Submit your evaluation report of treatment programs for violent and non-violent offenders and victims. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final project. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback
Running Head: FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
Literature Review
Matthew Rosario
Southern New Hampshire University
Literature Review
Forensic psychology refers to the subdivision of psychology which exclusively deals with the evaluation of persons under the justice system of a country. This means that a psychologists’ patients consist of offenders and victims of crimes, which inexplicably denotes the importance of the forensic psychologist in the judicial process. Per se , this paper looks to evaluate the role of forensic psychology in the treatment of diverse populations in the judicial systems. The analysis will rely on various literature that offers insightful knowledge on the concerns and treatment methodologies that specifically relate to non-violent offenders , violent offenders, and trauma victims.
Non-violent Offenders
Common concerns
The term non-violent offenders derives its implication in literal sense by referring to criminals who engage in criminal activities that contribute no harm to the victim. The judicial system faces a large number of cases that often can be attributed to non-violent offenders, explaining the huge number of such offenders in the current populations in prisons. The prevalence of psychological illness among criminal offenders is a serious issue taking into account that reports from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services show that approximately 20% of U.S. citizens suffer from a diagnosable mental illness .
According to Levi, Nussbaum, and Rich, (2010), the clinical assessment of non-violent offenders will involve a diagnosis of the numerous symptoms that the offender has been showing before and after the criminal act. First, the offender could be suffering from Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) which affects the ability of an individual to coexist with other members of the society. Patients from APD have been known to have disregard of social norms and the emotions of those they hurt. This means that many non-violent offenders will always tend to display behavior that can be construed to be public disturbance, an offence punishable by law (Levi, Nussbaum & Rich, 2010).
Additionally, the incarceration of a non-violent offender to a restrictive prison system has shown to have ultimate effect on the psychological profile of many non-violent offenders. Most non-violent offenders encounter great shock upon imprisonment, leading to further psychological concerns such as increased conduct disorder. Invariably, it is the responsibility of a qualified forensic psychologist to model the best treatment regime to aid the rehabilitation of mentally ill non-violent offenders. The concerns identified above are not necessarily restrictive to non-violent offenders, as they can displayed by other mentally ill patients who are either nonaggressive or violent (Levi, Nussbaum & Rich, 2010)..
Treatment
The aptitude to understand the ramifications of a psychological illness on the social behavior of an individual is essential in enabling proper diagnosis of mental illness and articulating the proper treatment regime . The importance of treatment is attributed to the need to offer the paramount transitioning skills from jail back to the society.
I Vanderloo and Butters (2012) identified the need to balance between two treatment techniques, ‘offense focused’ and ‘offender focused’ treatments. For instance, treatment of Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) is a cumulative process that targets management of dire symptoms and any associative behaviors like drug use. The offender can be prescribed medication by the doctor that often helps in suppressing extreme behaviors and symptoms that are exhibited uncontrollably .
Another relevant form of treatment that can be applied is through group-based intervention programs. However, due to the regulations under which the prison systems in America operate, this is unviable . The security required to control groups is cumbersome and cannot be guaranteed. Thus, the treatment will majorly involve the psychologist and the offender only (Vanderloo and Butters, 2012).
Violent offenders.
Common Concerns
Violent offenders refer to criminals caught in the act or after committing a crime that often has potential body harm on the victim or on their own person. Violence is used to refer to assault on others and oneself, every so often through suicide attempts . The major psychological concern that is attributable to violent offenders is the nature of anger and violence-proneness. Vanderloo and Butters (2012) note that violent offenders have an aggressive biasness towards others that can be said to arise from improper behavioral scripts . In a generally developing psychology science , the impact of psychopathy profiling has been identified as another major concern with violent offend ers. Though, it is important to note that there is no consensus on the personality traits of a psychopath since there is categorical evidence showing the ability to mask violent tendencies with a confident persona . A psychopathic violent offender will reveal other symptoms associated with emotional deficiency or double-personality , which feed their hunger for forcefulness . The concerns noted above are majorly associated with violent offenders.
Treatment
The threat posed by vicious mentally ill offenders requires that forensic psychologists to engage their patients under strict supervision of security personnel. According to Vanderloo and Butters (2012), the treatment of violent offenders will begin with simple adjustments to daily routines that target cognitive behavioral treatment to help control anger and illegal conduct. It is important for the prison staff to be engaged in the process by avoiding confrontations and general survey of the individual when in public sections.
Sentence commutations of offenders has been termed as another solution to mentally-ill patients to avoid the escalation of their mental state. However, due to the violent nature of this population, this particular solution is not applicable, considering the tough stance on to violent offences by the judicial system .
Trauma Victims
Common Concerns
Trauma victims represent a distinct population from the other populations discussed above, due to its focus on the psychological effect of a criminal act on the victim. Different people will display different reactions or responses to a traumatic event. The most common type of concern relates to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with different degree of level from subtle to outright destructive on the health of the victim. Leading causes of trauma victims are sexual crimes, domestic violence, war, and death of a close friend or relative .
Kilbourbe and Goodman (2015), noted that levels of anxiety are manifested by trauma victims through mood swings, irritability, and lack of sleep. These emotional reactions have a painful effect on the close relatives of the victims too .
Treatment
The nature of this psychological profile makes it different to the other two populations in both categories; psychological concerns and treatment methodologies. According to Kilbourbe & Goodman (2015), the important step in the treatment of trauma victims is to discourage the tendency to isolate from others. The withdrawal from other will encourage depression and regress any attempts in offering support. The psychologist can also prescribe drugs that will help in regulating the nervous system extreme reactions that will offer the victim greater sense of control over their emotions. The healing process can also be aided by therapy sessions to help the victim evaluation of their feelings about the traumatic event .
References
Kilbourne , B., Kilbourne, S., & Goodman, J. (2015). PTSD and Forensic Psychology: A Continuum of Care and Multi-Modality Approach (CCMM). The Forensic Examiner.
Levi, M. D., Nussbaum, D. S., & Rich, J. B. (2010). Neuropsychological and personality characteristics of predatory, irritable, and nonviolent offenders: Support for a typology of criminal human aggression. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 37(6), 633-655.
Vanderloo, M. J., & Butters, R. P. (2012). Treating offenders with mental illness: A review of the literature. Utah: Utah Criminal Justice Center, University of Utah.