Psychiatric Services has just published an exciting special issue on violence among psychiatric patients, featuring some of the biggest names in the field.
First, and probably most controversial, is a heated debate looking back at the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study, which some cite as proof that discharged psychiatric patients are no more dangerous than anyone else. Facing off are the big names - John Monahan, Hank Steadman, E. Fuller Torrey, and Jonathan Stanley.
Next, there's a review of all empirical studies of violence and victimization among people with severe mental illnesses in the United States since 1990, along with a discussion of the public health implications, by the esteemed Linda Teplin and colleagues.
Then, there's a very practical article on assessing risk for violence by psychiatric patients, aptly entitled "Beyond the 'Actuarial Versus Clinical' Assessment Debate."
And, there's more - online here. The lead editorial and the abstracts for each article are free, but the full articles require a subscription, unfortunately.
February 1, 2008
CA: Backlog causes dismissal of SVP petition
The backlog of sex offenders awaiting evaluation due to California's revamped Sexually Violent Predator law has led to dismissal of a civil commitment petition in San Diego County.
The District Attorney's office did not file its petition against Charles Thomas Small until one day after he was supposed to be released on parole, so a judge was correct in ordering the petition dismissed, appellate justices ruled.
Small is still not free, however. He remains jailed until exhaustion of all government appeals. Even if he is released he will still be on intensive restrictions as a "high-risk sex offender," and "you can't get closer to being incarcerated than that," said his lawyer.
The 62-year-old Small molested a 9-year-old girl a decade ago.
Under California’s new Jessica’s Law, an offender with just one victim may be civilly committed if he meets the other requirements of the law; previously, two or more victims were required. The change has caused a ballooning in referrals to forensic psychologists on the state's SVP panel, and a consequent backlog of cases pending evaluation.
The full story, from the North County Times, is here. My related post on the financial costs of the new evaluation procedures is here.
The District Attorney's office did not file its petition against Charles Thomas Small until one day after he was supposed to be released on parole, so a judge was correct in ordering the petition dismissed, appellate justices ruled.
Small is still not free, however. He remains jailed until exhaustion of all government appeals. Even if he is released he will still be on intensive restrictions as a "high-risk sex offender," and "you can't get closer to being incarcerated than that," said his lawyer.
The 62-year-old Small molested a 9-year-old girl a decade ago.
Under California’s new Jessica’s Law, an offender with just one victim may be civilly committed if he meets the other requirements of the law; previously, two or more victims were required. The change has caused a ballooning in referrals to forensic psychologists on the state's SVP panel, and a consequent backlog of cases pending evaluation.
The full story, from the North County Times, is here. My related post on the financial costs of the new evaluation procedures is here.
January 30, 2008
Is Dr. Phil actually a psychologist?
No, actually he is not. But he does play one on TV. Had he not recently "stepped in it," most professionals would probably just think of him as an entertainer who happens to have a professional degree. Despite the uproar, he probably didn't cause himself any legal problems by visiting that hospital or by making a public statement. But he may have crossed over a line when he went on the air and explained himself.
This is the start of a thoughtful analysis by Sacramento forensic psychologist Paul Mattiuzzi that goes on to answer the following questions currently being debated in the public arena:
My Jan. 10 post on the Dr. Phil - Britney Spears controversy, "Dr. Phil controversy highlights public confusion over psychology," is here.
This is the start of a thoughtful analysis by Sacramento forensic psychologist Paul Mattiuzzi that goes on to answer the following questions currently being debated in the public arena:
- What's the big deal about whether he's licensed or not?
- Is Dr. Phil going to be disciplined?
- What's probably going to happen?
- Did Dr. Phil really and intentionally mislead the public?
- Shouldn't he just do the right thing and get a license?
My Jan. 10 post on the Dr. Phil - Britney Spears controversy, "Dr. Phil controversy highlights public confusion over psychology," is here.
Calif. prison anti-violence program needs volunteers
This invitation comes from Dr. Jay Adams, a psychologist who is retired from the California Department of Corrections:
The Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) began 33 years ago at a prison in New York, when a prisoner group sought help from the Quakers in how to communicate their message about the consequences of violence to youth gangs and at-risk teenagers.
Since that modest inception, AVP has expanded to offer workshops in prisons all over the United States and even internationally. Research has shown that the intervention can dramatically reduce both recidivism and prison misconduct.
AVP workshops train participants in how to lead nonviolent lives through affirmation, mutual respect, community building, cooperation and trust. AVP is based on the belief that there is a power for peace and good in everyone, and that this power can transform violence. It builds upon a spiritual base of respect and caring for self and others.
As a psychologist at the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo, I was involved in the initial efforts to bring AVP into the prison. Now CMC is about to celebrate 7 years of AVP, and I have been able to participate as a facilitator since retiring from CDCR. One of the most inspiring things about this experience is to see men of different racial backgrounds share a safe space and open up to each other. Many wardens and other state officials have recognized the value of AVP, so that we are now active in 11 prisons and are being invited into more.
We want to be able to meet this need and are seeking more community volunteers. AVP is not something you study, but something you do. No need to take notes or memorize anything. You can take AVP workshops purely for your own personal growth or to become a facilitator in your community or in a California prison.
A Basic workshop is scheduled for February 22-24 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Santa Barbara, and another is planned in the Fresno area. AVP will even help you find housing if you need it.
For more information on the workshops, email Genie or call her at (805) 565-1887. The AVP/California website has more information on the program.
January 29, 2008
Notorious pedophile dies in prison
Kenneth Parnell, one of California's most infamous child molesters, died Monday night of natural causes, bringing to a close a strange and warped story in the annals of pedophilia.I recall Parnell's trial vividly, as it was top news back in 1981, when I was a journalism student. I even wrote a term paper analyzing coverage of the case. Parnell was convicted of abducting 7-year-old Steven Stayner and keeping the boy confined for more than 7 years, until his escape in 1980.
Stayner became something of a hero for freeing Parnell’s next would-be victim, 5-year-old Timmy White. But Stayner went on to tragedy, dying in a motorcycle accident in 1989.
Stranger yet, Stayner's brother Cary Stayner went on to become a serial killer of women in Yosemite National Park; he's currently on San Quentin's Death Row.
(A little stream of consciousness here - I was just over at San Quentin this morning, and happened to observe filming of an upcoming Clint Eastwood movie, "The Changeling," about the bizarre events surrounding a man sentenced to hang for the murder-rape-kidnaps of little boys back in the 1920s. Very cool vintage taxi they had driving up and down by the main prison gate; I believe star Angelina Jolie will be riding in it in the movie, although neither she nor Eastwood were in evidence at the prison today.) Anyway, back to the Parnell case. After serving his time, Parnell was paroled to Berkeley. A sickly and doddering 71-year-old, in 2004 he tried to buy a 4-year-old child from his caretaker for yet another round of child molestation. So much for the hope that old age and infirmity automatically preclude sexual reoffending.
"Kenneth Parnell's death brings to a close his long criminal history of victimizing young children," said Alameda County deputy district attorney Tim Wellman, who prosecuted Parnell in the 2004 case.
He died at the California Medical Facility at Vacaville after a long illness.
The Crime Library has a detailed case history; Wikipedia also has a biography.
Meanwhile, shocking revelations by Canadian pathologist
Let's turn now from the Masters to a case of expert witness malfeasance that's been sending shockwaves through the criminal justice system up in Canada. Back in November, I blogged a couple of times about forensic pathologist Charles Smith, whose decades of expert testimony for the government compounded the misery of grieving parents by sending many to prison for the accidental deaths of their children.
This week, Dr. Smith took the stand in the ongoing judicial inquiry and made a couple of shocking revelations:
1. Biased for prosecution
Most shockingly, he admitted that, far from being the neutral scientist he portrayed himself to be, he actually was biased in favor of the prosecutors who hired him.
"I honestly believed it was my role to support the Crown attorney. I was there to make a case look good," he admitted in his first day of testimony before an ongoing judicial inquiry into what went wrong in the cases.
2. "Ignorant"
Second, he admitted that he was "profoundly ignorant" of the criminal justice system. In stating this, he apologized for the "mistakes" he made during some two decades of performing child autopsies in cases of suspicious death.
3. Trained others experts
Despite now admitting to bias and ignorance, back in the day Dr. Smith lectured other doctors on how to be an expert witness in court. In court today, he was shown a speech he delivered entitled, "See You in Court: The Invitation You Can't Refuse," in which he cautioned doctors never to be an advocate for one side or the other. How's that for hypocrisy.
Among those whose lives were torn apart by Smith’s "mistakes" are several mothers who spent years in jail until the cases against them fell apart, and a man who was finally exonerated after spending more than a decade in prison for the death of his niece.
One commonality among many of the cases was the socioeconomic status of the accused, who included racial minorities, aboriginals, and single mothers. Although the adversarial system is premised on an equal fight between the accused and the government, economically disadvantages defendants do not have the wherewithal to obtain their own experts to challenge the government's experts. This is especially dangerous when the expert – as in Smith’s case - appears neutral, well qualified, and scientific.
These multiple emerging scandals - which include the Colorado case of Tim Masters, the British case of Sir Roy Meadows (who falsely accusing dozens of mothers of so-called "Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy") and the Mississippi case of forensic odontologist Michael West - are driving home the fact that experts are not infallible and should not be accepted without skepticism.
More on the Smith hearings, including video coverage, is at the Toronto Star and the Charles Smith Blog. My prior posts on the case are here and here. My blog post on forensic odontologist Michael West (a bite-mark expert) is here.
This week, Dr. Smith took the stand in the ongoing judicial inquiry and made a couple of shocking revelations:
1. Biased for prosecution
Most shockingly, he admitted that, far from being the neutral scientist he portrayed himself to be, he actually was biased in favor of the prosecutors who hired him.
"I honestly believed it was my role to support the Crown attorney. I was there to make a case look good," he admitted in his first day of testimony before an ongoing judicial inquiry into what went wrong in the cases.
2. "Ignorant"
Second, he admitted that he was "profoundly ignorant" of the criminal justice system. In stating this, he apologized for the "mistakes" he made during some two decades of performing child autopsies in cases of suspicious death.
3. Trained others experts
Despite now admitting to bias and ignorance, back in the day Dr. Smith lectured other doctors on how to be an expert witness in court. In court today, he was shown a speech he delivered entitled, "See You in Court: The Invitation You Can't Refuse," in which he cautioned doctors never to be an advocate for one side or the other. How's that for hypocrisy.
Among those whose lives were torn apart by Smith’s "mistakes" are several mothers who spent years in jail until the cases against them fell apart, and a man who was finally exonerated after spending more than a decade in prison for the death of his niece.
One commonality among many of the cases was the socioeconomic status of the accused, who included racial minorities, aboriginals, and single mothers. Although the adversarial system is premised on an equal fight between the accused and the government, economically disadvantages defendants do not have the wherewithal to obtain their own experts to challenge the government's experts. This is especially dangerous when the expert – as in Smith’s case - appears neutral, well qualified, and scientific.
These multiple emerging scandals - which include the Colorado case of Tim Masters, the British case of Sir Roy Meadows (who falsely accusing dozens of mothers of so-called "Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy") and the Mississippi case of forensic odontologist Michael West - are driving home the fact that experts are not infallible and should not be accepted without skepticism.
More on the Smith hearings, including video coverage, is at the Toronto Star and the Charles Smith Blog. My prior posts on the case are here and here. My blog post on forensic odontologist Michael West (a bite-mark expert) is here.
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