Forensics Flashcards
Ganser syndrome
Factitious disorder
Approximate answers, somatic conversion symptoms, clouding of consciousness, perceptual disturbance including visual hallucinations (pseudohallucinations)
Prevalance crime and mental disorder
4-6 times more common on mentally ill vs general population.
People with psychiatric disorder increased risk of victimisation, and involved in suicide/self-harm
Schizophrenia and violence in the community setting
10% of people with schizophrenia commited violent act in 12 months vs 2% with no mental disorder (x5 times)
Mental disorder in offenders
Psychosis 10x more common in prison than general population
Personality disorder 65%; major depression 10%, psychosis 3.7%, organic 1%
Homicide
34% linked to a mental disorder, 5% schizophrenia
Penrose law
Argued increasing no. of mental health beds reduced number of serious crimes and imprisonment
Homicide
1.2/100,000
10% of homicide offenders have had contact with MH services in past 12 months
Victims often acquaintances
Annual risk for schizophrenia and homicide is 1/10,000. UK 1/100,000
Filicide
(Mother killing own child)
Impulsive killing - battering mothers
Neonaticide - (not in infanticide act), killing in first 24 hrs of life, often unknown to healthcare services
Aggression to spouse displaced to child - retaliating woman
Unplanned pregnancy/ socioecconomic hardship - unwanted children
Child suffering, no secondary gain - mercy killing
Mentally ill mothers - most commonly depression; psychotic illness; personality disorder; dissosiative response.
PD - borderline/dependent
Automatism
An offence when the person is not in control of their mind.
Insane = intrinsic cause
Epilepsy, sleepwalking, brain tumor
Sane = extrinsic cause
Acute confusional state, concussion, dissociative state, night terror, hypoglycaemia
Stalking
Rejected; ex-intimate in hope of reconciliation or vengeance
Intimacy; think someone is in love with them and it will be reciprocated
Resentful; revenge for actual or perceived injury
Predatory; stalking forms part of sexual offending
Incompetent suitors; seeking date or brief encounter
Delusional disorder;
- Erotomania
- Jealousy
- Persecution
Mental illness not a noteable factor in those who stalking or attempt to assassinate public figures
Sexual offences
<10% of sex offenders have a mental illness
Frotteurism; touching or rubbing ones genitals against another person without consent, to derive sexual pleasure or orgasm
Fetishism - sexual interest in inanimate objects
Voyeurism - secretly watching an unsuspecting individual
Sadism - humiliation of others
Masochism - one’s own pain
Paedophilia- pre-pubescent children
Sexual offences <1%; frequently men perp
Sexual offences and recividism
1/5 released from prison re-offend
Most convinctions are first time
Multiple paraphilias can be a powerful indicator or recividis
Risk factors to reoffending 1 sexual deviance, 2. Antisocial PD 3. Sexual attitudes and intimacy deficits.
Arson
Young adult males, relational difficulties, unmarried, poorly educated, isolated, unemployed/unskilled
2.5:1, male to female
Psych diagnosis most common PD (increased with substance misuse), psychosis, LD, intoxicated. Low IQ over-represented
Pyromania
> 2 occasions, relief in tension
Pathological excitement, tension or arousal prior to the act, fascination and attraction, pleasure/gratificatiom/relief
Recividism 4-20%; childhood fire setting, younger age first offence, no. of offences, alone, unmarried, low IQ, no other offences.
Aversive therapy, reinforcement
Criminal responsibility
Actus Reus = doing the act
Mens Rea = being responsible for their actions
Age of criminal responsibility is 10 yo
