Integrating risk,the Good Lives Model and recovery for mentally disordered sexual offenders

Abstract

Personality disordered and mentally disordered sexual offenders (MDSOs) with complex diagnoses such as schizophrenia, developmental disorders and mood disorders face challenges of restoring their mental health, living more safely with personality- and offence-related risks, while addressing concerns about their capacity to reintegrate into society; this has been termed “secure recovery”. This paper reviews the literature on recovery, demonstrating its commonality with the Good Lives Model (GLM) as applied to MDSOs' offending treatment. GLM appears to provide a better fit with the recovery needs of MDSOs than the Risk–Need–Responsivity model because it emphasises approach goals, enhanced responsivity and skills acquisition. Recovery needs to integrate coping with mental disorders with risk management and a healthy, future lifestyle. Both secure recovery and GLM support the need for client–clinician collaboration, promoting self-determination and a shared narrative about coping with enduring risk and the hope of sustained well-being.     

Insect larvae used to detect cocaine poisoning in a decomposed body.

Insect larvae are often found on human remains long after disappearance of the usual toxicologic specimens. It is important for forensic pathologists and toxicologists to recognize the potential of this unique specimen when routine specimens are not available. Cocaine and benzoylecgonine was extracted from Calliphorid larvae found on a badly decomposed body of a man who had been missing 5 months and was also identified in the decomposing skeletal muscle. This toxicologic information combined with the autopsy findings and the circumstances of the death and disappearance was essential in the determination of cocaine poisoning as the cause of death.     

Ethics and legal education

ABSTRACT

This article explores how theatre, particularly forum theatre, may be used as a means of testing new legislation. This article documents a workshop involving a theatricalised bilingual Tribunal and uses this as a case study of how theatre may be used to explore the implications of new legislation in order to gain an understanding of its potential problems and weaknesses. The article concludes by exploring other ways in which theatre may be used to explore new legislation.     

Suicide by Cop: Police shooting as a method of self-harming

Suicide by Cop (SbC) incidents, police-related deaths that could be considered suicides due to the subject's precipitated actions that demonstrate suicidal motivations through words or behavior are difficult to classify. The subjects’ intent is not understood, and risk factors for SbC incidents include the complication of others’ interactions. The current study advances a set of indicators that help classify police shootings that could be considered SbC.Using a modification of the decision tree developed by Best, Quigley, & Bailey (2004) to assess suicidal intentions of police shootings through observable acts, the current study compares cases classified as self-inflicted suicide or suicide attempts with those classified as SbC cases in the Hostage Barricade Data System (HOBAS).Overall the model increased the percentage of cases correctly predicted to 97.9 percent, 16.9 percent beyond chance. The primary indicators are significant. Other historical or situational variables did not improve the odds of predicting the SbC versus self-inflicted suicides.