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Introduction to Forensic Psychology - Summary, Tilburg University

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Introduction to Forensic Psychology

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Tilburg University (UVT)

A summary of the course Introduction to Forensic Psychology. The summary consists of the lectures given and the articles. If you have any questions, you can message me :)

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Uploaded on March 12, 2024
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psychologie
psychology
forensic psychology
summary
samenvatting
introduction to forensic psychology

Institution
Tilburg University (UVT)
Education
Psychologie
Course
Introduction to Forensic Psychology

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Article 1 – Schirmann
 Linkage between being an immortal person and having an abnormal brain  specific view on
immoral people: immoral and insane due to a disordered brain.
 Pinel: mental diseases that affected emotions (and intellectual defect).
 Mental disorder concept: focus on disturbed emotions and immorality, such as moral
insanity and homicidal mania.
 Immorality and criminality – fields of activity of psychiatrists.
 Immoral people: sick than merely unethical.

William Bigg (1843-?)
 Killer of animals, torturer of his siblings, and molester of girls.
 Described as dangerous, vicious, cunning, devious, infantile, humorless, naïve, and full of
good intentions.
 Diagnosed with moral insanity (linked to immoral behavior) – complex functions of the brain
were compromised in this condition which let to deterioration into a biological predecessor.
 “Are we to punish him for his involuntary anachronism?”

Charles J. Guiteau (1841-1882)
 Killed president James A. Garfield.
 Ensuing trial was about whether Guiteau was insane or not.
 Spitzka (examination) – signs of abnormal brain (face, shape of head, etc.)  disordered
brain action.
 One group of experts: brain has microscopic anomalies in the blood vessels and cellular
make-up, but they refused to make a statement about Guiteau’s insanity.

Jane Toppan (1857-1938)
 A nurse that poisoned several of her employers and took care of their children.
 Does not feel any guilt or does not grieve over it.
 Has been part of thefts and intrigues, rarely associated with them and never proved guilty.
 Examination: clear-headed, sociable, manipulative, and good at lying.
 Diagnosis was complicated.
 Corrupted family was the reason why Toppan was insane.
 Whether she was immoral due to brain disorder or insane at all remained controversial.

Patient E. (1865-1893)
 Europe’s central question: whether morality could be compromised in isolation leaving the
intellect intact.
 E: child of well-respected, physically and mentally healthy family.
 Family description of E: withdrawn, uncommunicative, big imagination (lies), incapable of
love.
 Auguste-Henri Forel: moral deficiency without delusions due to defective brain organization.
 Bleuler: minor bodily signs of degeneration, industrious, vain, glib, not malicious, tender with
animals, intellect and memory completely intact, no compassion, devious and manipulative.
o E was the stereotype of a moral idiot.
o Could be environmental influence, but it is a brain disorder.
 Brain based diagnosis did not have any evidence from the brain.

Christiana Edmunds (1828-1907)
 Unremarkable 43-year-old, unmarried, middle-class background.
 Attempt to murder the wife of a man she liked, deposited poisoned chocolate in sweets.
 Immaculate intellect, but no hesitation or remorse in her evil actions.

,  Had a degenerate family, so she is immoral too.
 Moral issues where due to cerebral defect.
 Sentenced to death at first, but then institutionalized.

Brian Dugan
 Kidnapper, rapist, and murderer.
 Kent Kiehl (examination): fMRI, patterns of activation for a typical psychopath.
 Misconducts are product of the brain malfunctioning (neurobiological allegedly interfered
with the ethical).

It is believed that the brain functions as a network, in which various areas interact in consulting
immorality. There is still no consistent theory of neurobiology of im-/morality.

Lecture 1
History of forensic psychology
 Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.)
 Middle ages:
o Legal guardianship lies with family.
o Right of containment (lock-up).
 15 -17th century:
th

o 15th century – madhouses
o 16th-17th century – possessed by the devil witch-hunts
o Johannes Wier (1515-1588)
 18th century: French Revolution – Enlightenment
 19th century:
o 1810: Code Penal – France
o 1809: Criminal code of law – the Netherlands
o 1811: Code Penal – the Netherlands
o More attention to disorders
o Pinel: ‘manie sans delire’ = moral insanity.
o 1841: first Krankzinningenwet
o 1886: introduction of Code of law.
o Later: TBS – severe offences, not fully responsible, high risk of reoffending.
Explanations of mental disorders and crime
 Heredity: psychological traits are inherited from ancestors (biological destiny).
 Degeneration: mental disorder and criminality also inherited, they worsened with every
generation.
o Degeneration is progressive.
 Evolution: morality is sign of high and complex development of humankind.
 Neurological explanations:
o Localization doctrine: brain consisted of distinct center with specific functions.
 Morality is in the occipital lobes.
o Brain has a double function: both a pervasive mediator and a causal force.
Juvenile criminal law 19th/20th century
 Before: no difference between children and adults.
 During Code Penal: ‘without distinguishing judgement’ (basically the same).
 1905: introduction ‘Kinderwetten’ (children’s laws).
 Shift to modern law streams: focus on the offender.
o Aimed at betterment.
o Appropriate punishment – milder punishment.

,20th century: Van Hamel proposition
 Mild offenses: regulation/conviction  aim at deterrence.
 Serious offenses: long-term treatment.
 Very serious offenses: TBR – 10 year treatment followed by re-evaluation.
Punishment or treatment?
 Necessity of treatment vs. punishment.
 Fitting regulation adhering to:
o Proportionality: regulation should be considered in light of the danger/possibility of
re-offending.
o Subsidiarity: severe regulation only accepted when a milder one is not sufficient.
o Effectivity: treatment of regulation should be effective in diminishing danger (of re-
offending).
Basis for regulation
 Offence + at least 4 years of prison (criterion: severity).
o Not fully responsible as a result of mental illness = diminished accountability.
o When not treater, there is high risk of re-offending.
 Convicted  100% chance of reoffending
o Treatment: decreases this chance over time.
Core TBS-regulation
 TBS: a treatment regulation.
 Both treatment and rehabilitation are necessary (law).
 Balance control: what to focus on?
o Short-term – high security of buildings.
o Long-term – treating disorder such that danger of re-offending is low.
 Leave: central part of TBS because returning to society is the main goal.
 Later: estrangement from and disappearing of social structure damage integrations (us-
them).
Forensic care
 The Netherlands: ‘terbeschikkingstelling’ (TBS).
 Germany: indefinite period of time, annual evaluation, patient is autonomous during
treatment.
 UK: secure hospitals and prison settings, annual evaluation of mental state and risk,
discharge rests with clinicians, patients are passive receivers of treatment.
 US: comparable to UK, but many differences between states.
 Treatment of offenders with a mental illness is not self-evident.

Article 2 – Andrews and Bonta
Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model
 Formalized in 1990; elaborated and contextualized within a general personality and cognitive
social learning theory of criminal conduct.
 Added principles:
o Collaborative and respectful working relationships between staff and offenders.
o Correctional agencies and managers leading to facilitate effective treatment.
 Risk principle who = match the level of service to the offender’s risk to re-offend.
 Need principle what = assess criminogenic needs and target them in treatment.
 Responsivity principle how = maximize the offender’s ability to learn from the intervention
by providing cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) and combining intervention with learning
style, motivation, abilities and strengths of the offender. Two parts:
o General responsivity:
 Use of cognitive social learning methods to influence behavior.

,  Cognitive social learning strategies are the most effective regardless of the
type of offender (female, aboriginal, psychopath, sex offender).
 Core correctional practices (prosocial modeling, problem solving) spell out
the specific skills in a cognitive social learning approach.
o Specific responsivity:
 Fine tuning of the cognitive behavioral intervention.
 Considers strengths, learning style, personality, motivation, and bio-social
characteristics of the offender.

Conclusion
 Best assessment and interventions can be provided through:
o Embrace a general vision that it is in the best interest for all to provide cognitive
behavioral services to offenders.
o Select, train, and supervise staff in the use of RNR assessments and the delivery of
services that adhere to RNR.
o Provide policies and organizational supports for the RNR model.
 Table 3: principle of offender assessment and treatment beyond RNR principles.

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