FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY LECTURE 3

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FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGYLECTURE 3

• Clinical and Forensic Assessment
• of Psychopathy

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Recommended Reading

• Gacono, Carl B. (2000), The Clinical and Forensic
  Assessment of Psychopathy Practitioners Guide.
  London Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. (Chapters 3,
  4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13).
• Howitt, Dennis), (2009) , Introduction to
  Forensic and Criminal Psychology 3rd Edition.
  London Pearson Prentice Hall Chapter 20.
• Millon, Theodore Simonsen, Erik Birket-Smith,
  Morten and Davis, Roger D. (1998), Psychopathy
  antisocial, criminal and violent behaviour. New
  York Guilford. (Reading Chapters 1, 2, 4, 6, 9,
  12, 10, 12, 27).
• Articles
• Hare, Robert D. (1998). The Hare PCL-R Some
  issues concerning it's use and misuse. Legal and
  Criminal Psychology. 3, 99-119.
• Herpertz, Sabine and Sass, Henning (1997).
  Psychopathy and antisocial syndromes. Current
  Opinion in Psychiatry. 10, 436-440.

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Aims of Lecture

• Examine the link between mental illness and crime
• Describe what is meant by the term psychopathy
  and understand the difficulties associated with
  defining psychopathy
• Describe the usefulness of the Hare Psychopathy
  Checklist Revised (PCL-R).
• Examine the concept of assessing risk and
  recidivism in forensic populations.

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Mental Illness and Crime

• Concept of Mental Illness is perceived in
  different ways between the professions of
  psychology and law. The media have an effect on
  the public perception of mental illness and
  crime.
• Link et al (1992) Sample of 500 never treated
  residents/mental patients in NYC. Psychiatric
  Epidemiology Research Interview assessing
  mental illness symptoms. Although patients
  reported higher levels of violence, age, gender
  and education level were a higher predictor of
  violent behaviour than psychotic symptoms.

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Mental Illness and Crime

• Swanson (1990) US study using the Diagnostic
  Interview Schedule. While schizophrenia was
  associated with violence, substance abuse was a
  greater predictor in the likelihood of violent
  behaviour.
• Hodgins (1997) Stockholm 15,000 born in 1953
• MEN - 32 with no mental illness criminals/ 50
  of mentally ill criminal
• WOMEN - 6 with no mental illness criminals/
  19 of mentally ill criminal
• Why?

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History of Psychopathy

• We cannot treat, except empirically, what we do
  not understand and we cannot prevent what we do
  not comprehend
• Brittain (1970)
• Pinel (1800s)
• Manie Sans Delire insanity without a
  confusion of mind.
• Patients engaged in impulsive and self damaging
  acts, despite the fact that their reasoning was
  intact and that they knew what they were doing
  was irrational.

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History of Psychopathy

• Cleckley (1976) The Mask of Sanity Proposed
  that psychopaths present a convincing mask with
  superficial charm, good intelligence, etc, yet
  are impulsive, have poor judgment and lack
  remorse.
• 16 characteristics including interpersonal,
  affective, cognitive and behavioural
  characteristics associated with an impulsive,
  irresponsible lifestyle.

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Cleckleys Characteristics

• Superficial Charm
• Absence of Delusions
• Absence of Nervousness
• Unreliability
• Lying
• Lack of Remorse
• Anti-social Behaviour
• Poor Judgment

• Egocentric
• Poor Reactions
• Lack of insight
• Unresponsiveness in interpersonal relations
• Alternative behaviour
• Threat of Suicide
• Promiscuous
• Lack of Life Plan

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Terms

•         Antisocial Personality Disorder(ASPD)
•         Sociopathy
•         Psychopathy
• (Terms used interchangeably in the literature)
• Sociopathy diagnosis in DSM I sexual deviation,
  alcoholism and anti-social behaviour were
  features.

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Anti Social Personality Disorder

• 18 years
• Conduct Disorder before age 15
• Violations of law
• Disregard for others/self
• Deceitfulness
• Impulsivity
• Irritable/aggressive
• Lack of Remorse

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Hare Psychopathy Checklist

• PCL-R 20 item 40 point scale completed with a
  semi-structured interview, and a review of
  independent and historical and contemporaneous
  data
• PCL-SV 12 item scale
• Factor 1 Interpersonal/affective features
  callousness, lack of remorse.
• Factor 2 behavioural/affective features
  socially deviant lifestyle.

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Hare Psychopathy Checklist

• Glibness/Superficial Charm
• Grandiose sense of self-worth
• Need for stimulation/proneness to boredom
• Pathological Lying
• Conning/Manipulative

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Hare Psychopathy Checklist

• Lack of remorse or Guilt
• Shallow Affect
• Callous/Lack of Empathy
• Parasitic Lifestyle
• Poor Behavioural Controls

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Hare Psychopathy Checklist

• Promiscuous Sexual Behaviour
• Early Behavioural Problems
• Lack of Realistic Long Term Goals
• Impulsivity
• Irresponsibility

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Hare Psychopathy Checklist

• Failure to accept Responsibility for Own Actions
• Many Short Term Marital Relationships
• Juvenile Delinquency
• Revocation of Conditional Release
• Criminal Versatility

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Anti Social Personality Disorder/Psychopathy

• Behavioural Criteria in ASPD behaviour that is
  observable and can be agreed on by clinicians,
  but
• Does not inform us about character
• Does not predict behaviour
• Does not suggest any specific type of treatment
• Most psychopaths will meet criteria for DSM ASPD
  but ASPD will not meet criteria for
  psychopathy

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Anti Social Personality Disorder/Psychopathy

• Psychopathy behavioural criteria and
  personality traits
• APA (1994) forensic population study
• 80 met criteria for ASPD
• 15-25 met criteria for psychopath.
• Quinsey, Rice Harris follow-up study of
  offenders(1995)
• Psychopath 80 committed offences
• Non-psychopath 20 committed violent offences

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Administration of PCL-R

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• Historical information
• Record review
• Clinical Interview
• Greater than or equal to 30 psychopath
• Over 32.5 likely to be violent .