Blog Profile / In The News
| URL : | http://forensicpsychologist.blogspot.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Academics / Psychology | |
| Posts on Regator: | 438 | |
| Posts / Week: | 2.2 | |
| Archived Since: | August 3, 2009 | |
Blog Post Archive
Land of the Free: The best investigative reporting on U.S. prisons
by Cora Currier, ProPublica The U.S. has the highest reported incarceration rate in the world. We've rounded up some of the best investigative journalism on U.S. prisons and the problems that plague them. These stories cover juvenile justice, private prisons, immigration detention and other aspects of America's vast incarceration system. Show More Summary
Brazilian prisoners riding toward freedom
Photos: Felipe Dana, AP Brazilian prisons, criticized by human rights groups for their miserable conditions, are getting some good press this week over an innovative rehabilitation program that allows prisoners to pedal their way toShow More Summary
Sanity opinions show "poor" reliability, study finds
Independent evaluators agree only about half the time Did you hear the one about the JetBlue pilot who suddenly began rambling incoherently, bolted out of the cockit and ran through the aisles of the plane, screaming about Jesus andShow More Summary
Groundbreaking research: One out of every 10 rape convictions wrong?
As a young man, Michael Jones pleaded guilty to back-to-back attempted molestations of two girl strangers. However, he adamantly maintained his innocence while in prison and on parole. He said his lawyer had coerced him into pleading guilty by threatening him with life in prison if he went to trial. Show More Summary
Mute mystery man baffled jail psychologists
After a month of silence, alleged pizza thief deemed incompetent to stand trial How do you provide treatment to someone who won't talk, when you know absolutely nothing about him -- not even his name? That was the problem facing clinical staff at the San Mateo County Jail this month. Show More Summary
Unidentified pizza thief baffled jail psychologists
Mute for a month, he was deemed incompetent to stand trial How do you provide treatment to someone who won't talk, when you know absolutely nothing about him -- not even his name? That was the problem facing clinical staff at the San Mateo County Jail this month. Show More Summary
High court ruling on juvenile sentencing: What's it mean?
Two things strike me about Monday's headline-grabbing high court rulings in Miller and Jackson, banning mandatory sentences of life without parole for juvenile killers. Mandatory versus discretionary sentencing First, the U.S. Supreme...Show More Summary
Bow ties: The simple solution to expert witness credibility
If you are a lawyer anxious over how your expert witness will perform on the witness stand, just tell the expert to grab a bow tie. It's just the ticket for that "nerdy nod of credibility."That's just one of the scintillating nuggets...Show More Summary
SVP risk tools show 'disappointing' reliability in real-world use
Rater agreement on three instruments commonly used to assess sex offenders' risk of recidivism is much lower in practice than reported in the tools' manuals, according to a new study out of Florida. Faring most poorly was the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R). Show More Summary
Civil capacity assessment comes of age
What do these three situations have in common? A young adult with chronic schizophrenia refuses medication because she believes she is being poisoned A middle-aged adult struggles to pay his bills after a traumatic brain injury fromShow More Summary
Jail confidentiality, Part II: Open season on insanity consultants
Do insanity consultations fall under the attorney-client privilege? Not in DeKalb County, Georgia In civil court, expert consultants be kept secret under attorney-client confidentiality rules. Even with testifying experts, an amendment...Show More Summary
Confidentiality and jail forensic evaluations (Part I of II)
Prosecutor secretly records forensic psychology evaluation Alameda County Courthouse, Oakland The other day, I was evaluating an inmate at the county jail, when we both heard a series of faint clicking sounds. He immediately jumped to...Show More Summary
Research: Romney's anti-gay assault fits typical pattern
Romney then Outed for physical and verbal abuse of gay classmates during high school, U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney is trivializing the incidents as "pranks" and "dumb things," and claiming not to know the boy he assaulted was gay.To me, his response came as no surprise. Show More Summary
Hebephilia update: DSM-5 workgroup stubbornly clinging to pet diagnosis
Salvador Dali: The Average Bureaucrat A few weeks ago, I reported on an open letter to the American Psychiatric Association, calling for it to reject three controversial expansions of sexual paraphilia diagnoses that are being promoted by government evaluators in civil commitment cases.A lot has happened since then. Show More Summary
The homicidal triad: Predictor of violence or urban myth?
For at least half a century, legend has told of a "triad" of ominous childhood behaviors -- cruelty to animals, firesetting, and enuresis – said to predict future violence.The so-called "Macdonald triad" (also known as the homicidalShow More Summary
Composites illustrate problems with eyewitness recall
Take a minute to examine this display of composites. Notice the wide variations in the man's features -- his eyes, his apparent age, his bone structure.DNA evidence links 11 rapes in East Los Angeles over the past 16 years to this so-called...Show More Summary
Blogger wins scientific achievement award
Accepting the award. Photo by Michael Donner I am pleased to report that I have been awarded the 2012 Distinguished Scientific Contribution in Psychology award. It struck like a thunderbolt in a clear blue sky; I had no idea I had even been nominated for an award until I got a phone call notifying me I had won. Show More Summary
Ranking forensic journals through content analysis
Illustration credit: Jock Alexander, The Australian You have no doubt heard of journal "rankings." A journal's rank conveys information about the impact and quality of a journal. This can be useful information for both authors and consumers. Show More Summary
SCOTUS to tackle capital habeas competency right
At a criminal trial, a defendant who lacks rational understanding cannot be forced to proceed. Likewise, a person who is sentenced to death cannot be executed unless he is sane enough to grasp why he is being punished. (1) But what happens...Show More Summary
Open letter opposing DSM-5 paraphilias expansion
Photo credit: Dr. Joanne Cacciatore As readers of this blog are aware, proposals to expand the sexual disorders in the American Psychiatric Association's upcoming DSM-5 have generated significant controversy among forensic psychologists and psychiatrists. Show More Summary