Develop an initial mental health postarrest assessment for Doe that includes a line of questioning to determine personality type and suicide risk.
Personality type should be taken into account in order to determine the psychological context of Doe. This can established through the development of their past circumstances and mental health history. This will help in demonstrating the conditions upon which the criminal action took place. Understanding their past history of mental illness will help to provide insight into this context. Through the establishment of a conceptual framework that can be understood in regards to the history and criminal behavior that the individual has had a more accurate assessment of their current state of mental health can be considered. Various factors such as illness, loss, and financial difficulties can help to establish an understanding of the patient's mental state as well.
Whether the patient is able to understand their own mental state or ask for assistance is also an important question. In asking Doe how much difficulty they are having in their present circumstances a better idea of their mental health can be established. This can be done through the consideration of the principles upon which they were raised. This provides an important consideration in regards to the questions that are utilized to develop a framework for understanding Doe. Questioning the parents would also be important. The tools and services that the individual has available are important in determining their current state of mental health. The self-medication issues may be related to anxiety or depression. Asking questions that can help to determine the level of addiction that Doe has is therefore essential in assessing his level of mental health. Due to the attempted suicide, Doe should be assessed for symptoms of mental health involving depression or other such conditions.
Assessing the specific level of risk that the patient has of committing suicide is essential to understanding their state of mental health. Whether the suicide risk can be said to be chronic or acute is an important question. Whether the attempt was premeditated or on impulsive is also important to consider. Intent is also an important question. Whether there was a clear or passive attempt can establish this. Furthermore, whether the attempt was made in order to inflict self-harm, a gesture of avoidance, or attention-seeking should also be considered. This can help to determine the suicide risk that Doe presents. In establishing this his state of mental health at the time of the criminal act can be better understood.
Develop an initial investigative postarrest assessment for Doe, focusing on possible motivations for the crime in question.
Motivations for this crime could possibly be attributed to his state of mental health. The question of his state of mind in relation to depression presents the need for consideration. This is due to the preexisting evidence regarding this history of mental health. Furthermore, the various events throughout his life highlight the need to consider this. The sexual dissatisfaction that is evident in his first experience may be an issue in this sense. His dislike of this event might have cognitive consequences that have effected his actions. The state of mind induced by drug use is important to consider as well. It is evident that he self-medicated with marijuana and alcohol, which may have had a profound effect on his capacity to make decisions. This may have also prompted him to seek sources of income that were present in the online realm that he had become accustomed to through video games.
Financial motivation could also be a factor. The fact that he stayed home after graduating high school and did not pursue employment may be an important element in the case. Furthermore, his enjoyment of video games likely gave him cause to become immersed in the online realm. Being able to be anonymous online likely gave him a sense of both power and a lack of a need for restraint. This demonstrates the major conditions that must be considered in developing a framework for the criminal's mental health in this case. These considerations demonstrate the basis on which his criminal actions can be understood. This provides a framework for the possible motivations of the criminal behavior.
Compare the differences between how law enforcement personnel and a forensic mental health professional would conduct assessment and criminal investigative procedures in the case of Doe.
The encounters that law enforcement officers have with those that can be considered mentally ill are, first of all, less frequent then those in the mental health profession. Law enforcement officers are primarily focused on resolving the conflict for all involved. Those in the mental health profession, on the other hand, are concerned with helping those with mental health disabilities. This presents a major difference in how these professionals develop strategies in assessing and investigating the crime. In regards to existing policies focused at developing effective strategies for dealing with the mentally ill, it seems that there is “considerable variability in existing programs” (Coleman 2010, p. 6). This demonstrates the need for criminal cases from the point of view of law enforcement to engage in a variety of questioning throughout their investigations.
It is also important to consider the challenges that face law enforcement in conducting investigations that makes it difficult for them to account for the mental health of those in question. Furthermore, it is evident that “every police officer operates within the context of his/her own organization” (Coleman 2010, p. 6). This makes the establishment of specific priorities in regards to how cases are handled more difficult. It is also important to consider the development of policies that have taken place, which demonstrate that criminal investigators have begun to take into account the needs of the mentally ill more in recent years. If an officer does find that a suspect may have a mental health disability, they are generally required to “transport the subject to the hospital and request admission” (Coleman 2010, p. 7). This presents a major challenge in understanding the priorities of these organizations.
In general, while a law enforcement officer would be more concerned with punitive measures for the criminal activity that was committed, the mental health professional would be concerned about mitigating both the criminal's and the public's potential for danger. The major concern of the law enforcement officer is to investigate a crime and to submit those who are thought guilty to the justice system for consideration. In this sense, while they may have the secondary obligation to account for the mental state of the individual, their primary consideration is in attaining the criminals responsible for a specific occurrence. A mental health professional, on the other hand, will conduct their investigation with concern for the well being of the individual in question. Any findings will be used in order to develop and assess the most accurate picture possible of the individual's state of mental health.
Based on reviewed research, describe 3–4 personality characteristics and motivational dynamics of an individual who is capable of such a crime.
One major personality characteristic is age. It is evident that the majority of those who have committed such crimes fall within a specific age range. Research suggests that the majority of these individuals are “young adults, aged 18 to 25 years” (Wolak 2011, p. 28). This presents major consideration in regards to Doe, who falls directly in the middle of this range. Furthermore, it is evident that many of his life decisions correlate with the research that has been done on this subject. It has been shown that “significantly fewer offenders were employed full time or lived with children” (Wolak 2011, p. 28). His lack of a job and living with his parents as well as not having any children to be responsible for demonstrates important evidence of his mental state.
Gender is also an important consideration in cases that center around these types of criminals. In these situations, it has been demonstrated that criminals are “virtually all male” (Wolak 2011, p. 28). This is a generality, however, and should be considered as such. Perhaps more significantly, it is also evident that those arrested for such crimes, some, but not necessarily a significant amount, had backgrounds that “included mental illness, violence, substance abuse, or prior arrests for sexual or other offense” (Wolak 2011, p. 29). As his background seems to correlate with both substance abuse and a history of mental illness he presents the traits evident for this motivational background. Furthermore, there seems to be correlation with a lack of social functioning or relationships and the development of an understanding regarding his state of mental health. This is evident in the nature of his mental history. “Mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, loneliness, and childhood abuse appear to be elevated among CPOs in comparison with general population norms” (Price 2011). His history of sexual abuse further demonstrates evidence of his established mental state.
Develop an appropriate postconviction treatment for Doe, including specific recommendations for type of treatment (cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, and medication) and modality (individual and group) as well as outcome measures, which would evaluate his progress.
The treatments considered should directly reflect the outcome of their mental healht assessment. “CPOs’ mental health, social isolation, intimacy deficits, and childhood abuse could be treatment targets for this population” (Price 2011). Methods of psycho-dynamic treatment might indicate the underlying reason as to why Doe finds sexual gratification from these sources. Questioning Doe on whether his primary attraction is to male or females as well as if there are any incestuous idealizations involved can help to demonstrate the level to which he can be considered a pedophile. Through the assessment of Doe's specific typology a better recommendation for the direction of counseling can be established.
The cognitive-behavioral approach will be aimed at reducing the likelihood of these events reoccurring in the future. The major aim of the treatment will be to reduce the patient's tendencies through methods that “change factors known to be related to re-offending” (Camilleri 2008, p. 192). Therefore, by targeting the specific psychological concerns that have been addressed, the treatment process can be established in a more accurate way. This approach works by attempting to reduce the recidivism that the patient has to the thoughts that led to their criminal behavior. This is done by not only attempting to demonstrate to the patient the correlation between their mental states and the actions that are taken, but also helping them to understand how their actions effect other people. Furthermore, by helping them to be able to see the mental processes that lead to this behavior and giving them the tools necessary to work through them professionals can help them to change their behavior on a more fundamental level (Camilleri 2008, p. 194). These treatments would generally be provided on an individual basis. Outcomes for the treatment and the progress of the individual could be tracked primarily through their careful examination by the criminal justice system.
Describe 2–3 appropriate psychological tests that could be useful in psychological profiling and/or criminal investigation for this case.
Salience is an essential factor in developing an understanding of the criminal's profile in this case. Being able to pinpoint the specific psychological features that resulted in their criminal behavior is essential in determining Dole's profile. Consistency is also important. In determining how consistently the individual acted towards these impulses a better idea of how to profile their particular case can be established. This can be done through “the effective utilization of police information, through interviews and from police records, as well the study of police investigations and decision support systems” (Canter 2004, p. 7). In testing the reliability of the criminal's judgment, an idea of their psychological profile can be established.
Another type of psychological test can be conducted through interviewing the individual. This can help to establish a profile through the “distinct, unique features of the offender that can be the basis for answering the questions” (Canter 2004, p. 8). If the individual can be differentiated from other typologies from the answers that are given then they can be accurately determined in regards to their behavior. This psychological test can help to profile Doe through the underlying traits that have been established through the examination of the case. Through the application of these methods a more thorough understanding of his illness and methods for treating him can be achieved. In this way, the realities of his situation can be better understood and he can be kept from reentering the justice system at a later date.
References
Camilleri, J.A. (2008). Pedophilia: Assessment and Treatment. Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment. 183-212. New York: Guilford.
Canter, D. (2004). Offender Profiling and Investigative Psychology. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling. 1:1-15.
Coleman, T.G. (2010). Police Interactions with Persons with a Mental Illness: Police Learning in the Environment of Contemporary Policing. Mental Health Commission of Canada.
McDowell, I. (2006). Measuring Health: A Guide to Rating Scales and Questionnaires, Third Edition. Oxford University Press.
Price, M. (2011). New Zealand adult internet child pornography offenders. Journal of Criminal Psychology. Vol. 5 Iss: 4, pp.262 – 278.
Wolak, J. (2011). Child Pornography Possessors: Trends in Offender and Case Characteristics. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment 23(1) 22-42.
