Effect of Sex Offenders Treatment Program on Cognitive and Emotional Characteristics of Mentally Ill Sex Offenders

This study assessed the effect of a 10‐week cognitive behavior treatment program in 30 mentally ill sex offenders. The effect of the program was evaluated using the Interpersonal Responsiveness Index (IRI), UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLALS), Coping Using Sex Inventory (CUSI), and Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (RMAS). Data were analyzed using the paired t‐test. The ability of sex offenders to cope with sexual acts when they faced stressful situations and to accept the rape myth was significantly improved on CUSI (t = 2.09, p = 0.04) and RMAS (t = 5.45, p < 0.001). Feelings of isolation and the ability to empathize based on IRI (t = 0.62, p = 0.54) and UCLALS (t = 0.88, p = 0.38) were not significantly improved. To prevent recidivism, treatment for mentally ill sex offenders should focus on changes in their cognitive and emotional characteristics in addition to their main psychiatric illness.     

Enhancing the Foster Care Review Process: The Case of Kentucky's Interested Party Review Program

In order to promote timely permanency for children in out‐of‐home care, citizen foster care review programs employ volunteers to monitor progress for children in the child welfare system. In addition to case file reviews, Kentucky implemented an Interested Party Review system in which foster care review board members meet with family members and child welfare staff in order to glean more detailed and multi‐faceted information to submit to the court. This article describes a mixed‐methods program evaluation demonstrating the contribution of such a review process to judicial decision making and child outcome, as well as recommendations for program improvement.     

Determination of Nicotine,Cotinine and Trans‐3′‐Hydroxycotinine using LC/MS/MS in Forensic Samples of a Nicotine Fatal Case by Oral Ingestion of e‐cigarette Liquid,

Nicotine is a potent neurotoxin alkaloid and is used in e‐cigarette liquid. The LC/MS/MS method was linear over 0.01–1.0 mg/L (r² = 0.992–0.995). Limit of detection and limit of quantitation were 0.001 mg/L (S/N = 3) and 0.003 (S/N = 10). The inaccuracy and imprecision were <13.2%. The recoveries were >99.3%. A 39‐year‐old dentist was found dead lying on the floor under the couch in his dental clinic. The concentration of nicotine, cotinine, and trans‐3′‐hydroxycotinine (heart blood/peripheral blood) was analyzed as follows: 87.2/85.2 mg/L (ratio 1.0), 1.4/1.1 mg/L (ratio 1.3), and 0.012/0.0089 mg/L (ratio 1.3), respectively. The concentration of nicotine was determined to be 6734.8 mg/kg in gastric contents and 7262.0 mg/L in remaining e‐liquid. Only, high concentration of nicotine was detected in the gastric contents as well as the two pieces of evidence collected from the death scene. This fatal case resulted from oral ingestion of e‐cigarette liquid. It is estimated that at least 714 mg of nicotine was orally ingested.