3^rd International Conference on Forensic Psychology & Criminology August 16-17, 2018
Quality Hotel Globe, Arenaslingan 7, 121 26 Johanneshov, Sweden

Biography:

Jacqui Saradjian is a Consultant Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, formerly the Clinical Director of The Fens Offenders with Personality Disorder Pathway Service and who is currently working with adolescent offenders.

Abstract:

Research indicates that at least 70% of offenders reach criteria for personality disorder other than antisocial. The focus of forensic psychology is on assessment and reduction of risk.To fully assess and reduce the risk an offender poses, the underlying drives to offend must be understood and addressed.  To do this an offender must be genuinely engaged however, it is notoriously difficult to fully engage and work therapeutically with offenders with a diagnosis of personality disorder. This workshop is presented by a consultant clinical and forensic psychologist with a long standing proven record of establishing and running a service for, and working therapeutically with, men with severe personality disorder with outstanding results in risk reduction (Saradjian et al, 2013). This workshop will be co-facilitated by an expert by experience who has in-depth personal insights into the both the processes needed for effective engagement and change ( Asad Ul Lah & Saradjian, 2016a & 2016b ).

Based on schema therapy, a highly accessible intervention which is gaining an increasing evidence based for effectiveness with this client group, this interactive workshop will give useable strategies as to how to successfully engage offenders and the interventions needed to bring about real change and risk reduction. Importantly it will also explore a significant block to treatment and a possible reason why so many offenders drop out of interventions.

This is a unique opportunity to have dialogue with an ex-offender who has completed the UK Offender with Personality Disorder Pathway from High Security to the community and, having genuinely changed, is now able to articulate the process of that engagement and change and what had previously stopped him and his peers from genuinely engaging with psychological services, along with a highly-experienced therapist who has written and delivered these programmes with outstanding results.

Biography:

Natalia Sypion-Dutkowska, Ph.D. – works as a Professor assistant in the Spatial Management Unit at Faculty of Geosciences, University of Szczecin (Poland) where she has been a faculty member since 2004. She received an MSc. in geography from University of GdaÅ„sk (Poland) in 2002, and an MSc. in GIS from Jagiellonian University (Poland) and University of Salzburg (Austria) in 2008. She received her Ph.D. in Geosciences in the discipline of geography from the University of Szczecin (Poland) in 2013. Her research interests are environmental criminology, geography of crime, GIS and crime mapping. She is a member of International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA).

Abstract:

The purpose of this workshop is to identify a spatial pattern of urban crime (residential crimes, car crimes, commercial crimes, robbery and fights, and drug crimes) and to evaluate the relationship between aspects of place and clustering of crime. The study focuses on the point incident mapping of (ca. 40.000) urban crimes by address, committed in the years 2005-10 in the Polish large city of Szczecin (ca. 400.000 inhabitants). Hypothetical spatial (punctual, linear or areal) conditions of particular types of urban crime are divided into: generators (i.e. malls, commercial centers and streets, markets, traffic nodes, high schools, sport and entertainment centers etc.), attractors (alcohol shops, night clubs, discotheques, pawnshops etc.), enablers (public housing, youth concentrations, poverty areas, demolished and abandoned areas etc.), distractors (safeguarded buildings and areas, monitored public spaces, churches, cemeteries etc.), and crime-neutral areas. Relationships between the concentrations of particular types of urban crime and the individual and common impact of generators, attractors, enablers, and distracters will be quantitatively evaluated using the GIS and crime mapping methods and techniques (overlapping, buffering, distance), as well as statistical tests.

Biography:

Dr. Rodrigo (Santiago, Chile, 1956). Psychiatrist and couple therapist. He has been a forensic psychiatrist in the Legal Medical Service (SML) since 1998. There he has focused his work on expertise and investigations in people accused of violent crimes. He has been working since 2008 as medical coordinator of the Adult Psychiatry Unit of the Metropolitan SML. 
In the year 2010 he published the work Forensic Psychiatry in Criminal Matters (Editions of the Chilean Society of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery, SONEPSYN). The year 2014 published the Manual of forensic psychiatry for lawyers (Editorial Libromar Ltda.). It has forensic investigations published in Chile and abroad, and papers at the biannual congresses of the International Association of Mental Health and Law. He obtained the academic degree of Doctor of Medical Sciences with mention in Forensics with a thesis investigation in incendiary population, developing a model of patterns in this type of criminal behavior. He teaches in different metropolitan universities, in regions and abroad. He has taught training for the Public Ministry, Public Criminal Defense and Judicial Academy. Since 2008 he is the coordinator of the Forensic Psychiatry Working Group of SONEPSYN. He has participated as an expert guest in inter-institutional work tables by the Ministry of Health.

Abstract:

Aim and method: By taking on account ideological and motivation factors, firesetting proceedings, environment influences and psychiatric and psychological matters related to arson it was possible to classified and design an adult arson model. The research analysis was focused on medical and criminal records and forensic psychiatry reports from an arsonist population (N = 197) referred for mental assessment at the Medical Legal Service in Chile, over a twelve-year period (1999-2011).

Conclusion:  Psychological, psychiatric and criminological aspects were useful on describing arsonist characteristics and analysis of their personal meanings given to different steps of firesetting displaying (before, during and afterwards) report clinical and forensic knowledge of different types of fire setter defendants, as well. Eight arson patterns were obtained, including mood and emotional disorders related, revenge motivated, alcohol and substance intoxication associated with neglect or antisocial behavior, ideological and criminal factors, and pyromania. Psychopaths were able to display arson behavior in different ways and seem to be considered as a special category of this clinical, forensic and criminological phenomena.

Biography:

Buddy C. Thornton has completed his doctoral studies and is currently completing his dissertation as required by Grand Canyon University with a focus on cross-cultural competency and conflict management. He is the owner of BCT Mediations PLUS, a conflict management organization aligned with Brāv, a global online dispute resolution organization, where he functions as a Brāv global ambassador and mediator. Mr. Thornton is a contributing author for Lawful Talks India, gives mediation-aligned training primarily in the Asia-Pacific area, and is a mediation conference presenter and keynote speaker. The primary topics are aligned with conflict management and peaceful outcomes.

Abstract:

Restorative justice processes have emerged as an effective tool in family and juvenile court environments, but research is lacking on whether the process has merit in non-capital offense criminal court cases. Synthesizing an aligned process that concurrently protects the public while giving substantial consideration for how the victim emerges from the adjudication process should be a primary focus of justice. Up to this point, victims rights and needs have taken a back seat to how courts approach convicted perpetrators. Exploring the benefits mediation and restorative justice processes afford victims after the fact, project lower rates of recidivism for perpetrators, and create social and economic benefits for the public offers pathways to enhancing the criminal legal process overall. Humanizing victims emerges as the primary overlooked factor restorative justice enhances when courts include controlled victim-perpetrator interaction. In violent contexts, online dispute resolution platforms allow victims respite from the fear associated with direct interaction while healing moves forward. Pros and cons of restorative justice processes are discussed at length with suggested action potential for expansion from current levels of utilization. Future research is suggested aligned with a broad continuum of potential criminal contexts.   

Biography:

Karin Spenser completed her PhD from Nottingham Trent Univeisty. She is a lecturer in Forensic nad Criminal Psychology at the University of Derby, as well as a UK Justice of the Peace. She has published a number of papers in reputed journals, as well as presenting at international conferences, on a variety of topics relating to the pschology of offending behaviours. 
 

Abstract:

Prosociality is important in the study of offending behaviours. This is explained by the belief that the risk of offending is lowered if a person is possessed of certain cognitive skills. As a consequence several rehabilitative interventions, aimed at improving these skills, have been developed in the UK. However, despite the recognition that psychometric measurements can provide an understanding of individual cognitive abilities, with the exception of IQ, most do not require potential participants to be pre-screened before participation. Evidence relating to the success of these programmes has been mixed.  Indeed, for some interventions research has indicated little or no difference in terms of recidivism at the two year mark between those who took part in the programme and those who did not. Yet, the theoretical premise, that programmes aimed at improving cognitive abilities in offenders will have a positive effect on recidivism, remains robust.  The overriding aim of this study was to consider the potential benefits of assessing individual cognitive abilities in offenders, prior to programme participation. To do this, 400 male and female, offenders and non-offenders, completed questionnaires measuring a number of cognitive abilities. Significant differences were detected between the offenders and the non-offenders, with the offenders scoring lower than the non-offenders. It is therefore suggested that, like IQ, consideration of cognitive abilities may be of long term benefit. Simply, a more focused intervention, aimed at the specific cognitive needs of an individual, or group of offenders, may have a greater the impact in terms of reducing re-offending. 

Biography:

Larry E. Britton Jr. is currently a third-year PsyD student at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles Campus. He has had the opportunity working amongst Forensic Mental Health inpatient and outpatient settings, with both adolescents and adults. Larry completed his first practicum apart of his clinical training working with homeless adults in the Skid Row located in Los Angeles and is completing the second practicum at an Institute of Mental Disease conducting therapy and psychological testing with Severely Mentally Ill adults. He is interested in continuing working within the forensic mental health field and continuing research.

Abstract:

Homelessness continues to be one of our countries most overlooked topics in which has started to gain some attention from legislatures and mental health professionals. One of the most significant populations in urban areas that are known to be homeless is the black male. In this study, 25 Black Male participants were pooled from the Los Angeles Mission, a Christian-Based rehabilitation program that houses men and women struggling with co-occurring disorders. Adverse life events, number of arrests, and social supports; were analyzed amongst all 25 Black Homeless Males; within this study. Within the Homeless Black Males, all of the participants were over the age of 25; 28% were 25-34, 40% were 35-49, 24% were 50-64, and 8% were 65 and older. Of the 25 Black Male participants, it was found that 64% were a Non-Veteran and 36% were a Veteran. 72% of the Black Males endorsed that they have been diagnosed with a Mental Disorder. Data Analysis indicated that the top three adverse life events that are seen amongst the Black Male Homeless population were Mental Health Problems; Physical, Emotional, and Sexual Abuse; and Marital and Family Problems. When looking at the number of arrests, it was found that 52% of the Black Males endorsed that they have been arrested 0-3 times throughout their lives. Finally, results show that Significant Others, Family, and Friends are critical social supports for both Non-Veteran and Veteran Homeless Black Male populations. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.

Biography:

Quianna Glapion is an English PhD candidate at Clark Atlanta University. She has served as an instructor of English at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas; and Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. Ms. Glapion is a member of the Black Doctoral Network, the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education, and the International Association of Forensic Linguists. Her research interests includes: Forensic Linguistics (The Speech Pattern of Psychopathic Killers); the Criminal Anatomy of Serial Killers; and the Psychosis of Serial Killers.

Abstract:

This study examines the psychology of fictional and real-life serial killers and the behavioral similarities between them.  Three fictional murderers, mainly Macbeth (William Shakespeare’s Macbeth), Buffalo Bill (The Silence of the Lambs), and Victor Frankenstein’s creature (Frankenstein), as well as real-life killers such as Charles Manson, Edward Gein, and Edmund Kemper were researched in depth. The data for this study was gathered from a variety of sources such as biographies, television interviews, personal interviews, published novels, articles, and documentaries.  This investigation also focuses on predispositional factors and personality traits that led these killers to a life of crime.  While no single behavioral trait was found to be present in every murderer studied, some of the psychological factors, that led them to murder, that were found to have predictive value included: abusive upbringings, mother hate, adoption, pornography, and brain damage were also reliable predictors in the lives of fictional murderers and their real-life counterparts.

Biography:

Dr. Gemma Hamilton is a sessional lecturer and researcher at RMIT University (Justice and Legal Studies). She holds a Bachelor of Arts with first class Honours, and a Ph.D. in forensic psychology from Deakin University. Her research focuses on investigative interviewing as well as gendered violence.

Abstract:

Purpose: Recent advances in technology have raised a potentially promising service to overcome difficulties associated with remote witnesses: live video-feed interviews.  The efficacy of this mode of interviewing, however, lacks empirical evidence, particularly with children in an investigative context.

Methods: This study explored the effects of live video-feed compared to face-to-face interviewing on the memory reports of 100 children (aged 5-12).  Children participated in an innocuous event and were interviewed 1 to 2 days later by experienced interviewers.

Results: Analyses indicated that live video-feed interviewing was just as effective as face-to-face interviewing in terms of the accuracy and informativeness of children’s accounts.  Video-feed interviews, however, required a higher number of clarification prompts compared to face-to-face interviews.  These findings were not influenced by children’s familiarity with technology.

Conclusions: An initial test of live video-feed interviewing indicates it is a safe and effective method for interviewing children about an innocuous event.

Biography:

João Pedro Lourenço has completed his Master´s degree in Medicine at the age of 23 years old (2012) from Lisbon University – Medical College. He is in his final year (5^Th year) of Psychiatry residency, after which he will become a Psychiatry consultant. During his residency, he made an internship in Forensic Psychiatry settings (Forensic Psychiatry Service of the Psychiatric Hospital Center of Lisbon). He has completed a post-graduate course (70 hours) on Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology promoted by the Institute of Legal Medicine of Portugal.

Fernando Vieira is an Assistant senior graduate of Psychiatry in the Forensic Psychiatry Service of the Lisbon Psychiatric Hospital Center. He is a member of the Installing Commission of the Forensic Psychiatry Sub-specialty College of the Order of Physicians of Portugal and the National Commission for Follow-up on the Mental Health Law, which he presided from 2006 to 2008.

Abstract:

Objectives: The classical view of sociology and criminology is that we should look upon social forces to understand criminal behavior. But since several adoption studies in the 1970s and 1980s suggested that having an incarcerated birth parent raised one´s own risk of earning a criminal conviction as an adult (even if educated by law-abiding foster parents), the idea that inherited genetic dispositions may elevate the risk for engaging in criminal behavior gained strength. In this work we will discuss the data that has emerged from recent research that has focused on identifying which specific genes confer risk for antisocial behavior.

Methods: Revision of scientific literature through, using search terms including genetics, epigenetics, violent behavior, MAO-A, CDH-13.

Results: More than 100 behavioral genetics studies report that there is a significant genetic basis to antisocial and aggressive behavior. Several meta-analyses even suggest that the contribution to criminality that is attributable to genetics is between 40-60%.  Some studies have identified individual genetic variants that are associated with violent behavior, being the most prominent MAO-A (monoamine oxidase A) and CDH-13 (cadherin-13) polymorphisms. In a recent study, it was suggested that at least 5-10% of all serious crime in Finland is attributable to MAO-A and CDH-13 genotypes.

On the other hand, a meta-analysis showed that no variant was associated with aggression at the 5% level of significance, concluding that the contribution of any single gene is likely to be minor. Recent research in epigenetics has also shown that environmental circumstances have a crucial role on how genes are functionally expressed in the individual.

Conclusions: Although there is a growing body of evidence revealing an important genetic influence on criminal/antisocial behavior, research in epigenetics has undermined traditional arguments of biological determinism. Better understanding of the role of genetics may change society´s approach to punishment, prediction and prevention of criminal behavior.

Biography:

Eve Maram, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist and a Jungian-oriented psychotherapist in private practice in Orange, California, and author of Psychopathy Within (2016). She served on the California Department of State Hospitals (DSH) Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) panel of evaluators for eight years. She is currently a Candidate in Jungian analytic training through the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts (IRSJA), C.G. Jung Institute of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Jenny Aguilar PsyD, holds a doctoral degree in clinical forensic psychology and a Master’s degree in forensic psychology. She is currently completing her post-doctorate (pre-licensure) hours at Orange Psychological Services (OPS) where she provides outpatient psychological treatment and evaluation to parolees and probationers convicted of sexual offenses, as well as private and pretrial clients. Additionally, she is director of the graduate forensic psychology program at California Baptist University.

Abstract:

PSYCHOPATHY WITHIN presents a unique synthesis of forensic and clinical psychology, infused with personal story.

Dr. Eve Maram’s book, Psychopathy Within (Maram, 2016), offers a new, gradated definition of psychopathy that challenges our assumptions about the topic and its meaning. The book presents a unique synthesis, including detailed material from Dr. Maram’s personal, forensic/clinical, and depth psychology professional perspective. Defining psychopathy as a human characteristic on a continuum, which the book posits, is both timely and relevant to forensic assessment and treatment. In a world more blatantly polarized than ever, those most disenfranchised among us, including those caught up in the legal system, are impacted with amplified intensity.  

Dr. Jenny Aguilar will amplify this idea of a gradated definition of psychopathy using illustrative clinical case examples. Historically, the term psychopath has been reserved for individuals with expressed, extreme depravity, evidenced by behavior. Extreme psychopathy is a strong predictor of future risk, but forensic risk assessment tools often fail to identify the majority who commit violent crimes. These instruments are categorical and do not address the continuum of personality, specifically the characteristics of psychopathy that are broad and nuanced. Redefining psychopathy enhances our perceptions about specific types of criminal behavior, to identify most effective treatment and intervention strategies.