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
Fitness to plead
Pritchard criteria
Understand the charges and decide whether to plead guilty or not
Follow the course of proceedings
Instruct counsel
Challenge a juror
Give evidence to own defence
Unfit to plead
Trial of facts
Hospital order +/- restrictions order
Supervision and treatment order
Absolute discharge
Remitted to court when fit to plead
Section 47
Sentenced prisoner. 2 doctors advise, secretary of state decided need to spend time in hospital for treatment of SMI. When finishes, back to prison.
Section 49 - sec of state decides when you go back to prison.
Section 37/41
Crown court has decided, on the advice of 2 doctors, thay person should go to psych hospital for treatment, instead of prison.
Section 37, mental healt rx.
Section 41, restriction order, secretary of state decides when patient can leave hospital and jave leave. There may be a conditional discharge.
Section 35
Criminal court remand an accused person to hospital for psychiatric reports
