Validation of an Abbreviated Version of the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms in Outpatient Psychiatric and Community Settings

This study examined the effectiveness of an abbreviated version of the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS-A) in identifying malingered mental illness. The SIRS-A is comprised of 69 items drawn from the SIRS (R. Rogers et al. 1992, SIRS: Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms: Professional Manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.), substantially reducing the administration time. A simulation design was used with three samples; 87 psychiatric outpatients who responded honestly were compared to 29 community-dwelling adults and 24 psychiatric patients instructed to malinger psychopathology. The SIRS-A generated sensitivity comparable to or exceeding that of the SIRS normative data, but specificity was poorer; many genuinely impaired patients were misclassified as malingering. Although these findings suggest the SIRS-A may be an effective means to assess malingering in psychiatric populations, further research assessing the reasons for the elevated false positive rates is necessary.     

The Use of the MacCAT-CA with Adolescents: An Item Response Theory Investigation of Age-Related Measurement Bias

Despite the application of the MacCAT-CA to juveniles, questions been raised regarding the appropriateness of this tool for adolescents. The current study tested for age-related measurement bias using data from the MacArthur Juvenile Adjudicative Competence Study (n = 1393). Five of the MacCAT-CA items showed age-related measurement bias (i.e., DIF) for adolescents aged 11–15, and three items showed DIF for adolescents aged 16–17. Several items (e.g., understanding of juries) were more difficult for adolescents than adults matched at the same latent level of capacity, suggesting that these items might underestimate adolescents’ legal capacities. Contrary to expectations, there was little evidence of age-related measurement bias on the Appreciation scale. The use of the MacCAT-CA in research and clinical settings is discussed.

Teaching Adolescents and Adults about Adjudicative Proceedings: A Comparison of Pre- and Post-Teaching Scores on the MacCAT-CA

The current study investigated whether teaching was associated with improved legal understanding among adolescents and adults. Participants included 927 youth and 466 young adults, who completed the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool-Criminal Adjudication, the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Second Version, and the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. Adolescents aged 13 and younger were less likely than older individuals to improve with teaching. IQ score was positively associated with improvements following teaching, and individuals from ethnic minority groups showed greater improvements following teaching than non-Hispanic Caucasians. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

非文本化音乐分析方法与音乐能力发展的关系

将音乐分析方法与音乐教育心理学结合,可以发现非文本化(音响)分析方法与音乐欣赏的音响整体感知能力、音乐的记忆能力、音乐的理解能力和音乐的创作能力发展的关系。     

眼损伤法医学错误鉴定分析（附2例分析）

眼损伤法医学鉴定是法医临床学鉴定中的难点和研究热点,也是最容易出现错误鉴定的地方。本文针从两例错误鉴定入手,分析错误鉴定主要原因,一是鉴定人未关注病历材料中显示的重要信息,对病历材料中反映的既往病史、损伤动态发展及检查结果未予重视：二是鉴定人不具备眼损伤检查的基本技能,过度依赖外部信息。三是鉴定人不具备眼损伤的基础专业知识．对各类信息缺乏准确认识．对常见的眼损伤转归及预后不掌握。因此,结合上述问题,笔者建议鉴定人应当采取以下对策阻止或减少错误鉴定的发生,（1）完整审阅病历资料、影像学资料是基础;（4）实施细致、完善检查是关键;（3）准确把握鉴定标准是核心;（4）加强鉴定人专业技能和法律意识的提高是根本。     

精神发育迟滞者的刑事责任能力评定

本文对８０例精神发育迟滞有违法行为者的智力缺损程度、犯案动机、预谋、自我保护能力及对行为的辨认、控制能力等因素进行分析。鉴定结论，诊断为轻度精神发育迟滞者５８例（７２．５％），中度者１７例（２１．３％），重度者５例（６．２％）。评定无责任能力者１３例（１６．３％），限制责任能力４５例（５６．２％），完全责任能力２２例（２７．５％）。     

An Investigation of the Construct of Competence: A Comparison of the FIT,the MacCAT-CA,and the MacCAT-T

The 1990s witnessed Supreme Court decisions in both Canada and the United States on issues of competence that went against longstanding case law, psychological research, and common sense. These decisions held that there is to be one standard for all types of criminal competencies. The present research attempts to investigate whether this is an appropriate assumption and thus tests whether there are one or more constructs that underlie different types of competence. Two divergent types of competence were examined, competence to stand trial (both Canadian and American conceptualizations) and competence to consent to treatment, to determine if these different types of competence share a common underlying construct. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test this question and results indicate that there is a common construct that underlies different types of competence.     

Quality of criminal responsibility reports submitted to the Hawaii judiciary

This paper is the third in a series of research reports on quality of forensic mental health evaluations submitted to the Hawaii judiciary. Previous studies examined quality of reports assessing competency to stand trial (CST) and post-acquittal conditional release, in felony defendants undergoing court-ordered examinations. Utilizing a 44-item quality coding instrument, this study examined quality of criminal responsibility reports in a sample of 150 forensic mental health evaluations conducted between 2006 and 2010 by court-appointed panels. Raters attained high levels of agreement in training and quality coding. Similar to the previous studies, overall quality of reports was mediocre, falling below the .80 quality criterion score for report elements, regardless of evaluator professional identification or employment status. Level of agreement between evaluators and judicial sanity determinations was “fair” using Cicchetti's (1994) standards for interpretation of intra-class correlations. Level of agreement was lower than previously published findings for CST reports and better than conditional release reports. Reasons for mediocre report quality and “fair” inter-rater agreement are discussed, including the fact that criminal responsibility evaluations are complex, retrospective in nature, and involve significant degrees of inference. In contrast to CST evaluations, assessment of criminal responsibility involves a mental state at the time of the offense evaluation. Threats to reliability in forensic reports are discussed. Suggestions for improvement of report quality are proffered, including standardization of procedures and report format and use of forensic assessment instruments.     

The Evidentiary Introduction of Psychopathy Checklist-Revised Assessed Psychopathy in U.S. Courts: Extent and Appropriateness*

We examine the application of Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R) assessed psychopathy in U.S. courts from the time of the introduction of the PCL-R in 1991, through the end of 2004, and consider the PCL-R in light of relevant evidentiary standards and the empirical support for the construct of psychopathy. Our review of the Westlaw legal database indicates that the evidentiary introduction of PCL-R assessed psychopathy extends across state and federal jurisdictions, and has increased considerably in recent years. We identify nine contexts in which PCL-R evidence has been introduced and examine the appropriateness of such introduction. In most contexts the PCL-R was considered with regard to the prediction of violence in the community, and in such context the introduction of PCL-R scores appears appropriate, at least with regard to European American male offenders. However, PCL-R assessments may not meet relevant evidentiary standards with regard to the prediction of institutional violence and violence among females, adolescents and ethnic minorities.     

35例性心理障碍的法医学鉴定分析

目的分析性心理障碍患者的医学和心理状况，总结该类案件的法医学鉴定体会。方法对35例经过调查取证、智力测验、MMPI测验的性心理障碍被鉴定人作回顾性分析。结果性心理障碍患者的智能多正常，存在不同程度的情绪和人格异常，以抑郁、强迫、焦虑、偏执、癔病、精神衰弱和病态人格为主；责任能力评定与被鉴定人的童年期性取向教育、恋爱经历、夫妻性关系、性心理障碍类型有关。结论性心理障碍患者发生特定犯罪行为的心理学机制不同于普通犯罪人群，评定责任能力不宜等同于正常犯罪。     

Capital Offenders in Texas Prisons: Rates, Correlates, and an Actuarial Analysis of Violent Misconduct

This study analyzed the records of 136 recently incarcerated capital murder offenders in the initial phase (M = 2.37 years, range = 6-40 months) of their life sentences in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Prevalence rates of institutional violence were inversely related to severity: potentially violent misconduct (36.8%), assaultive violations (14%), serious assaults (5.1%), and homicides (0%). Consistent with prior studies, factors correlated with assaultive misconduct included age (inversely), prior prison confinement, and concurrent robbery or burglary in the capital offense. A simplified Burgess scale entitled the Risk Assessment Scale for Prison-Capital (RASP-Cap) was moderately successful in identifying varying levels of improbability of committing violence-related misconduct however defined (AUC = .715-.766).     

Type and Severity of Abuse as Predictors of Psychiatric Symptoms in Adolescence

There has been little previous research about histories of child maltreatment and psychological symptoms in adolescent psychiatric patients. This study investigated whether type and characteristics of child physical and/or sexual abuse predicted individual differences in symptoms. Participants were 187 patients in day or residential treatment facilities. Abuse was assessed using structured interviews with the adolescent, the therapist, and the caseworker. Participants completed a standardized, self-report measure of internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Adolescents with histories of dual abuse (i.e., sexual and physical abuse) had elevated depression and anxiety compared with nonabused patients. Histories of any type of abuse were associated with elevated posttraumatic symptoms. Among physically abused patients, severity and duration of abuse predicted individual differences in depression and anxiety, whereas severity and concomitant sexual abuse predicted elevated posttraumatic symptoms. Among sexually abused patients, the characteristics of sexual abuse did not predict individual differences in symptoms. Thus, child abuse, particularly dual abuse and severe physical abuse, predicted elevated internalizing symptoms, even in comparison with other adolescent psychiatric patients. The need for replication is discussed.     

对电子数据现场获取存在问题的分析与探讨

本文结合近几年案件中电子物证检验的状况，对电子数据的现场获取中可能影响检验结果的因素进行了分析探讨，并给出了解决这些问题的技术措施和建议。     

An initial evaluation of the Global Review Form as an approach to measuring individual change

Background: Routine assessment of individual change in forensic mental health services is increasingly recognised as important. However, existing tools have been criticised and their periodic use make them unsuited to directly measure the impact of interventions. This paper describes the initial evaluation of the Global Review Form (GRF) as a framework for measuring change over time. Specifically, measurement properties, feasibility and usefulness in routine practice are examined. Method: 28 male service users in three distinct areas of an adult secure service (low secure, locked rehabilitation and high relational support housing) were rated over a 20-week period by their multidisciplinary teams. Findings: The GRF showed promising construct validity and appropriate stability and sensitivity to change across time. It enabled measurement and understanding of individual change over time. Staff feedback suggested the GRF is a useable and practical outcome measuring tool. Conclusions: The GRF shows promise for use as a routine outcome monitoring tool within forensic mental health services.     

Massively parallel sequencing and the emergence of forensic genomics: Defining the policy and legal issues for law enforcement

Use of DNA in forensic science will be significantly influenced by new technology in coming years. Massively parallel sequencing and forensic genomics will hasten the broadening of forensic DNA analysis beyond short tandem repeats for identity towards a wider array of genetic markers, in applications as diverse as predictive phenotyping, ancestry assignment, and full mitochondrial genome analysis. With these new applications come a range of legal and policy implications, as forensic science touches on areas as diverse as ‘big data’, privacy and protected health information. Although these applications have the potential to make a more immediate and decisive forensic intelligence contribution to criminal investigations, they raise policy issues that will require detailed consideration if this potential is to be realised. The purpose of this paper is to identify the scope of the issues that will confront forensic and user communities.     

Assessment of violence risk in youth for juvenile court: relevant factors for clinical judgment

BACKGROUND: Assessment of violence risk in youth for juvenile court needs to be improved. AIM: To determine which items of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) are recorded in pre-trial mental health evaluations and which of these items are associated with the clinical judgment of the risk of violent recidivism. METHOD: A total of one hundred forensic diagnostic juvenile court files were rated with regard to the presence or absence of the thirty SAVRY risk items: ten historical, six contextual and eight individual items, and six protective items. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to examine the relationship between SAVRY risk items and the clinical judgment of violence risk. RESULTS: Most SAVRY-items had been recorded in the files. However, five historical items and the contextual item 'rejection by peers' did not appear in 25-62% of the files. Especially SAVRY items like 'negative-attitudes' and 'psychopathic traits' were the most powerful predictors for clinical judgment of high violence risk. Unexpectedly, historical items played a minor role in clinical judgment. CONCLUSION: Prospective research is needed with the use of SAVRY-items to improve evidence based violence risk assessment in court ordered mental health evaluations of youngsters.     

Forensic anthropology in the global investigation of humanitarian and human rights abuse: Perspective from the published record

Forensic anthropologists have played key roles in the historical development of forensic science applications to global humanitarian and human rights issues. These anthropological initiatives can be traced back to the Smithsonian seminar organized by T. D. Stewart in 1968 and published in 1970. Key developments include the 1984 delegation sent by the American Association for the Advancement of Science to Argentina and the formation of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team. Subsequent highlights include major anthropological involvement in support of investigations by international criminal tribunals, formation of forensic anthropology teams in different countries and activities of the International Commission of Missing Persons and the forensic unit of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Recent developments feature the formation of the Humanitarian and Human Rights Resource Center of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and its support of worthwhile projects in many countries. The published record provides historical perspective on these developments.     

The NucleoSpin DNA Clean-up XS kit for the concentration and purification of genomic DNA extracts: An alternative to microdialysis filtration

Traditionally, DNA extracts from biological evidence items have been concentrated and rinsed using microdialysis filtration units, including the Centricon^® and Microcon^® centrifugal filter devices. As an alternative to microdialysis filtration, we present an optimized method for using NucleoSpin^® XS silica columns to concentrate and clean-up aqueous extracts from the organic extraction of DNA from biological samples. The method can be used with standard organic extraction and dithiothreitol (DTT)-based differential extraction methods with no modifications to these methods prior to the concentration and clean-up step. Extracts from laboratory-prepared bloodstains, saliva and semen stains have been successfully amplified with both qPCR and STR assays. Finally, the total time to process a set of samples with the NucleoSpin^® XS column is approximately 30 min vs. approximately 1.5 h with the Centricon^® YM-100 filter device.     

A study on the forensic mechanisms of VoIP attacks: Analysis and digital evidence

This paper discusses the use of communication technology to commit crimes, including crime facts and crime techniques. The analysis focuses on the security of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), a prevention method against VoIP call attack and the attention points for setting up an Internet phone. The importance of digital evidence and digital forensics are emphasised. This paper provides the VoIP digital evidence forensics standard operating procedures (DEFSOP) to help police organisations and establishes an experimental platform to simulate phone calls, hacker attacks and forensic data. Finally, this paper provides a general discussion of a digital evidence strategy that includes VoIP for crime investigators who are interested in digital evidence forensics.