hanno ucciso 123 bambini, dal 1976 al 2010. Ogni caso è stato classificato utilizzando 13 variabili dicotomiche. Sul campione sono state effettuate analisi statistiche descrittive e una analisi per cluster, sia per casi che per variabili, analizzando poi le differenze significative tra i gruppi. Risultati Il campione italiano dei neonaticidi ha soddisfatto tutte le ipotesi evoluzionistiche, per un pattern di comportamenti emozioni e motivazioni volte ad aumentare la fitness riproduttiva, mostrando un profilo consistente per madri neonaticide. Tutti i casi di questo tipo sono stati raggruppati in un unico cluster, diviso dagli altri casi. Infanticidio e figlicidio non differiscono significativamente per nessuna delle variabili prese in esame (stato civile, condizioni del corpo, età della madre, modus operandi, psicopatologia, suicidio e nazionalità). Il profilo della madre che ha commesso infanticidio e figlicidio è caratterizzato da psicopatologia, suicidio o tentato suicidio, modus operandi violento e nessun tentativo di nascondere il corpo della vittima. Questi risultati suggeriscono che il figlicidio e l’infanticidio siano due comportamenti maladattivi, e il loro profilo sia molto più variabile di quello delle neonaticide. Conclusioni Questi studio conferma che solo il neonaticidio è un disinvestimento riproduttivo adattivo, evolutosi in un passato remoto, con lo scopo di aumentare la fitness riproduttiva materna eliminando un figlio non voluto e preservandole risorse per una prole future, in condizioni migliori. Il neonaticidio si è dimostrato essere chiaramente distinto dall’infanticidio e come tale dovrebbe essere affrontato, prevenuto e giudicato in tribunale. Perchè le madri uccidono I neonati: focus su un campione italiano Introduzione e obiettivi Alla luce dei risultati appena presentati, è stato analizzato più in profondità il fenomeno del neonaticidio nel nostro paese. In linea con la letteratura, i nostri precedenti risultati mostrano che le madri neonaticide sono donne giovani, in condizioni socio-economiche difficile, che non possono crescere i propri figli, a causa di un cosiddetto “istinto riproduttivo complessivo”. Il profilo socio-biologico di queste donne sembra essere molto simile a quello delle donne che decidono di abortire: ovvero rinunciare alla gravidanza in questo caso non significa andare contro all’istinto riproduttivo, ma conservare le energie e le risorse per una gravidanza futura. In questo lavoro ho confrontato il profilo della madre neonaticida e della donna che decide di interrompere la propria gravidanza, con lo scopo di identificare i fattori di rischio e contribuire alla prevenzione del fenomeno. Metodi Sono stati analizzati 35 casi di neonaticidio, ogni caso è stato analizzato utilizzando 7 variabili dicotomiche. Per comparare i possibili fattori di rischio tutti i dati sono stati normalizzati sulla base delle frequenze della popolazione di riferimento, secondo i dati forniti dall’ISTAT 2002. Risultati Lo studio ha messo in luce come il neonaticidio e l’aborto abbiano aspetti simili, soprattutto per quanto concerne la giovane età delle donne. Il profilo di queste donne a rischio suggerisce che esse sono 1) alla loro prima gravidanza 2) solitamente molto giovani con 3) un grande potenziale riproduttivo residuo e 4) immigrate da un paese straniero. Conclusioni I risultati riportati hanno significative implicazioni nellavalutazione terapeuticoa, e nella definizione dei fattori di rischio, per indirizzare, promuovere ed offrire un adeguato sostegno socio-psicologico alle future madri in difficoltà. ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬Valutazione delle temperature timpaniche e rettali nella stima dell’ora del decesso in incidenti in acque fredde. Introduzione ed obiettivi La corretta rilevazione della temperature profonda del corpo è fondamentale nella stima dell’ora del decesso (SOD) nel nomogramma di Hengge. Lo standard è la misurazione rettale o esofagea. Recentemente però, i termometri timpanici ad infrarossi hanno sostituito, in alcuni casi, lo standard previsto. Come parte del Laboratorio di Psicologia Evoluzionistica Forense, ho assistito come consulente della difesa, un caso di infanticidio materno, dove il Pronto Soccorso ha registrato sul corpo della vittima di due anni, immerso nell’acqua corrente di fiume fredda a 18C°, la temperatura timpanica di 24.9C°. L’ora del decesso stimata tramite termometro timpanico ad infrarossi, è risultata essere la sola evidenza contro la madre nel processo, e sembrava essere in contrasto con molte delle prove tanatologiche e biologiche rilevate (emogas analisi e attività elettrica miocardica). Secondo il profilo psico-biologico, la madre non aveva alcun movente per uccidere la figlia. Pertanto, per verificare la correttezza della SOD, abbiamo studiato la correlazione tra la temperature rettale e quella timpanica, in caso di ritrovamento di cadavere in acque fredde. Metodi Per confrontare le due temperature, sono stati utilizzati 3 ratti da laboratorio, in 3 diverse condizioni: vivo, immerse vivo a 18°C, e immerso, sempre alla medesima temperature, ma deceduto tramite dislocazione cervicale. Per la temperatura timpanica abbiamo utilizzato 3 termometri ad infrarossi, il Genius 3000 A (2 campioni, usato nel caso in oggetto) e il Genius 2 (il più utilizzato nei Pronto Soccorsi italiani). La temperatura rettale è stata registrata tramite una sonda rettale connessa ad un monitor Propaq. Abbiamo inoltre testato l’accuratezza della temperatura timpanica, misurandola sia prima che durante che dopo, su un volontario maschio adulto umano, il cui orecchio è stato esposto per 3 minuti sotto acqua corrente a 18C° e successivamente asciugato. Risultati Il Genius 2 ha smesso di registrare la temperatura a 33C° e non è mai ripartito, dopo la prima misurazione sul ratto immerso in acqua. Questa osservazione è stata poi confermata anche dal manuale, che riportava appunto l’incapacità dello strumento di registrare al di sotto dei 33C°. Una volta immersi in acqua movimentata a 18 C° la temperatura rettale dei soggetti cominciava a scendere molto lentamente. La temperatura timpanica, registrata tramite Genius 3000°, al contrario, precipita da 34C° a 24C° non appena immersi. Dopo la soppressione, la temperatura rettale continua a scendere senza particolari variazioni, mentre la temperatura rettale si arresta fluttuando poco al di sopra della temperatura dell’acqua. La temperatura timpanica del volontario umano, dopo l’esposizione all’acqua fredda, precipita sotto i19C°, mentre la temperatura corporea rimane invariata intorno ai 36.5C°. La temperatura timpanica è ritornata a misurare la corretta temperatura basale dopo 33 minuti dall’esposizione. Conclusioni In incidenti avvenuti in acque fredde, come nel caso degli annegamenti, il termometro timpanico ad infrarossi risulta essere un metodo non corretto per misurare la temperatura corporea profonda. Questa in accuratezza può portare a decisioni mediche imprecise, e le conclusioni di questo lavoro suggeriscono che la temperatura timpanica non venga utilizzata in casi come questi. Inoltre, l’utilizzo del Genius 2, è sconsigliato nei Pronto Soccorsi, specialmente in casi di ipotermia data la sua incapacità di registrare temperature inferiori ai 33 C°. Errori, Linee guida e suggerimenti: cosa succede nella pratica? Introduzione ed obiettivi I risultati dello studio precedente hanno lasciato aperte diverse questioni. La diagnosi dell’epoca della morte, conosciuta come tanatologia, è un campo multidisciplinare, che include la patologia forense, la biologia, la chimica, la fisica e addirittura l’entomologia forense. Infatti, la SOD è un punto fondamentale nella pratica forense: permette agli investigatoti di fare luce sulle ultime ore di vita della vittima, chiarisce le cause della morte, e soprattutto, permette di confermare gli alibi dei sospettati. Tuttavia, prima di diventare una scena del crimine, un luogo in cui viene ritrovato un corpo esanime, è prima di tutto un posto in cui qualcuno ha bisogno di assistenza medica, e questo puòinterferire con la corretta ricostruzione dell’ora della morte. Ho quindi osservato cosa succede nella pratica medico legale nel nostro Paese. Metodi Sono state analizzate le Linee Guida europee per la rianimazione in condizioni estreme, come l’ipotermia o l’annegamento in acqua fredde, con particolare attenzione a quelle che sono le norme per la stima della temperature profonda, sia nel caso della rianimazione sia nel calcolo dell’ora del decesso. E’ stato analizzata la procedura nei Pronti Soccorsi e nei dipartimenti di medicina legale. Questi risultati sono stati trovati nei vari website degli ospedali dei nostri paesi, e 9 dipartimenti sono stati direttamente contattati per avere le informazioni richieste. Infine sono stati osservati alcuni casi rilevanti dove l’investigazione della scena del crimine e la stima dell’ora del decesso erano fondamentali per la soluzione dei casi. Risultati Le linee guida Europee per la rianimazioni sono molto precise per quello che riguarda il trattamento di pazienti affetti da ipotermia o annegamento. Ma non sono state altrettanto specifiche per quello che riguarda l’uso dei termometri nei casi di annegamento. Nella pratica forense, la metodologia per stimare l’ora del decesso è eterogenea. In Italia le linee guida sono fornite solo a livello locale e addirittura non è obbligatorio avere un termometro per la misurazione della temperatura all’interno dell’ambulanza. Conclusioni I risultati mostrano che errori procedurali e la mancanza di norme univoche portano a risultati controversi nei procedimenti penali. Si suggerisce quindi la necessità di ulteriori studi nello studio delle tecniche per la stima dell’ora del decesso ed è necessario un training adeguato per i team di ricerca e pronto soccorso, con l’obiettivo di fornire le migliori cure possibili e preservare importanti prove come la temperatura per la stima dell’ora del decesso. Conclusioni Generali In questa testi ho esplorato le applicazioni della psicologia evoluzionistica nella pratica forense, sottolineando il ruolo dello psicologo investigativo. I risultati della ricerca hanno implicazioni sia teoretiche che pratiche. Prima è stato descritto epr la prima volta il modello della sexual presence, applicabile allo studio delle parafilie e del comportamento violento tramite realtà virtuale. Poi è stato evidenziato come il neonaticidio materno nella nostra specie abbia una causa evoluzionistica, e di come il profiling della madre neonaticida si differenzi da quello della madre infanticidia e figlicida. Questi risultati hanno effetti rilevanti sia nella fase investigative sia nella fase di definizione della pena e del trattamento, ma soprattutto nella realizzazione di misure preventive rivolte alle future madri a rischio. Infine, collaborando come consulente in un caso di sospetto infanticidio materno, è stato trovato che la temperatura timpanica, usata spesso nella pratica, non sia una misura utilizzabile per stimare l’ora del decesso in condizioni estreme, dove la temperatura profonda è essenziale. Alla luce di questi risultati, sono state riportate le linee guida per migliorare l’intervento dei medici legali e dei team di rianimazione sul posto, nel nostro paese. Questi studi hanno dimostrato la versatilità e il valore pratico della psicologia evoluzionistica nelle scienze forense. Infatti il risultato più importante di questa tesi è stato dimostrate come le tecniche e le teorie apprese durante questi anni di dottorato abbiano importanti applicazioni nella clinica, nella criminologia e nella pratica forense, e di come possa essere importante proseguire le ricerche nella psicologia evoluzionistica forense, a causa delle sue rilevanti implicazioni sociali.

An analog study was devised to examine perceived differences between psychiatrists and psychologists in providing expert testimony on the insanity defense. The effects of issue involvement and initial attitude were also assessed. Subjects who had been exposed to the differences in training between the professionals were used. In a pilot investigation, subjects were exposed to identical testimony from a defense expert identified either as a psychiatrist or psychologist. Medical bias, as measured by the tendency to concur with the expert recommendations and endorse attitudes consistent with the M.D., was confirmed. This finding was especially strong among pro insanity defense subjects with low issue involvement. The failure to find a similar pattern among anti-insanity defense subjects with low issue involvement was thought to be an artifact of the absence of opposing testimony. The overall failure of highly involved anti insanity defense subjects to reach verdicts consistent with their initial attitudes, was also thought to result from the lack of opposing testimony. The primary study was designed to clarify the findings of the pilot investigation and to approximate a more authentic court situation by including an opposing expert. Witness credentials were manipulated while testimony remained constant. Some subjects were exposed to the Ph.D. for the defense and M.D. for prosecution and others to the M.D. for the defense and Ph.D. for the prosecution. Medical bias was evident in this study, again measured by the tendency to follow the recommendations of the M.D. and endorse attitudes consistent with those recommendations. Additionally, subjects tended to evaluate the psychiatrist more favorably than the psychologist. Subjects with low issue involvement were more susceptible to the influence of the medical expert. Highly issue involved subjects maintained their initial attitudes. Attitudes, issue involvement and credentials seemed to affect memory for facts of the case. In some instances, initial attitudes became stronger when mock jurors were exposed to the opposing view (polarization). Implications and limits of these findings were explored.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a type of “talking therapy”, developed from cognitive behavioural therapy; it has been adapted to help people who experience emotions, often females diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). With its growth in popularity, DBT has been adapted and used with other populations - not just adult females with BPD – to include forensic populations (i.e. people who are in contact with services due to criminal behaviour) and adolescent populations. This thesis contains a systematic literature review investigating the use of DBT in Forensic Services and an empirical study that utilised a qualitative design to explore adolescents and parents’ experiences of DBT.

This study investigated the influence of an authority figure on an eyewitness identification task. Subjects watched a staged crime and then were administered a photo lineup by either an authority or non-authority figure. Subjects who were administered a lineup by an authority figure were significantly more likely to choose someone from the lineup than subjects who were shown a lineup by a non-authority figure. Similarly, subjects who were given biased instructions were significantly more likely to choose someone from the lineup than subjects who were given unbiased instructions. These effect obtained whether the target was present or absent from the lineup. These data suggest that one way to minimize suggestibility of eyewitnesses is to replace the uniformed officer with a neutral individual. Alternatively, the effect of a police officer on a witness' choosing behavior may be eliminated by providing the witness with unbiased instructions.

Psychological evaluations administered by forensic psychologist in personal injury cases are surrounded by complex issues. Although empirically-based research has legitimized that psychological damages do exist in personal injury cases there is a missing link in the way forensic psychologists are conducting these evaluations. Prior researchers suggested that some personal injury evaluations had been dismissed or overlooked due to a lack of a standard of care. Addressing the current literature, this study examined how a diverse group of 14 licensed forensic psychologists, operating in different judicial jurisdictions (Daubert, Frye, and Independent) were conducting personal injury evaluations and their perspectives on the implementation of a standard of care. A qualitative thematic analysis design was used to gain a more in-depth understanding of this phenomenon. Systems theory was the conceptual framework that informed this study and guided the methodology employed. The identified themes were organized into steps reflected in an adapted version cube model. The study promotes positive social change by fostering confidence in the field of psychology and personal injury evaluations with regard to bolstering the overall credibility, reliability, and validity of the practice and processes involved. Further, positive change can occur through the development of framework that assists in leveling the practice by keeping evaluations flexible, but consistent; basing the decision regarding implementing a standard of care on the utility of the framework, along with future findings and developments in the field.

From experts on working with court-mandated populations, this book shows how motivational interviewing (MI) can help offenders move beyond resistance or superficial compliance and achieve meaningful behavior change. Using this evidence-based approach promotes successful rehabilitation and reentry by drawing on clients' values, goals, and strengths--not simply telling them what to do. The authors clearly describe the core techniques of MI and bring them to life with examples and sample dialogues from a range of criminal justice and forensic settings. Of crucial importance, the book addresses MI implementation in real-world offender service systems, including practical strategies for overcoming obstacles.
https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu_books/1135/thumbnail.jpg

Schema therapy was developed as a treatment for chronic and entrenched psychological difficulties, and has progressed to be used as an offence focused intervention that addresses dynamic risk factors. This thesis investigated the lived experiences of people with diagnoses of personality disorder who had offended and who had used the technique of imagery in schema therapy. This was explored because although the literature around schema therapy demonstrates some support for the effectiveness of schema therapy holistically, the individual components of this therapy have not been explored. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis is felt to be an appropriate methodology to address this gap in the literature as it explored imagery from the perspective of those who had experienced it and also acknowledged the researcher‟s influence in co-constructing the understanding of the experience. This methodology allowed for a starting point of knowledge by beginning to develop an understanding of this area which could potentially inform future research. Semistructured interviews were conducted with six people diagnosed with Personality Disorder, who had offended and who had used imagery in schema therapy. Their experiences were explored using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Throughout analysis a metaphor of life as a journey on which one carries carry emotional baggage resonated and themes were named accordingly. An overarching theme of the life journey (as temporal) enveloped three super-ordinate themes of opening the suitcase (revisiting trauma), unpacking and ordering the contents (therapeutic processes), and closing the suitcase (therapeutic outcomes). The super-ordinate theme of opening the suitcase incorporated a subordinate theme of reconnecting with the childhood self which overlapped with the super-ordinate theme of unpacking and ordering the contents. The super-ordinate theme of unpacking and ordering the contents included three subordinate themes, 1) emotional control (i.e. attempts to control emotions isolate people from others, but losing control of emotions during imagery leads to interpersonal connectedness with the therapist), 2) moving on versus being stuck in the past and 3) the therapeutic relationship as characterized by trust, and meeting needs. The second of these subordinate themes was felt to overlap with the super-ordinate theme of closing the suitcase. The super-ordinate theme of closing the suitcase was felt to contain two subordinate themes of healing the fractured self and applying what has been learned. All three super-ordinate themes were penetrated by another theme; distancing from the trauma (protection from emotional pain). This theme was felt to be embedded within descriptions of revisiting the trauma, re-connecting with the childhood self, emotional control, the therapeutic relationship, healing the fractured self and applying what has been learned. Two other minor themes were also identified relating to use of professional language and avoidance. It was concluded that for the six participants in this study, imagery was described as a process that enabled them to close the suitcase and put it away without fear that its contents would be unintentionally disgorged. These results represent the first qualitative exploration of people's lived experiences of imagery in schema therapy. The results add to the literature around both schema therapy and imagery separately. Although these results are not generalisable, they may be transferable to other groups that have topographically similar experiences and therefore they offer a new way to understand imagery in schema therapy.

This study addresses the use of attitude and personality variables as predictors of compensation and award in a personal injury suit. Safety seeking behavior and attitudes toward tort reform are introduced as case-specific factors that may predict this verdict decision. Two hundred registered voters were surveyed on scales measuring attitudes toward safety, tort reform, and psychiatrists. Subjects also indicated their demographic characteristics and the degree of compensation and amount of award they would render the plaintiff in a civil suit. Results indicated attitudinal variables were more predictive of compensation and award than were demographic variables. The implications of these findings are discussed.

This thesis aims to provide a detailed understanding of treatment engagement amongst forensic populations. Following an introduction outlining the current theoretical thinking in the area, Chapter 2 presents a systematic literature review exploring reasons for completion/non-completion of treatment from an offender's perspective. Consensus regarding reasons for treatment completion/non-completion was found. Reasons provided supported the majority of factors outlined in the Multifactor Offender Readiness Model (MORM), a model of treatment readiness. Research in this area was limited; no papers exploring adolescents' perspectives were identified. Implications for practice are discussed and areas for future research highlighted. Furthering existing research, Chapter 3 presents a mixed methods research study exploring the reasons why young people, detained in a secure hospital setting choose to attend/not attend sessions. Using thematic analysis several themes were identified. Factors relating to the young person, treatment and the organisation were identified, supporting the MORM. Chapter 4 presents a critical review of the Corrections Victoria Treatment Readiness Questionnaire (CVTRQ), a measure of treatment readiness developed using the internal factors of the MORM. This chapter explores the overall development and psychometric properties of the CVTRQ, highlighting its strengths and limitations. An overall discussion of the work presented is provided in Chapter 5.

Background: The Multifactor Offender Readiness Model (MORM) acknowledges the importance of gender-sensitive interventions in enhancing engagement in the rehabilitation of offenders. However, to date, little attention has been paid to the role of gender identity in psychological therapy. Even though men in forensic settings are likely to endorse hypermasculine attitudes, such as promoting aggression and restricting emotional expression, which run counter to therapeutic ideals. Methodology: Nine men residing in medium-secure forensic mental health hospitals were interviewed. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to obtain first-person accounts of the men’s lived experiences to gain an insight into the subjective meanings they attached to their experiences of psychological therapy. Results: An analysis of the individual transcripts highlighted the men’s journey over the course of therapy, marked by an internal struggle against the external pressures. Three superordinate themes were identified: ‘shifting self’, ‘relationship with other’ and ‘therapeutic journey’, alongside their subsequent sub-themes. Discussion: A gradual, non-linear process of change was evident in the men’s narratives, who at the various phases of psychological therapy were faced with the challenge of questioning and redefining their identity. This involved lowering their guard, learning to become comfortable with vulnerability and face their past in the presence of a supportive ‘other’, in order to move towards building a new or better future for themselves.

Thesis (Ph.D. in Nursing) -- University of Colorado Denver, 2008.
Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-135). Free to UCD Anschutz Medical Campus. Online version available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations;

The identification and management of individuals with a perceived high risk of future violence is of great priority for mental health professionals and the criminal justice system. The overall aim of this thesis is to examine the validity of the assessment and treatment of violence in forensic populations with a specific focus on the contribution of dynamic risk factors in predicting recidivism. Chapter One presents a conceptual literature review which provides an overview of the development of violence risk assessment approaches, and examines the predictive validity of dynamic factors in predicting violent recidivism. The review demonstrates the ability of dynamic risk factors in predicting future community and institutional violence. Chapter Two provides a critique of the HCR-20 Risk Assessment Scheme and highlights that despite some apparent shortcomings of the HCR-20, the instrument remains the best known and best researched, empirically based guide to violence risk assessment. In Chapter Three a prospective research study examines the predictive validity of the HCR-20 Risk Assessment Scheme in a UK sample of patients under the care of a community forensic mental health service. The study aimed to examine the ability of the HCR-20 total scores and individual sub scale scores to predict future acts of violence. The study demonstrates that the historical factors of the HCR-20 are highly predictive of future re-offending within this population and also highlights the importance of the clinical scale in predicting future violent acts. This work adds to current knowledge and understanding of the risk assessment and management process in UK samples. A case study is presented in chapter Four which evaluates the impact of the ETS programme on the cognitive deficits identified in a violent adult male offender (client A) serving a sentence at HMP Birmingham. By Mariam Azam-Zanganeh.

This PhD aimed to understand the constructs of aggression motivation and inhibition among prisoners. The research explored the role of developmental, affect, personality and socio-cognitive factors in aggression, investigating how these factors contributed to motives and inhibitors. This addressed several gaps in our knowledge and understanding of these factors among prisoners. In doing so, it contributed to the proposal of an empirically informed developmental model of aggression motivation and inhibition for prisoners, a model potentially capable of accounting for the theoretical and clinical limitations of existing explanatory models. Study one involved 206 adult men from a medium secure prison. This study specifically examined the role of aggression (using the Aggression Motivation Questionnaire, AMQ; Ireland, 2007) and offence motivation (with the Offence Motivation Questionnaire, OMQ; Gudjonsson & Sigurdsson, 2004) and affect (using the Multidimensional Anger Inventory, MAI; Sigel, 1989). Contrary to predictions, aggression motivation extended beyond the traditional reactive versus proactive distinction, with four core motivations identified. Further challenging the previous dichotomous distinction were findings that affect was related to all motivations and not just reactive aggression. The structure of offence motivation was consistent with previous research suggesting the validity of such motivation. Relationships found between individual offence and aggression motives supported longstanding notions in the human motivation and rationale choice literature that a limited number of motivations are capable of accounting for the diversity of human behaviour. Study one strengthens the argument to further examine and understand the factors contributing to such aggression motivations, such as cognition or developmental and life course experiences. Study two recruited 210 adult male prisoners to examine the developmental and socio-cognitive factors underpinning aggression motivations. Confirmation as to the structure of aggression motivation was also evaluated. It was predicted that differing developmental and socio-cognitive factors would relate to each motivation. Analysis supported this and thus further understanding was achieved as to the contribution of these factors. Reformulation of existing developmental models of aggression and the importance of social cognition for adult prisoners were consequently highlighted. However, attempts to confirm the four-factor solution for aggression motivation identified in Study 1 was not achieved. Exploratory factor analysis supported the extraction of a three-component solution from the AMQ, which was underpinned by ‘protection’, ‘pleasure’ and ‘positive outcomes’ motivations. This raised doubt as to the underlying structure of aggression motivation, which required further examination. Study three involved 234 prisoners from two separate prisons. All participants were adult men. This study facilitated the further exploration of maladaptive personality and affect regulation strategies in aggression motivation. Evaluation of the components of aggression inhibition was also undertaken. As expected, personality and affect regulation strategies were individually associated with aggression motives and inhibitors. This suggested that these factors had a unique contribution to aggression motivations and inhibitors. A four component structure for aggression inhibition was identified through exploratory factor analysis. The three factor structure for aggression motivation indicated by Study 2 was supported by confirmatory factor analysis. The findings gained from this study were combined with previous studies and influenced the development of the Applied Integrated Model of Aggression Motivation (AIM-AM). This new proposed integrated model of aggression is described in detail in the last Chapter of this thesis. The current research highlights the importance of considering aggression motivation and inhibition by demonstrating how valuable information to assist our understanding of aggression can be enhanced through their detailed examination. This research points towards a range of underlying factors which motivate and inhibit aggression in prisoners, including personality traits, developmental and life experiences, cognition and affect regulation. This was drawn together in the AIM-AM, which remains the first proposed aggression model developed specifically from the study of forensic populations. This applied theoretical model and underpinning research has a range of research and clinical implications for those working with prisoners, such as guiding the psychological assessment and risk evaluations of prisoners and focusing interventions to reduce their likelihood of aggression.

Eyewitness recognition is acknowledged to be prone to error but there is less understanding of difficulty in discriminating unfamiliar faces. This thesis examined the effects of face perception on identification of facial composites, and on unfamiliar face image comparison. Facial composites depict face memories by reconstructing features and configurations to form a likeness. They are generally reconstructed from an unfamiliar face memory, and will be unavoidably flawed. Identification will require perception of any accurate features, by someone who is familiar with the suspect and performance is typically poor. In typical face perception, face images are processed efficiently as complete units of information. Chapter 2 explored the possibility that holistic processing of inaccurate composite configurations will impair identification of individual features. Composites were split below the eyes and misaligned to impair holistic analysis (cf. Young, Hellawell, & Jay, 1987); identification was significantly enhanced, indicating that perceptual expertise with inaccurate configurations exerts powerful effects that can be reduced by enabling featural analysis. Facial composite recognition is difficult, which means that perception and judgement will be influence by an affective recognition bias: smiles enhance perceived familiarity, while negative expressions produce the opposite effect. In applied use, facial composites are generally produced from unpleasant memories and will convey negative expression; affective bias will, therefore, be important for facial composite recognition. Chapter 3 explored the effect of positive expression on composite identification: composite expressions were enhanced, and positive affect significantly increased identification. Affective quality rather than expression strength mediated the effect, with subtle manipulations being very effective. Facial image comparison (FIC) involves discrimination of two or more face images. Accuracy in unfamiliar face matching is typically in the region of 70%, and as discrimination is difficult, may be influenced by affective bias. Chapter 4 explored the smiling face effect in unfamiliar face matching. When multiple items were compared, positive affect did not enhance performance and false positive identification increased. With a delayed matching procedure, identification was not enhanced but in contrast to face recognition and simultaneous matching, positive affect improved rejection of foil images. Distinctive faces are easier to discriminate. Chapter 5 evaluated a systematic caricature transformation as a means to increase distinctiveness and enhance discrimination of unfamiliar faces. Identification of matching face images did not improve, but successful rejection of non-matching items was significantly enhanced. Chapter 6 used face matching to explore the basis of own race bias in face perception. Other race faces were manipulated to show own race facial variation, and own race faces to show African American facial variation. When multiple face images were matched simultaneously, the transformation impaired performance for all of the images; but when images were individually matched, the transformation improved perception of other race faces and discrimination of own race faces declined. Transformation of Japanese faces to show own race dimensions produced the same pattern of effects but failed to reach significance. The results provide support for both perceptual expertise and featural processing theories of own race bias. Results are interpreted with reference to face perception theories; implications for application and future study are discussed.

Background: The application of Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) has been widespread across educational and learning disability settings, typically in supporting individuals who exhibit challenging behaviour. Following espousal in various national policy and guidance, PBS is now being applied in the area of secure forensic adult mental health. To date, very little is known about the application of PBS in this area. This study aims to understand how staff within a secure forensic adult mental health setting perceive the application of PBS. Method: Using semi-structured interviews, 11 multi-disciplinary staff members were interviewed regarding their perceptions of PBS. The data was collected and subject to a qualitative thematic analysis. Results: Five themes were identified from the data relating to staff perceptions of PBS, these were: 'The functions', 'Appraising a new approach', 'Collaborative challenges', 'Staff variables' and 'Organisational issues'. Conclusion: PBS translates to a forensic mental health setting and is generally appraised positively by staff. There are however a number of issues that are perceived to impact the delivery of PBS, many of these are consistent with existing PBS literature, however a number arise from the unique nature of providing an approach underpinned by social role valorisation in a context of containment and disempowerment.

Introduction: It has been argued that a capacity for metacognition in relation to others could be a key underpinning quality required in a mental health worker to develop positive therapeutic relationships. It is likely that forensic mental health staff are exposed to difficult and potentially threatening situations as a result of their patients’ complex backgrounds and risk. Aims: The study aimed to pilot and develop a methodology to explore and code metacognition and causal attributions in the context of staff reflecting on their experiences of resolved and unresolved therapeutic ruptures. In addition the study sought to explore associations between metacognition and measures of ward atmosphere and staff burnout. Methods: Twenty members of staff working within a medium secure forensic mental health service volunteered to participate in the study. Participants were asked to recall two experiences where there had been a rupture in the therapeutic relationship, one where the situation had been resolved, and one where it was unresolved. Participants also completed the Ward Atmosphere Scale (WAS) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Interviews were transcribed and coded using the Metacognitive Assessment Scale (MAS) and the Leeds Attributional Coding System (LACS). Results: Analysis of the MAS found that participants had significantly lower levels of metacognition for the unresolved situation than the resolved situation. Positive correlations were found between overall MAS scores and three of the WAS subscales. The majority of attributions made were where the patient was the Agent/Cause and the staff-member/speaker was the Target. Discussion & Conclusion: We were able to identify changes in metacognition across different experiences of ruptures in the therapeutic relationship. These findings have implications regarding the suggestion of further research on a larger scale with improved methodology. These studies may prove useful in developing methods to enhance staff metacognition in response to therapeutic ruptures.

Throughout the United States are institutions abundant with violent offenders who have been found not guilty by reason of insanity (NGI). The decision to release these insanity acquittees into the community is a vital one, both for the patient and the larger community. While these decisions should be informed by evaluations that combine clinicians’ opinions with validated tools of assessment, no standard of care regarding such evaluations exists. Forensic specialists are thus often left to base discharge decisions on clinical judgment alone. This dissertation assumed a critical review of the theoretical and empirical literature relevant to conditional release decisions of NGI patients, including the research on structured assessment of risk of future violence. Based on this critical review, the author proposed recommendations for five standards to enhance conditional release decision-making for violent offenders in forensic settings: (a) Adherence to professional and ethical conduct; (b) documentation of patient progress; (c) incorporation of empirically-validated risk assessment tools; (d) creation of a comprehensive release plan; (e) verification of patient’s commitment to successful reintegration. This dissertation additionally examined the strengths and limitations of the critical review strategy, as well as delineated areas for research to empirically evaluate the recommended standards and promote improved quality of conditional release evaluation for NGI acquittees.

Restorative justice is an intervention gaining worldwide recognition in criminal justice systems and other settings. There is a growing evidence base demonstrating positive outcomes in a number of domains, but to date there has been no research found focussed upon the use of restorative justice in a forensic mental health setting. This study used semi-structured interviews and grounded theory analysis to explore and develop a deeper understanding of the use of restorative approaches at an early stage of implementation in such a setting, looking at the experience of the intervention, issues particular to this setting and the implementation process. The aim was to attempt to understand the underpinning psychological processes associated with the intervention and to develop a theoretical model of the use of restorative justice in the setting. There were ten participants including restorative justice facilitators, patients and the patients’ staff victims. The final model highlights the role of containment and the necessity for facilitators to have a high level of skill when working with a complex, vulnerable and potentially dangerous client group. The findings are discussed in relation to theory and research with particular reference to the concept of containment. Restorative approaches are found to be congruent with models of mental health and offender recovery. Processing emotions, developing thinking and coherent narrative, and immediacy are found to be key components of the intervention. Clinical implications and limitations of the study are presented. Recommendations for further research to build upon these findings are made.

Esta pesquisa tem como campo de investigação a aplicação da prática psicanalítica fora da clínica stricto sensu (extensão). O seu eixo norteador é a interface do Direito com a Psicanálise e seu foco de atenção é a inserção do psicólogo psicanalista nos Tribunais de Justiça para prestar serviços vinculados às Varas de Família. Procura-se verificar a prática desse profissional em termos de sua coerência com os conceitos fundamentais da psicanálise e, portanto, com uma práxis que questiona os ideais sociais, em uma instituição que o convoca a trabalhar a partir do discurso normativo. Para compreender o trabalho do psicólogo / psicanalista em uma perspectiva clínica, procurando definir seus principais conceitos operadores, utilizou-se a noção de cena como articuladora dos dois discursos: o jurídico e o psicanalítico. A cena jurídica é explicitada em seus parâmetros discursivos e compreendida em uma leitura antropológica sobre a sua instituição. A cena psicanalítica é abordada tendo como conceitos principais inconsciente, fantasia, desejo e demanda. Tanto a cena jurídica quanto a cena psicanalítica são vinculadas fundamentalmente às questões da família para, em seguida, explicitarem-se os conceitos fundamentais e os orientadores da prática possível do psicanalista no Tribunal de Família. Nesse percurso, faz-se uma leitura da perícia judicial conforme as elaborações de Michel Foucault para propor uma prática diferenciada de acordo com as formulações de Freud e de Lacan sobre o desejo e a demanda. Para responder à questão sobre a possibilidade de ocupar a posição do psicanalista e intervir nos casos atendidos em Varas de Família, utilizou-se o estudo de caso de alguns processos judiciais encaminhados à Central de Serviço Social e Psicologia do Fórum Lafayette (Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais) e atendidos pelo próprio pesquisador, haja vista sua inserção na instituição como Psicólogo Judicial. O critério para a escolha dos casos foi a presença de conflito familiar instituído no qual se tentou a intervenção pelo viés da escuta analítica. Concluiu-se pela possibilidade de intervenção em alguns casos, dentro dos limites impostos pela instituição e pelo lugar que o psicanalista pode ocupar na interface desses discursos.
The following research has as an investigation field the application of the psychoanalythical practice outside the clinic strict sense. Its guiding axis is the interface of the law and the psychoanalysis, and its focus of attention is the insertion of the psychoanalist psychologist in the Law Courts, in order to render services linked with the Family Court. It is intended to verify the practise of such professional in terms of his coherence with the fundamental concepts of psychoanalysis and, thus, with a praxis which questions the social ideals, in an institution which convokes him to work based upon the normative discourse. In order to inderstand the work of this psychologist / psychoanalist from a clinical perspective. Aiming at defining his main operating concepts, a notion os scene as an articulation joint of two discourses: the juridical and the psychoanalythical ones. The juridical scene is made explicit in its discoursive parameters and from an anthropological interpretation of its institution as well. The psychoanalythical scene is broached from the concepts of the unconscious, fantasy, desire and demand. Both the juridical scene and the psychoanalythical onde are fundamentally linked with the family questions in order to. Soon after, make esplicit the fundamentally concepts and the orientations of the possible psychoanalists practise in the family court. In this course, an interpretation of the judicial skill was made according to Michel Foucault, in order to propose a differentiated practise from the Freuds and Lacans formulations about desire and demand. To answer the questions about the possibility of intervention in the cases taken to the Family Court, from the psychoanalists standpoint. The cases os some judicial lawsuits which were taken to the Central de Serviço Social e Psicologia do Fórum Lafayette (Center of Social and Psychology Service of Lafayette Forum), in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, and taken care of by the reseacher himself, were studied, taking into consideration his insertion in the institution as a judicial psychologist. The criterion for the choice of the cases was the presence of instituted family conflict in which it was intended an intervention based upon analythical listening. The conclusion was for the possibility of intervention in some cases inside the limits imposed by the institution and by the place the psychoanalist may occupy in the interface of these discourses.

A infração, o infrator e suas relações são os temas centrais de investigação desta tese, particularizados a partir do judiciário, seus trâmites e funções operacionais, sob enfoque da Psicanálise. A responsabilização é o veio que mantém as discussões numa univocidade necessária à edificação dos argumentos aqui depositados. A perspectiva do enfrentamento da questão, o liame infração e infrator, se estabelece sobre as bases do campo subjetivo, tomado como soberano e determinante. O Sujeito no sentido psicanalítico do termo, enquanto sujeito do desejo, do inconsciente, se faz absolutamente responsável por seus atos. É na relação com o Outro social que a participação do jovem e sua inserção no circuito infracional passa a ser entendida. O trabalho se divide em duas grandes partes: institucional e clínica A primeira grande questão que esta tese traz à luz é referida a um fenômeno dúbio e de difícil discernimento, uma vez que entranhado no campo institucional. Aqui adquiriu o estatuto de (des)patologização. Esse fenômeno em seu sentido positivado é conexo com a patologização. Trata-se de um acontecimento movido pela engrenagem do judiciário que objetivando particularizar os jovens, demanda do saber especializado PSI - um discurso não só analítico (de análise) do contexto psicológico, mas também preditivo (inclui-se aí periculosidade e afins), e que acabou por alavancar uma ordenação compulsiva de realizações infindáveis de laudos e perícias psicológicas e psiquiátricas. Aqui reside a ambigüidade: na tentativa de despatologizar, patologizase. Essa constatação subsidia a introdução da questão da sobreposição dos critérios médicos e psicológicos aos da justiça. Por outro lado, a despeito das inserções dos jovens na via criminal, a escuta clínica permitiu entrever uma real distância da Perversão, enquanto estrutura clínica da teoria psicanalítica, para uma maioria. E, partindo daí, em direção à especificidade da Psicanálise desenvolve-se a discussão sobre a responsabilização e subjetividade. Além de se estabelecer a passagem dos móbeis sociais para a causa subjetiva, enfrenta-se a questão da adolescência e sua relação com a responsabilização que é co-extensiva ao debate de inimputabilidade e imputabilidade, desenvolvidas ao final do trabalho. A parte clínica introduz a questão da inserção dos jovens à cultura infracional. Trata-se de um ideal a ser atingido, enquanto inscrição lógica de reconhecimento simbólico, a partir de uma posição fálica garantida pela insígnia do ser do mundo do crime. Em contigüidade a essa posição articula-se aquilo que nomeamos de fraturas constituídas nos processos de subjetivação que os remetem para além dos ideais familiares, como forma de responder aos vácuos aí constituídos, em que o estado de anomia e tomadas de risco de vida são efeitos. O trabalho se encaminha a uma discussão final, bastante particularizada pela Psicanálise, que incide sobre um ponto crucial: a responsabilização. Esse conceito que admite acepções no Direito e na Psicanálise, é aqui elevado a conseqüências radicais, naquilo que diz respeito a uma possível interlocução entre essas duas disciplinas. Assim o enlace, infração e infrator, é enfrentado a partir das noções de ato, culpa, responsabilização e sanção, numa articulação às discussões desenvolvidas anteriormente, sejam elas institucionais ou clínica
The infraction, the infractor and their relations are themes central to this work, distinct from the judiciary, its proceedings and operational functions, and under the Psychoanalysis perspective. Accountability is the vein that keeps the debates unequivocal, a necessary condition for the construction of the arguments presented here. The possibility of confronting the issue, the link between infraction and infractor, is found at the base of subjectivity, viewed as sovereign and determinant. The Subject, according to the psychoanalytic meaning of the term as the subject that desires, the unconscious, is fully responsible for its actions. It is when he relates with \"Another\" social being that the young adults insertion and participation in the infraction circuit can be understood. The work is split in two large sections: institutional and clinical. The first important issue that this thesis uncovers is related to a dubious phenomenon of difficult discernment, once deeply rooted in the institutional arena. Here it reached the (non)pathology status. This phenomenon in its positive aspect is connected to pathology. It has to do with an event issuing from the judiciary that in targeting young adults requires from experts - PSI - a discourse of the psychological context, not only analytical but also predictive in its nature (including perilous, and similar others), that ends up by triggering a compulsive ordering of endless psychiatric and psychological tests, exams and reports. Here resides the ambiguity: in attempting to eliminate pathology, one is created. This observation gives credibility to the introduction to the question of medical and psychological criteria overlapping the judiciarys. On the other hand, in spite of young adults entering the path of crime, clinical diagnosis as structured by psychoanalytical theory has caught a glimpse at the distance that exists to Perversion in the majority of cases. From this point onwards within the specific field of Psychoanalysis evolves the debate about accountability and subjectivity. Aside from establishing the change of social mobiles to the subjective cause, one is faced with the question of adolescence and its relation with accountability which is a continuation of the debate about unaccountability and accountability developed at the end of this work. The clinical section introduces the question of young adults joining the culture of infraction. It is a question of an ideal to be reached, as a logic record of symbolic recognition, from a phallic position guaranteed by the banner belonging to the world of crime. Concurrently, a proposition is enunciated called fractures formed in the subjectivity processes that send them beyond family ideals, as a way to respond to vacuums created there, in which the state of anomy and life threatening risks are taken. Drawing substantially from Psychoanalysis, the work proceeds to its final debate focusing on a crucial point: accountability. This concept, that accepts meanings from the fields of Law and Psychoanalysis, is raised here to a position of radical consequences in what it says about a possible dialogue between these two disciplines. Thus, the link between infraction and infractor is approached from the perspective of the notions of act, guilt, accountability, and sanction, within the framework of the previous debates, whether it be institutional or clinical

Os conflitos que acompanham a ruptura da configuração familiar têm exigido o envolvimento crescente de psicólogos e outros profissionais da saúde mental na avaliação de famílias em situação de disputa de guarda. As avaliações psicológicas devem fornecer informações objetivas e imparciais, uma vez que exercerão importante papel em relação às crianças e ao Judiciário. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar as práticas que estão sendo utilizadas pelos psicólogos para realizar avaliações envolvendo disputa de guarda. Além de procedimentos e técnicas empregados, honorários e participação em audiências, os profissionais foram questionados sobre assuntos como guarda compartilhada, Síndrome de Alienação Parental e falsas acusações de abuso sexual. Participaram do estudo 51 psicólogos de diferentes regiões brasileiras, com idades entre 23 e 62 anos, com experiência em avaliação envolvendo disputa de guarda. Os profissionais responderam a um questionário disponível online, composto por questões objetivas referentes a dados pessoais e profissionais, avaliação psicológica, uso de testes e demandas atuais do Direito de Família. Foram realizadas análises descritivas das características sócio-demográficas e de formação dos participantes, bem como das demais questões contempladas no instrumento. Também foram realizadas comparações dos resultados entre as regiões do Brasil, através do teste do Qui-Quadrado. Os achados revelaram que os principais procedimentos utilizados nesse tipo de avaliação são as entrevistas com pais e com filhos. Entrevistas com terceiros e visitas à escola e residências dos pais também foram apontadas como freqüentes, da mesma forma que o uso de testes projetivos. Os testes referidos como mais utilizados foram HTP, Rorschach e Desenho da Figura Humana. Foi possível observar uma preferência e predomínio do uso de instrumentos psicológicos entre os participantes da região Sul. Em relação às demandas atuais do Direito de Família, a maioria dos respondentes mostrou-se conhecedora dos assuntos e relatou ter experiência profissional em relação aos mesmos. Contudo, a discussão apontou a necessidade de abordar esses e outros temas durante a formação dos psicólogos, a fim de que os profissionais possam manter-se atualizados diante das demandas que surgem no Direito de Família. Os principais resultados obtidos a partir deste estudo servirão como parâmetro para os psicólogos que exercem avaliações nessa área, ampliando seus conhecimentos sobre avaliação psicológica e determinação de guarda. Vale destacar a importância dessas avaliações, que servem de subsídio para a tomada de decisões judiciais que acarretarão sérias conseqüências para a vida de crianças e adolescentes filhos de pais separados. Palavras-Chave: Psicologia Jurídica, Avaliação Psicológica Forense, Disputa de Guarda.
The conflicts that follow the breakup of a family have increasingly involved psychologists and other mental health professionals in child custody evaluations. The psychological assessments should provide objective and impartial information, once they play an important role for the court and for the children’s lives. The aim of this study was to investigate the practices that have been used by psychologists in child custody evaluations. Professionals were asked about procedures, techniques, fees and participation in court trials. Questions about joint custody, Parental Alienation Syndrome and false allegations of sexual abuse were also considered. Fifty one child custody experienced psychologists from different regions of Brazil took part in the study, aged between 23 and 62. The professionals answered an online questionnaire, consisting of objective questions related to personal and professional data, child custody evaluation, use of tests and current demands in Family Law. Descriptive analysis of the sociodemographic and educational characteristics of the participants, and of the questions of the instrument as well as comparisons among the results of the Brazilian regions were carried out. The findings indicate that the main procedures in this type of evaluation are the interviews with parents and with the children. Collateral interviews and home and school visits are highlighted as a common procedure, as well as the use of projective techniques. HTP, Rorschach and the Human Figure Drawing are the most employed tests. It was possible to observe a preference and predominant use of psychological instruments among the participants of the south region. The respondents have showed to know about the Family Law topics and reported to have professional experience in this area. These data indicate that the psychologists who work in that field look for information concerning the demands which arise in Family Law. Even though, the discussion pointed out the need of studying these and other topics related to Forensic Psychology during psychologists’ education. It is expected that the main results of this study offer important guidelines for the psychologists in child custody evaluations, beyond broadening their knowledge about the issue. It is also underscored the importance of these evaluations on the judge decision, once they bring serious consequences for the lives of the children of divorced parents.

A wealth of research has highlighted the susceptibility of eyewitnesses to verbal influence. However, considerably less attention has been paid to the role of nonverbal influence in police questioning. The purpose of this thesis was to evaluate the extent to which gestures can exert an influence on witnesses and skew their responses when questioned. Study 1 initially investigated this by presenting participants with an on-screen 'police' interviewer who accompanied his questions with gestures conveying either accurate or misleading information about a piece of video footage they had witnessed. Results showed that, for one question in particular, participants' responses concurred with the information conveyed to them in gesture; accurate gestures led more participants to giving correct responses and misleading gestures led more participants to giving fabricated responses. Study 2 built on this by examining whether gestures could also affect the confidence attributed to their responses in order to give insight into whether gestures were knowingly processed for information. It was found that, in some cases, gestures were able to increase confidence in both accurate and misled responses. Study 3 examined participants' awareness of gesture further by studying their attention to gesture during its performance and ability to identify it retrospectively on a recognition task. A new set of questions confirmed that gestures could influence the responses of participants (including those working in the legal profession) and revealed that the influence of gesture appears to be at its strongest when unnoticed by participants. Finally, study 4 considered whether the results of the previous studies could be replicated in a more ecologically valid interview scenario and confirmed that gestures continued to be influential when performed face-to-face. Overall, it was concluded that gestures can impact accurate eyewitness testimony and can be a powerful influential tool in police interviews.

Metacognition has been shown to be impaired in people with schizophrenia, and related to poorer social functioning outcomes. To date, no research has looked at the relationship between a particularly rare – but problematic – social functioning outcome (violence) and metacognition. The present study aimed at doing this by exploring patterns of metacognition in people with schizophrenia and a history of interpersonal violence, and comparing them to a group with schizophrenia and no history of violence. Participants took part in an interview which explored stress and coping, which was subsequently coded for metacognitive ability. Results indicate that metacognitive functioning is not directly associated with violence as an outcome in schizophrenia, as metacognition did not differ significantly between the two groups. However, results revealed that metacognition has a hierarchical structure with some domains more impaired than others, which may be relevant to the observed social functioning outcomes in schizophrenia. The limitations of the study and implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

People who are mentally unwell and have committed a criminal offence are cared for by forensic mental health services. Their treatment is provided in secure hospitals so that any risks to the public are minimised. The complex nature of the mental health difficulties experienced by this clinical population means that they are typically treated in secure hospitals for several years, incurring high economic and personal costs. The need for meaningful approaches to treatment and management of these individuals is therefore paramount. The first paper systematically reviewed eighteen qualitative research papers that explored stakeholder perspectives on the personal recovery approach to care in forensic contexts. Principles of personal recovery were perceived to be meaningful and applicable in forensic contexts if adaptations were made to overcome inherent barriers such as restrictions due to risk management. Methodological quality of the reviewed studies was limited by shortcomings in the transparency of study procedures. The second paper explored the experiences of a significant subpopulation of forensic service users who were discharged to the community subject to conditions including ongoing monitoring, then recalled back to a secure hospital due to a relapse in their mental state or other indicators of increased risk. Using grounded theory, a theoretical model was developed of how these individuals make sense of being recalled. This was found to be a recursive process influenced by their perceptions of events before their recall, during the recall itself, and their subsequent experiences.

In the legal and mental health fields little is known about the therapeutic impact of courtroom psychology during criminal trials. The purpose of this research study was to investigate the inter-relating factors of law and psychology throughout criminal trials as experienced by lawyers and psychologists. Research questions explored the influence of courtroom psychology on criminal trial proceedings and challenges as experienced by both criminal trial attorneys in presenting mental health evidence, and by psychologists when testifying during criminal trials. Further exploration focused on the significance of courtroom psychology, and how lawyers and psychologists perceived courtroom psychology impacting justice for victims and influencing offender rehabilitation sentencing decisions. Procedural justice was the conceptual framework utilized in this investigation, and therapeutic jurisprudence was the theoretical base that guided this study. A qualitative-phenomenological research design was applied by interviewing 4 criminal law attorneys and 4 clinical forensic psychologists. Four themes emerged from the thematic analysis of the data collected: (a) an increase in the enhancement of psycho-legal services, (b) a need for additional education, (c) a desire to improve professional relationships through collaborative efforts, and (d) a demand for requiring advanced training. These results may serve as a foundation for professionals to provide ethically effective and relevant legal-therapeutic services for progressing courtroom psychology measures. Implications for positive social change from this research include recommendations to government, legal, and mental health system entities to consider generating and readjusting standards of practice that govern criminal trial proceedings.

This study examined the extent to which the lifetime traumatic and stressful experiences of incarcerated youths cluster in meaningful and understandable ways. It also evaluated the differential effects of various types of these events on a variety of psychosocial outcomes for this population. The sample consisted of 185 incarcerated male and female adolescents (ages 12-19). Confirmatory factor analysis results suggested that an empirically-derived model based on negative event type (i.e., Community Violence, Interpersonal trauma/stress, and Loss) better predicted how negative life events group together on the Adolescent Stress and Trauma Exposure Questionnaire -Version 2 (ASTEQ-2) than the model based on a traditional framework of traumatic versus less severe stressful events in this population. Further, the empirically-derived factors varied substantially in their ability to uniquely predict different psychosocial outcomes, assessed with the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSC-C) and the Structured Interview for Disorders of Extreme Stress, Adolescent version (SIDES-A). For example, the Interpersonal trauma/stress factor accounted for substantially more unshared variance than other factors in TSC-C Depression and Posttraumatic stress outcomes, while the Community Violence factor accounted for substantially more unshared variance than other factors in TSC-C Anger and SIDES-A Self-Destructive Behavior outcomes. Results both partially support prior research, while also exposing its limitations with regard to the inappropriate generalization of a culturally bound trauma framework to traditionally marginalized adolescent populations.

Several researchers have investigated the effects of alcohol on memory. Few researchers have studied the effects of alcohol on an eyewitness's recall and recognition of crime events. This study proposed to examine the effects of alcohol and viewing conditions on subjects' ability to recall information regarding a videotaped bank robbery. Thirty male and 22 female subjects participated in a 2 (consumption: alcohol v. no alcohol) x 2 (lighting: good v. poor) factorial experiment with Average Accuracy and Total Amount of Information recalled as the primary dependent measures. There was no significant difference between the Intoxicated and Sober subjects regarding the amount of information recalled or their average accuracy. The main effect for lighting conditions and gender differences were also not significant.