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Ethics Case #2

For this case, please read the case history below. In this scenario you are a forensic psychologist performing a risk evaluation on an adolescent offender. You have been hired by the student’s school to complete the evaluation.

As you read this scenario and develop an understanding of the patient, consider what ethical concerns you may have, particularly related to the APA guidelines and specialty guidelines for forensic psychology as they relate to informed consent. In your assignment, be sure to address issues related to the age of the patient and how you would achieve informed consent. In addition, please answer the following questions:

1. What would you do if consent is denied and the school would still like you to complete an evaluation?

2. What if you have consent; however, the patient presents with a concern related to his competency (i.e., he is acutely psychotic and/or has a significant intellectual disability)?

Psychodiagnostic Assessment

Name: Jim Smith

DOB: 1/10/2000

Age at Testing: 16 years 2 months

Reason for Referral:

Jim was referred for assessment by the school for a psychodiagnostic assessment secondary to some legal issues that occurred in this summer. Specifically, Jim was arrested for possession of incendiary devices. The school is seeking recommendations regarding Jim’s psychological needs.

Relevant Background information:

Jim Smith is a 16-year-old adolescent n who currently resides in a juvenile residential facility, where he has been since his arrest in July. According to records, Jim was charged with two counts of Possession of an Incendiary Device, Chem/Bio/Nuclear Weapon; one count of Possession of Hoax Incendiary Device, Chem/Bio/Nuclear Weapon; and one count of Unlawful Possession of Fireworks. These charges are in relation to a search of the family home, in which police found spent explosive devices, 22 BB and pellet guns, animal parts, and digital evidence that Jim may be preoccupied with Nazism. He is currently being held at the Department of Youth Services (DYS) detention facility while he awaits trial in Juvenile Court.

Prior to this arrest, Jim’s school conduct report notes seven incidents at school between 10/22/2013 and 05/11/15. These incidents include bumping into a boy on the playground with several peers; destruction of property in the school bathroom; refusing to work; using a teacher’s email to send an email to another school staff member which included the phrases “Aayy nigger” and “fuck you”; making inappropriate comments about another student’s sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and cultural background; and drawing swastikas on his lunch tray. These actions resulted in five days of in-school suspension and five days of out-of-school suspension cumulatively.

In October 2015, a thorough neuropsychological evaluation and risk assessment was completed for the courts. In this evaluation, Jim was found to have intellectual abilities in the high-average to superior range. He was noted to have intact encoding of verbal information, planning, organization, and working-memory skills. He demonstrated a mild weakness in sustained attention and notable impairment in processing speed, impulse control, and mental flexibility. In addition, the evaluation identifies that Jim has clear symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Several school personnel were interviewed who are familiar with the current incidents and have also known Jim in the past, particularly in middle school. School personnel generally describe Jim as withdrawn, aloof, giving a poor effort in school, and having academic issues. They also reported consistently that Jim presented with anxiety and depression. He was noted to stutter, shake, and appear anxious often. He was also noted to have minimal friends prior to the last year. In the past school year, Jim was reported to have started hanging out with two boys and began expressing anti-Semitic and anti-gay viewpoints. He was reported to have bullied some students, made swastikas, and sent an inappropriate email from a teacher’s account. These behaviors all appear to be in conjunction with the aforementioned other two boys. The school reported that neither Jim nor the other boys seemed to grasp the seriousness of their behaviors, and continued to get into trouble from time to time. All school personnel denied any concerns about an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Outside of school, Jim’s parents described him as being fairly “odd” as he got older. They indicated that he would frequently get obsessed with things, such as melting metal, but that the things he wanted to do were logistically impossible. They reported that he developed an obsession with voicing anti-Semitic views in the past year. His parents note that he felt he had freedom of speech and would frequently make defiant anti-Semitic gestures or statements when encouraged to discontinue expressing these views. They recounted that he got into trouble at school on several occasions related to this behavior. He also had run-ins with the police due to bullying a student in relation to these viewpoints.

Despite these concerning viewpoints, his parents reported that Jim is a good kid. They reported that they do not feel his use of weapons and these viewpoints are related. They indicated that they purchased the guns for him and that he and his mother would target practice in the backyard regularly. Jim’s father also reported that he caught his son mixing chemicals to make an explosive device in their backyard and told him not to do it again. Outside of this activity, his parents reported that Jim preferred to keep to himself and spent much of his time on the computer. He reportedly had two friends who were linked to the current offenses.

Behavioral Observations and Mental Status:

Jim presented as oriented and cooperative with the evaluation. He presented as fairly nervous and somewhat aloof initially. His eye contact is sporadic; and his speech and mannerisms are, at times, slightly awkward. He presented with good grooming and hygiene. There were no remarkable motor concerns. His affect was flat, and he reported a good mood. His speech was normal in volume, rate, and tone. His thought content was goal directed, coherent, and concrete with no tangential or loose associations. He denied any current or recent suicidal or homicidal ideation, intent, or plan. He denied any issues with hallucinations or paranoia and did not present with any symptoms of psychosis. Judgment and insight appeared adequate.