Final, Forensic Psychology Paper Essay Sample
Presently working in an Arizona State Mental Health Facility as a Forensic Psychologist. I have been late given the undertaking. tribunal ordered by the justice to measure a patient’s competence to stand test. His name is Edward Wilson. He is a 25 twelvemonth old male with a history of mental unwellness. stemming from the age of 17. Harmonizing to the constabulary study found in Edwards file. on Feb 4. 2012 Edward was arrested and charged with killing both his parents. Edward has been at the installation for three months now and his old records indicate that he possesses a low IQ every bit good as being mildly mentally challenged. Records province Edward has been hospitalized before due to a ego inflicted gunfire to his oral cavity. He was diagnosed at the age of 19 with paranoid schizophrenic disorder and placed on psychotropic medicines after he had an unexpected effusion and physically every bit good as verbally attacked his younger sister without aggravation.
The medicine seemed to stabilise his status and mental position at the clip. Since Edward has been at the installation he has stated that he believed several confederacy theories in mention to his parents every bit good as the Mayor. He besides states that as a adolescent he came across “the stone of creation” as he referred it. which possessed five different animate being faces upon it. and so sent it to the Mayor. He besides stated that he was non taking any of his psychotropic medicines at the clip of his parents’ slaying. Edward does hold a public guardian who counseled with his for 10 proceedingss at which clip the public guardian asked the justice to bespeak a competence rating. Thus. conveying Edward to this installation for competence Restoration. rating. and into my attention. I will measure this person. measure his mental stableness and inform the justice of my findings.
Specifying Competence
Competence to Stand Trial requires that a suspect comprehends the nature and ground of the legal proceedings against him and be able to efficaciously and suitably collaborate with the advocate in his defence. He must be able to grok the proceedings. every bit good as understand the charges against him and the punishments if found guilty. He must besides hold some degree of comprehension of courtroom process and the maps of those who participate in it. Besides. he must be able to collaborate with advocate. he must be able to aptly discus a legal scheme with his advocate. be able to remember and associate pertinent facts and events. that really occurred. including his motivations and actions at the clip of the discourtesy. and be able to attest in his behalf and to dispute prosecution informants.
The instance of Dusky v. United States ( 1960 ) developed the foundation of. that in order to be able to be competent to stand test a suspect has to possess equal coherent ability to confer with with his lawyer within an acceptable grade of rational comprehension every bit good as a rational factual apprehension of the proceedings before him and charges against him. This instance set the current basis for adjudicatory competency in the United States and now is the criterion used in Federal Court. The legislative acts turn toing competence vary from province to province ; nevertheless. the facets defined in the Dusky v. United States determination are contained the infallible fact that the suspect must truly grok the charges against him and must hold the mental capacity to help his lawyer in supporting himself.
Edward Wilson
Given the sum of information in refering to Edward I would necessitate to dig deeper into Edwards yesteryear. his up delivery and childhood every bit good as early adolescent life to derive a better position upon his background and if his mental issues began at an earlier age. I would necessitate his past medical records. all medicine records every bit good as mental records. including his stretchs at all mental and other infirmary installations. I would besides necessitate to look into all his lab work. blood trials. X raies. CT’s or MRI’s he had done for any abnormalcies. I would necessitate to cognize if there is a history of mental unwellness within the household every bit good. Besides. I would necessitate to cognize how his societal life was as a kid and early adolescent. Did he possess the normal societal accomplishments and features to develop equal childhood relationships or was he socially awkward. maintain to himself and wouldn’t involve himself in normal childhood activities? Did he possess violent inclinations as a kid and or teen? Does Edwards hold a condemnable background? How was his relationship with his parents and with his sister? Was the relationship with his female parent abnormal? Was he abused or shunned by his parents? How. was his relationship with his sister before he violently attacked her?
Was he homeschooled. or did he go to a public or private school? Since his records province he has a low IQ and possess a mild signifier of deceleration. at what age was this diagnosed and did he have proper interventions every bit good as the instruction for this issue? At what age did he genuinely get down to demo marks of mental deceleration every bit good as mental instabilities? Did he. as a kid and or early adolescent. repeatedly draw any in writing. horrific. upseting drawings? Did Edward hold any friends. did he prosecute in athleticss or after school extracurricular activities? Did he hold any pets? If so did he care for them decently or harm them? Be his ego inflicted gunshot wound knowing. was he trying to perpetrate suicide? There are a overplus of people I would necessitate to interview to discus Edwards upbringing and background. First off. I would genuinely necessitate to talk with his sister. Ask her to remember what she can about his childhood. his personality as a kid and a immature adolescent. How was her relationship with him so? Besides as her to remember and province in great item the events that lead up to him verbally and physically assailing her. and remember if he has done this before.
I would besides necessitate to interview other household members if there are any. close household friends. neighbours every bit good as Edwards instructors and all his physicians and or health professionals. I would speak to the people who found Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. talked to Edward and finally called the constabulary. I would necessitate to garner pertinent pieces of information from each to get down to determine and construct my rating survey upon Edward. This information could develop to demo an on-going history of mental unwellness therefore bring outing a possible undiagnosed mental unwellness at an earlier age. Measuring Edward and inquiring him the proper inquiry at to determine the cogency of his mental position could turn out hard. Particularly if he is mentally incapable of groking the inquiries rendered and directed towards him. But I believe the inquiries I would inquire would be. first off the basic sentient set of inquiries as in. “Do you know the day of the month. make you cognize what clip of twelvemonth it is. make you cognize what twelvemonth it is. who the president is. what own his name and day of the month of birth is. where he is and does he understand why he is at that place? ” Depending upon Edward’s answers the basis for the following inquiries would be set.
I would hold to so inquire him does he cognize what happened to his parents and where are they? The inquiries asked would all depend on Edwards mental capablenesss. His records indicated that he has a lessened mental module. a mild deceleration. Edward is traveling to experience comfy replying inquiries he is able to understand. to be certain. I would hold to determine if Edward wholly understood what has happened. why he is at that place in the mental installation and explicate the tribunal proceedings to him and inquire if he understands them. I would hold to measure whether Edward comprehended the full construct pertaining to “being able to be mentally sound to stand trial” and inquire him the particulars of the aforesaid definition thereof. I may besides inquire Edward about his yesteryear. if he remembers his childhood and how it was. Besides about his relationship with his parents and sister. every bit good as possible friends he had. pets he was responsible for and how he felt about them all.
I would hold to derive a background upon Edward. but through his eyes. comprehend the universe as he does per Se. Besides finding his mental position through the interview procedure. another manner to measure Edward’s competency would be to detect his verbalisations. responses to inquiries and or others actions. Watch his organic structure linguistic communication. facial looks and unprompted behaviours. Detect how he interacts with others. or if he does at all. Possibly observe him in a group therapy session to see if he cooperates. involves himself and understands the constructions of the group therapy. Read through all his charts from past to show and as I aforementioned inquire with other medical professionals and staff members about Edward. I would desire to garner every piece of corporate information approximately Edward as possible before I made my clinical determination about his mental competence to stand test. There are besides. merely to advert a few. The Competency to Stand Trial Screening Test ( CST ) and The Competency to Stand Trial Assessment Instrument ( CAI ) .
These instruments specifically designed for measuring adjudicatory competency was developed in 1965 and was so called The Robey’s Checklist for Psychiatrists after celebrated head-shrinker Ames Robey. Harmonizing to the old statements refering to Edwards’s behaviours at the clip of the offense every bit good as his mental province. there is a huge difference between being “fit to stand trial” and being reprehensively responsible. Edward was non taking his prescribed psychotropic medicines at the clip of the slayings. hence was he mentally stable so? He may grok the tribunal proceedings now that he has been back on his medicines within the mental installation. but non refering to when the incident occurred. The justice may bespeak or ask if Edward’s actions can be distinguished between the facets sing fittingness for test. so mentioning to Edward’s present mental capablenesss and position during adjudication and condemnable duty. which of class refers to an Edward’s mental province when the slayings occurred. I do non believe by the decisions of the aforesaid information gathered and Edward’s old actions every bit good as statements he is mentally fit to stand test.
But if the justice does so hold him suit to stand test. the opinion that he is competent to stand test can non non forestall him and or his lawyer from seeking to set up an insanity defence and such a determination is non admissible at test. He would decidedly hold to continue as any other individual charged with a dual homicide. He would hold to travel through each and every measure as a normal individual would every bit good as all the tribunal proceedings. Then the jury will hold to make up one’s mind if so Edward was sane and or mentally stable at the clip of the slayings and either charge him so or non. I am non certain a jury would happen in Edward’s favour. even though he possess a lessened mental module doesn’t mean he didn’t intentionally stop taking his prescribed medicine. which. as stated. stabilized his paranoiac schizophrenic symptoms. and that he didn’t know between right from incorrect.
I think all in all. Edward could be found guilty. but placed within a prison mental installation to function his sentence. The theory that can outdo describe Edward’s behaviours. I believe is The Psychological Theories. I view Edward as really socially awkward. therefore he didn’t interact really much with others than his ain household. Did Edward possess an unnatural relationship with his female parent. within his ain perceptual experiences? Psychological Theories can nail and do mention to most of Edward’s anti-social behaviours every bit good as his diagnosed paranoiac schizophrenic disorder. All Edward’s symptoms. diagnosing. behaviours and condemnable causings all have mention to psychological theories. Psychological based condemnable theories explain condemnable behaviour as the effect of single factors. such as negative early childhood experiences. and unequal socialisation. which consequences in condemnable thought forms and or uncomplete cognitive development. This clearly describes Edward’s behaviours and mental instabilities.
Decision
If I was inquired by the finding justice to stand and give my professional appraisal of Edward Wilson’s future emotional and mental stableness and if he is a menace to himself and or society. I would hold in province. “yes” . I believe Edward could really easy present as a menace. particularly if he is non under the changeless supervising of a physician to do certain he is taking his proper prescribed medicines. Another episode of person losing their lives. allow entirely Edward perchance perpetrating self-destruction. merely isn’t worth the hazard of a “we’ll see” type of state of affairs with Edward. His hallucinations and grandiose ideals of confederacy pose as a menace to himself every bit good as society. Edward clearly has a chemical instability and requires psychoactive medicines to perchance control those paranoid schizophrenic symptoms and behaviours every bit good as be under the changeless attention of several physicians.
Mention:
Greene. E. . Heilbrun. ( 2010 ) . Psychology and the legal system ( 7th ed. ) . Florence. KY: Cengage Learning.
COMPETENCE AND INSANITY
hypertext transfer protocol: //www. brown. edu/Courses/BI_278/Other/Clerkship/Didactics/Readings/COMPETENCE % 20AND % 20INSANITY. pdf
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hypertext transfer protocol: //insanityplea. umwblogs. org/competent-to-stand-trial/
Mental Competency – United States Supreme Court Cases
hypertext transfer protocol: //www. mentalcompetency. org/resources/court-cases/supreme-court. hypertext markup language
Measuring Competency to Stand Trial with Evidence-Based Practice
hypertext transfer protocol: //www. jaapl. org/content/37/4/450. full
AAPL Practice Guideline for the Forensic Psychiatric Evaluation of Competence to Stand Trial
hypertext transfer protocol: //www. jaapl. org/content/35/Supplement_4/S3. full # sec-61
Psychological Explanations Of Deviant Behavior
hypertext transfer protocol: //sociology. about. com/od/Deviance/a/Psychological-Explanations-Of-Deviant-Behavior. htm
