EXAM 3 Flashcards
In what case did the Supreme Court rule on the use of expert testimony on the issue of dangerousness?
Barefoot v. Estelle
(The Supreme Court still allowed it saying that banning expert testimony on future dangerousness is like asking the court to “disinvent the wheel”)
Barefoot was found guilty of capital murder because he had intentionally shot and killed a police officer
Two psychiatrists who had never interviewed Barefoot testified that there was 100% absolute chance that he would continue to be a danger to society. (hence the case and huge ruling)
In the APA’s amicus curiae brief how often were mental health professionals correct in their estimate of dangerousness?
1 in 3 times
Define “involuntary civil commitment”
to place someone in a psychiatric facility against their will
What two factors must mental health experts demonstrate before involuntarily committing a patient?
- They are gravely disabled
2. They are a danger to themselves or others
What famous case resulted in the “duty to protect” ruling?
Tarasoff v. Regents of U.C
What 3 criterion for involuntary civil commitment under the law were identified in Kansas v. Crane in regard to SVP laws?
- Must suffer from a mental illness
- Pose a future danger to society
- Serious difficulty controlling urged
What are SVP laws?
Sexually Violent Predator Civil Commitment Laws. They allow for states indefinite civil commitment of unstable sexual predators that pose a future threat to society
Define “double jeopardy”
Criminal procedural defense that prevents a criminal defendant from being tried twice for the same act after conviction or acquittal
Define “future dangerousness standard”
Important for the death sentence and terms of imprisonment
Is there a probability that the defendant would commit criminal acts of violence that would constitute a continuing threat to society?
Basis of SVP Laws
- States authority to protect its citizens from dangerous individuals (police power)
- States duty to protect those citizens who can’t care for themselves (Parens Patriae power)
How many states have SVP laws?
20
Define “Base Rate”
Overall likelihood of an event or behavior in a given population.
Ignored by psychologists when making risk predictions
Clinicians, when unaware of how rare a certain thing is, are prone to…
over-predicting violent behavior
What is Megan’s Law?
Megan Kanka was kidnapped, raped and murdered at age 7 by her neighbor
Due to this, the law requires states to make personal and private info about known sex offenders available to the public (aka community notification)
List types of violence risk assessments
- Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG)
- HCR 20 (takes all three markers into context)
- Hare Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R)
The final equation in the VRAG reached approximately…
75% accuracy
List all three risk factors used to predict risk
- Historic (or static) markers
- Dynamic markers
- Risk Management markers
What happens when you raise the base rate when predicting violent behaviors for a given population?
It decreases false positives
It increases false negatives
Which violence prediction instrument includes all three categories of risk?
HCR-20
Is a form of guided professional judgement instruments
20 item checklist (10 historical, 5 clinical, and 5 for assessing future risk)
Not based on populations
Decisions about appropriate punishment for a particular crime depend on the __________ of the and also _________ about the criminal
- seriousness
2. attributions
Crimes associated with what key 3 causes evoke the strongest punitive responses?
- Stable
- Internal
- Controllable
What is it called when a judge is required to hand down a sentence within a specific range for specific crimes?
Determinate sentencing
What is the purpose of sentencing guidelines?
To restrain the discretion of judges in order to attempt to decrease sentencing inequality
How many USA states had prisons between 1790-1800?
8 states (9 by 1820)
How many states currently have the death penalty?
31
Constitutional challenges have been bases upon the Eighth Amendment’s _________________________ clause.
Cruel and unusual punishment
Between 1930 and 1967, 455 men were executed for the crime of rape. Of those, _______ were black.
89%
List 5 factors that have contributed to the stunning rise in the rates of imprisonment in America.
- 3-strike laws
- Increase imprisonment of youth
- Longer sentences
- Mandatory sentencing
- Reductions in parole
What percentage of prisoners in state and federal prisons are male?
93%
Which demographic group has the highest incarceration rate?
Black males 20-34 years old (one out of nine)
What are the percentages of prisoners abuse drugs or are mentally ill?
80% have one
40% have both
Leibman, Fagan, & West found that ______ of death penalties were reversed because of serious errors at trial.
68%
37% incompetent attorney
20% mislead jury
- Wolfgang and Reidel found that Black men convicted of raping white women were ___ times more likely to be sentenced to death than any other racial combination.
18X
In McCleskey v Kemp, the supreme court ruled that general statistics regarding racial discrimination in the application of the death sentence were insufficient for an appeal. Rather the defense would have to prove that the jurors acted with ________________________.
discriminatory purpose