Psychiatry and Criminal Culpability

PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT --Theodore H.Blau

This unique training guide/reference was written in response tothe ever-growing demand for psychological services in lawenforcement agencies. Written by one of the nation's most respectedexperts in forensic psychology, it offers psychologists now workingin law enforcement agencies and those interested in entering thefield, a detailed overview of the many functions psychologistsserve within those agencies. Organized by sections corresponding tothe major functions psychologists perform--assessment, intervention, consultation, and training--the book deals withall issues that psychologists working in law enforcement willencounter in their practice, including officer recruitment, fitness-for-duty evaluations, stress counseling, drug and alcoholcounseling, hostage negotiations, investigative hypnosis, management consultation, and much more. 1994 (0-471-55950-4) 454pp.

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE CHILD --Theodore H.Blau

Over twenty-five years in the making and the result ofexaminations of over four thousand children, this book is acomprehensive guide to performing psychological examinations onchildren. Covering virtually every aspect of the examinationprocedure, it offers specific recommendations and step-by-stepguidelines to everything from office decor, requisite equipment, test selection, rating categories, and techniques for minimizingstress to administering tests, writing reports, and makingrecommendations. Closely following Dr. Blau's famous BasicPsychological Examination package, the book guides readers in theirassessment of environmental pressure, behavioral responses, intellectual factors, neuropsychological status, responsecapabilities, academic achievement, and personality. 1991(0-471-63559-6) 279 pp.

THE PSYCHOLOGIST AS EXPERT WITNESS --Theodore H. Blau

This very practical guide arms mental health professionals witheverything they need to serve comfortably and effectively as expertwitnesses. With the help of numerous real-life examples, excerptsfrom transcripts, sample forms, checklists, and legal documents, itshows you how to: prepare for your day in court
avoid beingmanipulated by attorneys
write up depositions and psychologicaland technical reports
and much more. And, as the use of mentalhealth professionals as expert witnesses continues to extend beyondtraditional judicial applications, the author addresses a widerange of untraditional situations and types of cases in whichreaders may be called upon to serve, including cases of liabilityand personal injury, eyewitness identification research, trademarkand patent litigation, and others.

1984 (0-471-87129-X) 424 pp.

PSYCHIATRY AND CRIMINAL CULPABILITY

How do we distinguish between sin and sickness? Few cases inrecent memory so well typify the current confusion over thisquestion as that of Jeffrey Dahmer. The confessed killer of fifteenyoung men, Dahmer had sex with and cannibalized his victims'bodies. Yet, because he was not found to be mentally ill--thethreshold requirement in tests of legal insanity---he wasconvicted and sentenced to 936 years imprisonment. How is it thatsuch a severely disturbed person as Dahmer is adjudged sane andtherefore culpable, while "Twinkiedefense" killer, Dan White andwould-be presidential assassin John Hinckley, Jr., are deemed notguilty by reason of insanity? What are the origins of tests forcriminal responsibility, and how is mental illness defined underthem? Can causal links be shown to exist between specific crimesand disorders?

Psychiatry and Criminal Culpability explores, in-depth, thesequestions and many others at the heart of one of the mostcontroversial issues in our criminal justice system today.Throughout, Dr. Ralph Slovenko, an acknowledged expert whoseprofessional experience straddles both the worlds of psychiatry andthe law, brings a wealth of scholarship and direct experience tobear on the subject. Citing numerous landmark cases and historicalformulations of criminal responsibility dating back to biblicaltimes, he traces the evolution of current legal and psychiatricnotions of culpability and the relationship between culpability andinsanity. Writing for both a mental health and legal audience, Dr.Slovenko clearly and eloquently addresses a wide range of importanttopical issues. He explains the distinctions between the defensesof not guilty by reason of insanity, guilty but mentally ill, anddiminished capacity. He identifies the types of mental illness thatcurrently qualify under the test of criminal responsibility, including disorders that psychiatrists do not regard as psychotic, but which, nevertheless, many experts assert negate responsibility.He explores the role of the mental health professional as an expertcharacter witness in cases where it is uncertain whether theaccused committed the crime in question. And much more.

Fascinating, thought-provoking, and enlightening, Psychiatry andCriminal Culpability helps guide mental health and legalprofessionals through the moral and technical complexities of oneof the knottiest issues of our day.