Paths to destruction: the lives and crimes of two serial killers

Although research into the phenomenon of serial murder has revealed that serial killers frequently do not fit the initially described paradigm in terms of their physical and psychological profiles, backgrounds, and motives to kill, the media continues to sensationalize the figures of such killers and the investigators who attempt to analyze them on the basis of aspects of their crimes. Although the so-called "typical" profile of the serial murderer has proven accurate in some instances, in many other cases the demographics and behaviors of these killers have deviated widely from the generalized assumptions. This report details two unusual cases in which five and eight murders were committed in upstate New York. The lives and crimes of these offenders illustrate the wide spectrum of variations in the backgrounds, demographics, motivations, and actions witnessed among serial murderers, and highlight the limitations and dangers of profiling based on generalities.     

Mental Health Among Incarcerated Women: An Examination of Factors Impacting Depression and PTSD Symptomology

Female offenders experience mental health symptoms at a higher rate than male offenders and females in the community. The current study investigated individual characteristics and experiences that may impact symptoms of depressive disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among a sample of female inmates in a large Southern prison system. Results showed high rates of reported childhood and adult victimization experiences among the sample. Factors such as seeking mental health treatment prior to incarceration significantly impacted the reporting of depressive and PTSD symptoms, as did victimization histories. Findings suggest that women would benefit from screening to identify mental health needs at the onset of incarceration as well as gender responsive needs assessment and programming to address histories of victimization and current mental health symptomatology.     

Predicting Serial Killers' Home Base Using a Decision Support System

The effectiveness of a geographical decision support tool (Dragnet) forlocating the base of serial offenders was compared across 570 modelscomprised of a range of negative exponential functions, buffer zonecomponents, and normalization parameters. The models were applied to thebody disposal locations within each series for 70 U.S. serial killers. Twonormalization parameters were compared for all functions. The test ofeffectiveness was a specifically defined measure of search cost. Whenapplied to the Dragnet predictions it was found that the specially developednormalization parameter (QRange) produced the optimal search costs. Theoptimal search cost was also found to be for a function that did not includeany buffer zone. The optimal, average search cost across the whole samplewas 11% of the defined search area. Fifty-one percent of the offendersresided in the first 5% of the search area, with 87% in the first 25%. Allresided in the total defined search area. These results support thepotential for operational tools using such procedures as well ascontributing to our understanding of criminal's geographicalbehavior. The applicability to other forms of serial crime is considered.     

History of spouse violence against mother: Correlated risks and unique effects in child mental health

The present study examined mental health risk associated with lifetime occurrence of spouse violence against mother among 303 10 to 12 year-old inner-city children. Maternal report data showed a 30% prevalence rate for lifetime occurrence of spouse violence in this sample. Results of correlational analyses indicated that violence against mother was associated with several other historical risk factors including divorce, parental drinking problems, and incarceration of father. Multiple regression analyses controlling for the effects of demographic and historical risk factors that correlated with violence against mother revealed that violence accounted for significant unique variance in girls' self-reports of conduct problems, but did not account for unique variance in boys' symptomatology. Implications of these results for understanding the effects of violence against mother on children and for the development of empirically based interventions for children in those families are discussed.     

论我国“精神卫生法”的称谓

我国2013年5月实施的《精神卫生法》以“精神卫生法”命名,这一称谓无法涵盖该法的全部规范、立法目的,容易将该法的社会法性质误解成行政法,还可能影响法的实施,与其他国家立法称谓的变化趋势相脱节.因此,基于明确立法目的,保护精神障碍者基本权利的社会法性质,顺应当今全体国民的精神健康追求,以及我国加入的国际人权公约等因素,我国现行“精神卫生法”宜正名为“精神健康法”.     

Using the National Diabetes Audit to improve the care of diabetes in secure hospital in-patient settings in the UK

To examine the ability of two forensic units, one high secure and one medium secure, to meet the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) standards of care for diabetes. We applied the National Diabetes Audit programme, which uses as standards the NICE guidelines, to assess the quality of care provided for patients in two forensic units. Of the 500 patients, 200 in high secure and 300 in medium secure, 88 (17.6%) had type 2 diabetes. None had Type 1 diabetes. Of those with Type 2 diabetes, the care of 74 (84%) met all 8 NICE recommended standards. Glucose levels were lower in the medium/low secure unit compared to the higher security environment. Whilst achievement of process-based outcomes was higher than those reported nationally, achieving clinical outcomes was more challenging. High-quality diabetic care can be provided for patients in forensic units. Benchmarking physical health outcomes against national criteria in mental health inpatients is a potential method of improving outcomes.     

公安民警心理健康状况及其对策

警察是一种压力密集型职业,因而公安民警的心理健康状况不容乐观。当务之急要采取有效措施,缓解民警的心理压力,开展民警心理保健,提高民警的心理健康水平。从六个方面提出了解决问题的思路和方法。     

MAKING THE CONNECTION: LEGAL ADVOCACY AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

Recent research documenting the magnitude of mental health needs among juveniles has intensified calls for interventions that both address clinical needs and decrease recidivism. This article first examines research supporting the movement toward community mental health treatment for juveniles and argues that effective legal advocacy requires interdisciplinary coordination to identify and address mental health needs. Next, we present one jurisdiction's model for increasing access to community‐based mental health services and discuss how attorneys can apply the model to achieve this end.     

Mental Health Service Recipients and Prison Work Release: How Do the Mentally Ill Fare Compared to Other Inmates in Prison Work Release Programs?

The objective of this study was to compare the success rate of the mentally ill and other inmates on prison work release within gender groups. Mentally ill (MI) men (n = 42) had a higher success rate (79%) than other men (NMI) (61%) (n = 49), but this difference only approached statistical significance (p = 0.07), and mental illness did not distinguish male success/failures in regression analyses. Mentally ill women (n = 51) had a statistically significant lower success rate (58%) than other women inmates (n = 49) (83%) on work release. The difference in rates, however, only occurred in the group of women who were currently in prison due to a parole violation, not new court commitments. Regression analysis confirmed the importance of mental illness and current commitment as a parole violator. A greater number of MI men should be allowed to participate in work release. Women with mental health issues who had prior trouble on parole may need enhanced services.