CJ 725 Forensic Behavior Analysis Blog
Malingering
The picture was for your attention!
I found the discussion our group had on malingering very interesting. I had brought up the movie Primal Fear and many classmates discussed real cases they knew about in relation to feigning a mental illness in regards to the Criminal Justice system. Since I was so intrigued by the real cases mentioned, I wanted to read more about them. However I ended up stumbling on this really interesting article titled, Faking it: How to detect malingered psychosis. I wanted to highlight some of the more interesting points the article made.
According to the article, malingering is “the intentional production of false or grossly exaggerated physical or psychological symptoms, motivated by external incentives.” (Resnick & Knoll, 2005, p. 14) Even the smartest of psychiatrists and criminal justice officials can be duped by cunning criminals. So how can they limit the potential of this happening? How can they act as a human lie detector test when some of these criminals are so highly manipulative and sophisticated? I think it is safe to say there is no full proof way to detect if someone is faking a mental illness; however this article identified some helpful tips in recognizing some of the lies, and provided some insight into the idea of malingering.
Malingering is typically used for two purposes – avoiding pain, or seeking pleasure. Avoiding pain could be feigning illness to get out of jail and be housed in a mental hospital for a shorter period of time, or even to miss some days of work (as seen in the cartoon above). Malingering is also used to seek pleasure; this could come in the form of controlled substances, or even workers compensation benefits. There are three types of malingering: pure, partial and false imputation. Pure is when they straight up fake a nonexistent disorder, partial is when they exaggerate real symptoms, and false imputation is when they “ascribe real symptoms to a cause the individual knows is an unrelated to the symptom.” (Resnick & Knoll, 2005, p. 14)
The article provides some tips and tricks for identifying malingering when conducting an interview. For example, it states that if you suspect the person is faking, do not let on that you are suspicious. Proceed with an objective interview. This way they will not become defensive and be put on guard. This will make it harder for you to make a determination. You should also ask open-ended questions. Subjects should describe their symptoms in their own words and should not be led to an answer. Then once they identify their symptoms, you can get more specific and detailed with the questions.
Some more advice given – try to make the interviews long. Malingerers have difficulty maintaining fake symptoms for longer periods. When possible, the authors recommended monitoring them in an inpatient facility during the assessment phase because faking psychosis is difficult to do 24 hours a day. Also helpful and perhaps, critical, is to review collateral data and information associated with these cases. This could be previous interviews, evaluations, personnel files, depositions, police reports, etc. These are items that can help corroborate or disprove the fact they are faking.
Another interesting finding is when a subject’s language use when they claim to have hallucinations. The authors noted two examples they witnessed firsthand. First, a person who was charged with rape told the officers that voices told him to “go commit a sex offense” and another example was of a robber who claimed voices kept telling him to yell “stick up, stick up, stick up.” This specific language was identified as “stilted or implausible.” The article did not really identify what would have been a more “logical” language that would have suggested a crime was truly committed by a sick person, but my assumption is that it was almost too perfect of an excuse.
Malingerers may also claim to have active auditory and visual hallucinations but do not show signs of being distracted. They may act confused in the presence of a doctor, but are excellent chess players when they play against other patents in a facility. They also may say they “don’t know” when asked detailed questions about psychotic symptoms. A person with honest psychotic symptoms would be able to provide an answer. I found some of these tips as common sense, but a lot were rather interesting and something I may not have thought of (i.e. the hallucination language example).
These fakers typically trip up in certain areas. There are some obvious clues like when they completely contradict themselves, and then there are the slightly nuanced lies that can be picked up on by professionals. They may overact and think that the more bizarre they behave, the more convincing they are. In reality they would be more effective if they don’t engage in unusual or odd symptoms, but rather play it more low-key. Malingerers are noted to almost flaunt their illness and chat about it, whereas patients with true schizophrenia, for example, are reluctant to admit it or discuss it further.
Popular and validated tests to detect malingering include assessments like Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS), Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Revised (MMPI-2) and the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-Fast). The article gives a slight overview of each test.
Worth noting, as I think we have all have mentioned in some discussions posts (throughout our BU CJ journey) is the “CSI effect.” With classes like ours and articles like this, we all get better and more educated and aware, but so do the criminals. On a semi related note, in watching the Netflix show “Unbelievable” which was based on a true story centered on a serial rapist who learned how to clean crime scenes by reading a textbook (basically a “playbook” of sorts, although not at all its intention). So I do struggle with articles such as these that make the good guys more intelligent, but can also benefit the bad guys. Overall, this was a really interesting article. I recommend reading it if you have a chance as it covered some other details I did not touch upon for this post.
Reference:
Resnick, P. & Knoll, J. (2005). Faking it. Current Psychiatry. Retrieved from: https://mdedge-files-live.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/files/s3fs-public/Document/September-2017/0411CP_Article1.pdf
Racial Profiling
Comfort Dogs in Court: Healing Victims or Jeopardizing the Right to a Fair Trial?
My city in New Hampshire made headlines this year for being the first police force in the state to adopt a comfort dog. In April, Liberty the yellow lab officially joined the Concord Police Department to help victims of trauma at court hearings, crime scenes, and car accidents. While Liberty has become something of a local celebrity in Concord, receiving lots of love and excitement during her visits to local schools, senior centers, and city events, most notably she recently visited the statehouse to help the Concord Police push for a bill in the state legislature. HB513--appropriately referred to as “Liberty’s Bill”--would make it legal for therapy and comfort animals like Liberty to sit alongside victims while they give testimony in court. Unfortunately, despite Liberty’s charming guest appearance, the bill became partisan and was ultimately ruled “inexpedient to legislate” which effectively killed the legislation and prevented it from being voted on ("NH BH513"). 
A retired local pediatrician speaking in favor of the bill argued that comfort and therapy dogs like Liberty can “mitigate [a] child’s stress allowing the child to provide more accurate and credible testimony,” (Underwood, 2019). However, the use of comfort animals in court environments has become a topic of fervent debate in recent years. Currently, 26 states have programs that allow therapy dogs in courtrooms, but in many cases where legal teams have requested the use of comfort or therapy animals during testimony on the witness stand, particularly on behalf of children, opposing counsel have frequently argued that the use of these animals undermines the right to a fair trial as they have the potential to “evoke empathy in the minds of the jurors and distract from opposing evidence,” (Holder, 2013).
In a 2013 study published in the Houston Law Review, Casey Holder finds that despite objections to the practice, the benefits to using comfort and therapy dogs in court far outweigh the drawbacks. She finds that in particularly traumatic cases “the testimony of victims and witnesses is often crucial to the successful prosecution of a criminal case,” and that “dogs reduce the likelihood that children will be retraumatized during trial [and] allow children to more comfortably testify in the courtroom.” She argues that “courts consistently conclude that the benefit of a clear and coherent testimony outweighs any potential prejudicial effect of a comfort item on the defendant’s right to a fair trial” and urges all states to allow and promote this practice (Holder, 2013). 
Victims of traumatic and violent crimes often suffer severe psychological distress and face a significant struggle during trials and court proceedings to testify and relive the events in question. Bartol & Bartol detail the difficulties of coming forward for survivors of child sexual victimization in particular--one of the areas where animals like Liberty could prove to be particularly helpful and effective--citing that “one in five survivors never disclosed childhood sexual abuse, and approximately 60 percent delayed disclosure for over five years after the first episode” (Bartol & Bartol). In many cases, therapy dogs have enabled victims to open up about their trauma while helping them to reduce feelings of fear and anxiety, and better cope with the “severe emotional and psychological stress” of testifying in a courtroom (Holder, 2013).
Whether or not Liberty will one day get to do her job in a courtroom remains unforeseen. Given the significant academic research and evidence of the benefits of therapy animals for victims of trauma, this matter poses an important question for our criminal justice system moving forward--do we value the psychological safety and comfort of victims or the constitutional right to a fair trial more highly?
References:
Bartol, Curt. Criminal Behavior (p. 384). Pearson Education. Kindle Edition.
Holder, Casey. (2013). All dogs go to court: The impact of court facility dogs as comfort for child witnesses on a defendant's right to a fair trial. Houston Law Review, 50(4), 1187.
New Hampshire HB513: 2019: Regular Session. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://legiscan.com/NH/bill/HB513/2019.
Underwood, K. (2019, January 29). NH Police Department to Receive Comfort Dog. Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/Concord-Police-Department-New-Hampshire-Gets-Comfort-Dog-505046172.html.
Human Trafficking
For my blog post I picked something that hit really close to home for me. A few weeks ago a female was apprehended after being indicted in a human trafficking drug ring that has been going on since 2016. The reason this hits really close to home is because in the past several months there have been a handful of unsuccessful attempts to abduct women from local grocery stores. One of those was my mother’s boss. The woman who was apprehended had actually worked with me just a few weeks prior to being caught. I even trained her.
We have discussed crimes such as rape and sexual predators. This young woman whose was apprehended was a victim of human trafficking in the past. She even spoke on the Health Panel at the 9th Annual Human Trafficking Awareness day, to tell her story and help lead the fight against human trafficking. Her charges range from charged with one count each of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, trafficking in persons for commercial sex acts, compelling prostitution, promoting prostitution and kidnapping.
In module five on looking at offenders it ask you what image comes to mind when you think of the typical sex offender” (Rousseau, 2019). The image I had in my head was definitely not one of the females that I had previously worked with. Biological, psychological , and social factors play a big role. In this case (which is in the early stages) psychological factors play a huge role. The trauma she had suffered before no doubt contributed; social factors could play a big role as well. The areas she grew up in before moving down to this area in Ohio played a big role because of the individuals she was previously involved with.
I am attaching a link to one of the articles. https://www.dispatch.com/news/20191119/seven-indicted-in-suspected-human-trafficking-ring
References
Rousseau, D. (November 2019). Lesson 5.2 Sexual Offenses and Treatment.
Animal Assisted Therapy for Trauma
I have always been interested in animals and therapeutic effects they can have for humans. Animal assisted therapies are often used in cases of mental health services for patient trauma, and there are also many instances in which we see animals as a therapeutic mechanism for those who have engaged in criminogenic behavior.
It is no surprise that animal-assisted therapies can be incredibly helpful in cases of trauma. Puppies Behind Bars (PBB) is a New York program “committed to mitigating and increasing the awareness of PTSD” (Robinson, 2019). PBB incorporates prison inmates to raise the service dogs, and then uses the service dogs to help veterans and first responders with PTSD. It consists of a 14 day long process, called “team training”, that incorporates the inmates, dogs, and first responders and veterans. (Robinson, 2019) After learning everything we have in this course, it is evident that this social support that is developed in this program is beneficial to the inmates and veterans and first responders alike, as social support is incredibly important in therapy and rehabilitation of any kind. The founder of this program, Gloria Sotga, explains that she has “seen that dogs bring out the best in people, regardless of their circumstances, and by working together with a common goal...the divisions between people on the “outside” versus people on the “inside” begin to blur” (quoted in Robinson, 2019). In addition to social supports and working toward a common goal, Animal-assisted therapy has been shown to lower blood pressure as well (Robinson, 2019), and this can occur from something as simple as watching fish in an aquarium. A 2015 systematic review by O’Haire, Guerin, and Kirkham found that in those who have experienced trauma, including those with PTSD, animal assisted therapy, showed reduced depression, reduced PTSD symptomology, and reduced anxiety. These therapies consisted mainly of dogs, but horses and other farm animals were also examined (O’Haire et. al, 2015). Activities in these animal assisted therapies can include anything from incorporating dogs into clinic-based therapy sessions, and an interesting factor was that “the effects of dogs were generally enhanced by telling a therapeutic story about the dog, which may be attributed to giving the dog a role and integrated purpose in the therapy session, rather than being a mere entity in the room” (O’Haire et. al, 2015, p. 5). In my personal opinion, I think that this speaks to the social aspect of trauma, as even though these therapy animals are in fact animals, it is important to develop connection and understanding between beings in order to alleviate existing trauma.
Another example of animal-assisted therapy for trauma that is relevant to this course in particular is using animal-assisted therapy within the prison system. An article from Dell and Poole (2015) discusses how “therapy dogs can assist in supporting individuals with mental health, addiction, and trauma concerns” (p. 1). They discuss how in Canada, a St. John Ambulance therapy dog volunteer program was used to take a trauma-based approach to therapies for inmates in a Saskatoon psychiatric facility, which was comprised of about 200 inmates and 350 staff (Dell & Poole, 2015). The therapy dog would visit prisoners for around 30 minutes, and the prisoners were chosen based on their complex mental health needs, which included “self-harm, childhood trauma, mental illness, substance abuse, and posttraumatic stress disorder” (Dell & Poole, 2015). They explain that physical touch, a basic human need, is accomplished by therapy animals, and that often those who have experienced trauma may associate physical touch with such trauma. For example, Bartol & Bartol (2017) stated that 92% of juvenile female offenders have “been subjected to some form of emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse in or outside the home” (Bartol & Bartol, 2017, p. 149). Therefore, using animals “can satisfy the...need for physical contact and touch without the fear of the complications that accompany contact with human beings” (Dell & Poole, 2015, p. 7). Animals also allow for interacting and bonding, healing, and provide judgement free interaction that often may not occur, as inmates, especially those with addiction, can often be met with stigma and judgement (Dell & Poole, 2015). We have discussed almost every week how stigma and judgement can affect everything from seeking treatment to relapse, as well as advocacy for the development of services and policy changes.
Animal assisted therapy can be helpful in a variety of instances for those who have experienced trauma in their lifetime. It has been shown to reduce PTSD symptomology, as well as depression and anxiety, in recipients. It can also be used in the prison system in order to help rehabilitate those inmates that have experienced various traumas within their lifetime. This can be especially helpful with juvenile, female inmates, as they are highly likely to have experienced some form of trauma or abuse. Animals are able to make connections that people may not, and provide a judgement-free experience that may not be possible in human to human interaction. Animals can also provide a less traumatic means of physical touch, which is a common need for humans that can often be affected by prior abuse. With the use of dogs, horses, and other animals, a more trauma-friendly means of therapy may be possible for those who are in need of rehabilitation.
References
Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. M. (2017). Criminal behavior: A psychological approach. Boston:
Pearson.
Dell, A. & Poole, N. (2015). Taking a PAWS to reflect on how the work of a therapy dog supports
a trauma-informed approach to prisoner health. J Forensic Nurs, 11(3), p. 167–173.
https://dx.doi.org/10.1097/JFN.0000000000000074.
Robinson, B. (4 November 2019). Mental health is going to the dogs: how pet therapy helps
wounded vets and first responders. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2019/11/04/mental-health-is-going-to-the-do
gs-how-pet-therapy-helps-wounded-vets-and-first-responders/#6e5e61577fed.
O'Haire, M. E., Guérin, N. A., & Kirkham, A. C. (2015). Animal-assisted intervention for trauma:
a systematic literature review. Frontiers in psychology, 6.
https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01121.
The Crimes of Ted Bundy and Jack the Ripper: An Enigmatic Juxtaposition?
Delving into the dark catacombs of the human condition lends itself to the exploration of some of the most abominable crimes. Since the late 1880s, modern society began to grapple with the empirical construct of serial murder, demanding attention and insight in explaining its etiology in the criminological framework. A rudimentary understanding of serial killers has inexorably gained momentum and social significance because their attendant crimes both perplex and fascinate those in their periphery. Such illuminating examples constitute the heinous crimes of Jack the Ripper and Ted Bundy, who predated on multiple women and left a trail of horror behind. One may ask: Are there similarities in some of the underlying causes and manifestations of their crimes? Such a juxtaposition raises the specter of whether their crimes share commonalities involving the designation of a sex crime.
Attention to the predatory violence inflicted on the hapless victims of the Ripper and Bundy reflects an insatiable desire to engage in sexualized violence, perhaps stemming from immense feelings of emasculation, giving rise to a eunuch. In describing a sex crime, Caputi (1982) emphasizes a sexualized violence associated with the crime, whereby the target of the attack, the motivation, and the manner of violence are collectively relegated into the realm of “sexual,” within the cultural fabric. Thus, an ideology emerges to reveal a sex crime, conferring realistic and metaphoric significance (Caputi). In a quest for attention and infamy, Jack the Ripper sought women in the slums of London, leaving their morbid bodies on display, eviscerated and mutilated. Similarly, Ted Bundy would lure women into his deadly lair, killing them with no compunction, and dumping their bodies in remote areas to be scattered by ferocious animals. Told anew, these tragedies invoke a ritual, reflecting the perpetuation of entrenched cultural values. In this vein, the murderous ritual functions to align with the cultural universals of male dominance and patriarchy, should they be challenged.
Conceivably, this ritual allows those who manifest sexual violence to enact their dominance over women, and thus, dichotomizing the sexes into the structure of predator and prey (Caputi, 1982). This chasm, serving often as a linchpin for gender inequality, undergirds the rationalizations of a sex crime. Against this backdrop, it is instructive to understand the psychological underpinnings of the sex crimes committed by Bundy and the Ripper. In analyzing them, common themes emerge. Much blame is imputed to their mothers for their criminality, and their murderous arc represents a holy war against women and their inherent sexuality (Caputi). Jack the Ripper was adept in removing the genitalia of his victims, suggesting an animosity toward women, particularly, his mother (Caputi). Indeed, research into the crimes of Bundy and the Ripper do suggest that they had cultivated an ambivalence toward their mother (Caputi). Most likely, their childhoods were mired in psychological and physical abuse by their mothers according to the findings of Caputi in the course of her research on sex crimes.
Juxtaposing the sex crimes of Bundy and the Ripper carries the stamp of male dominance, seeking to denounce and punish feminine values in the context of a ritual, serving as a justifiable representation of embedded social values. They were purportedly raised by domineering mothers, having inflicted ambivalence and pain, which would be concomitantly avenged against. As such, killing women evinced a catharsis to countervail their painful and traumatic memories of their childhood. Having overidentified with their mothers, or the feminine sex, evoked a fundamental antagonism toward their sense of masculinity. By committing violent crimes, their status of a eunuch was neutralized through the symbolic warfare against women. For all the credible rationalizations and explanations of these serial murderers, their personas remain a formidable mystery.
Caputi, J. E. (1982). The age of sex crime (Order No. 8227475). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (303210815).
Psychopath Blog
This blog post is my personal horrific fascination with psychopathy. Psychopaths are ‘social predators who charm and manipulate’. Psychopaths that people think of are usually horrific serial killers and murderers- but there are psychopaths that adjust well to normal life and usually are very successful. We had discussed psychopaths in class and some famous ones from media. Psychopaths are of higher intelligence, not usually violent and are calloused/lacking with emotion. These people are interesting because this illness is not like other mental illnesses. Psychopaths are born with a dysfunction in their brain. They can be born a psychopath or have the traits for it that can be expressed after some environmental factors take place during life. They are known for their lack of empathy and per this class, I have learned that it is in part due to a lack of fear as well as other neuro dysfunctions. Psychopaths don't predict pain ie getting shocked by static electric a person with a normal fear factor would have anticipation for the pain they knew was going to happen, a psychopath would not. My question to explore about psychopaths is if they don’t have emotions, do they ever feel truly happy?
Intervention Strategies for Occupational Stress and Burnout
In the text, Inside the Criminal Justice Organization: An Anthology for Practitioners, O’Brien discusses how “occupational stress occurs when an employee’s work environment, such as the nature of job demands or physical or social situations, result in reactions that are detrimental to the person’s well-being (physical or mental health).” O’Brien goes on to discuss how elements of a work environment creates stressors (e.g. relationships or work schedules), these stressors can then cause a reaction such as, strain or anxiety (Mastrorilli, 2018). For example, in the field of criminal justice, officers face stressful situations and traumatic events such as, shootings and witnessing death, these occurrences could then create stressors. In addition to these elements, work-related stress can also “affect the well-being of the organization, in the form of heightened use of sick leave, absenteeism, turnover, and effects on productivity” (Mastrorilli, 2018). Moreover, in order to improve the overall well-being of an employee, it is important to address and implement strategies that can help alleviate these strains or stressors.
In addition to occupational stress is burnout. According Dr. Mastrorilli, burnout is caused by chronic stress and signs of individual burnout include “extreme cynicism and detachment; physical and mental exhaustion, and severe irritability.” Moreover, there are six causes of burnout, which includes too much workload and value mismatch, also not enough control, reward, community, and fairness (Mastrorilli, 2019). For example, in the field of criminal justice, correctional officers can become physically and mentally exhausted from experiencing too much workload that is excessive and demanding. Regarding occupational stress and burnout, these occurrences can have devastating effects on employees and even organizations. Therefore, it is important that administrators and leaders in the criminal justice field be proactive and aware of these occurrences.
As previously mentioned, criminal justice agents who work in the field face traumatic events, which could trigger certain responses and can have harmful effects. Some of these effects can include reliving the event or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to Newsweek article, “in a survey of Washington State Department of Corrections employees, nearly 20 percent of participants expressed symptoms indicative of PTSD, the same rate as veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and higher than that of police officers.” Another study in California found that “ten percent of prison guards have contemplated suicide, three times higher than the U.S. population, facing the same exposure to violence that incites PTSD” (Andrews, 2018). As criminal justice officers are exposed to workplace trauma and is a necessary part of their job, it may be impossible to fully alleviate this mental health issue. However, leaders of an agency can make things possible by being proactive and prepare for strategies that can buffer against this stress-related disorder.
Within a criminal justice department is it important to implement a program that integrates intervention services. These services can be established in two phases. The first phase can provide a one-time incident-specific intervention that handles the effects of “overwhelming trauma on otherwise normal, well-functioning personnel” (Miller, 2014). The second phase of the process incorporates individuals who have reoccurring incidences of PTSD, which calls for a more extensive individual approach (Miller, 2014). Regarding these services, it is important that leaders of an agency consider the timing of the intervention. Specifically, in primary intervention, providing coping skills within the program can be an effective tool. Research suggests that “when people are given specific preparation for viewing traumatic scenes, they are better able to cope” (Mastrorilli, 2018). This research proposes that “people who are mentally prepared for stress fare better than those who are unprepared” (Mastrorilli, 2018). For example, this strategy can be incorporated at the beginning stages of training for officers. Therefore, this is a beneficial tool because it can target officers who are not yet at risk and allow them to learn specific coping mechanisms that can prepare them for a traumatic event.
Another program that should be implemented into criminal justice departments is critical incident stress debriefing (CISD). According to Miller, “CISD is a structured intervention designed to promote the emotional processing of traumatic events through the ventilation and normalization of reactions, as well as preparation for possible future experiences.” This specific model is based off a number of criteria in which the support staff will assess the employees and establish proper debriefing services, this criteria includes, “many individuals within a group appear to be distressed after a call; the signs of stress appear to be quite severe; personnel demonstrate significant behavioral changes; personnel make significant errors on calls occurring after the critical incident; personnel request help; the event is unusual or extraordinary” (Miller, 2014). These debriefings usually consist of mental health professionals and takes place within 24-72 hours after the incident has occurred (Miller, 2014). This is particularly beneficial for criminal justice departments, it allows officers to receive one-on-one attention and provides a response to their specific needs. Therefore, implementing these programs and addressing this mental health issue becomes not only beneficial to the officers, in hopes to increase their well-being, but it can also benefit the overall operations within an agency.
References
Andrew, S. (2018). Prison employees face same rates of PTSD as war veterans, new research claims. Newsweek. Retrieved from https://www.newsweek.com/prison-workers-face-high-rates-ptsd-study-says-1024273
Mastrorilli, M. (2018). Inside the Criminal Justice Organization: An Anthology for Practitioners. Cognella Academic Publishing.
Mastrorilli, M. (2019). Lecture Modules 4 -5. Boston University.
Miller, L. (2014). Law enforcement traumatic stress: Clinical syndromes and intervention strategies. The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. Retrieved from http://www.aaets.org/article87.htm
Cyber Sexual Assault and Trauma
When one thinks of trauma the classic definition comes to mind, deeply distressing or disturbing experience or physical injury (Webster Dictionary, 2018). Our first thoughts usually goes to major violent events like war trauma, sexual assaults, etc. We, as a society, have historically always viewed physical violence as the most severe and rightfully so but we lose sight of the emotional costs and what that in turn does to an individual. I think of what my grandmother would say to me, “sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”. In some aspect this is correct, we treat those physical breaks with medicine but infrequently treat the emotional breaks caused by the words, so although we receive physical injury from physical abuse, we cannot belittle the emotional injury of abuse like cyber sexual abuse.
I believe this to be the mindset when we think of cyber sexual abuse or as it has been labelled previously, “revenge porn”. The idea is that the abuse is not physically happening to the individual, so therefore it cannot be creating too significant of a trauma. But the prevalence of intimate partner violence is more closely correlated to emotional or psychological abuse than act
ual physical abuse. One in seven relationships for physical abuse and close to two-thirds of all partnerships for emotional or psychological abuse. (Bartol & Bartol, 2017)
When Dr. Shelley Clevenger presented before congress as a member of American Society of Criminology's Division of Women and Crime to share with them recommendations towards the Enough Act, she was trying to address this under reported fact of emotional and psychological abuse. In her presentation Dr. Clevenger addressed the issue of cyber sexual abuse, the reason this is such an important topic to be discussed is because there is a lack of knowledge around it. When Dr. Clevenger was reporting her qualitative research results, she noted that all of the 500 survivors of intimate partner violence also experiences cyber sexual abuse. People misinterpret the actions of the offender as just, based off the fact that someone may have given them access to the sensitive material. An example of an abuse and the mindset of one police officer is Betty, a 60-year-old woman, who broke up with her abusive boyfriend, he reacted by sending an intimate photo to multiple men who then tried to contact Betty online. The situation escalated until Betty had to quit her job as a nurse out of fear that her abuser would continue to send the photo to her coworkers. A New York police officer told her that this was her fault for sending the photo in the first place. (Atlas, 2018) This mindset is shifting with every bit of knowledge that is put out there for policy makers to help guide them.
In New York City, it is now (as of February 15, 2018) a crime to share, or threaten to share, an intimate photo without the subject’s consent or with the intent to cause harm to the subject. 41 states and Washington DC also have laws against cyber sexual abuse; however no statewide law currently exists in New York. (Atlas, 2018) This is a huge step in the right direction, it is showing that our policy makers are recognizing the harmfulness of cyber sexual abuse and its traumatic effects and are willing to do something about it.
The traumatic outcomes that can come from this type of abuse are ones that can last a long time. Even though there maybe protect orders in place, it still does not erase the judgement some people may have towards the victims based off of what they had seen or heard. Also, once images are on the web they can be taken down but there is no guarantee they weren’t copied before they were taken down. It leaves the victims of cyber sexual abuse is a very vulnerable situation of not knowing if those pictures or video will surface again.
Atlas, Lauren. (June 11, 2018). What You Didn’t Know About Cyber Sexual Abuse. Sanctuary for Families. Retrieved on December 18, 2018 from https://sanctuaryforfamilies.org/what-you-didnt-know-about-cyber-sexual-abuse/
Bartol, Anne, and Bartol, Curtis. (2017). Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach. 11th Edition. Pearson. 2017.
Clevenger, Shelley. (October 2018). Cyberabuse of Women and Girls. American Society of Criminology's Division of Women and Crime. ASCDWC VIDEO, Published on Oct 12, 2018. Retrieved on December 18, 2018 from https://youtu.be/_wTMHoyUrhc
Gun control laws in the United States
What was so interesting for me this semester was chapter 10 in Bartol & Bartol (2016) that focused on Multiple Murder, School and Workplace Violence. Learning and speaking about public mass shootings and, in particular, school shootings is what stuck out to me the most this semester. According to the Washington Post, by February 15 of this year, there had already been seven school shootings in the United States. That makes for one school shooting per week, which is more than some countries have ever had.
Despite these high numbers, mass shootings actually make up a small percentage of overall deaths by firearm. “Over three recent decades (1983 to 2012), there have been approximately 78 public mass shootings in the United States, resulting in 547 deaths (not including the shooters)” (Bjelopera, Bagalman, Caldwell, Finlea, & McCallion 2013). Even if we add the more recent deaths not counted in those figures (e.g., Newtown and Aurora), the numbers do not approach 1,000 over three decades. While shocking, frightening, and tragic, public mass shootings account for a very small portion of the murders in any given year. In the year 2013 alone, for example, firearms were used to murder 8,454 persons (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2014a, p. 306)
It is obvious that something needs to be done regarding gun violence and mass shootings, especially shootings that occur on school grounds, have brought it to the attention of the public. We need change in the United States in regard to stricter gun laws and more extensive background checks. With this being said, there should be certain rules regarding firearm ownership for individuals with mental illness as well as those who live in the household with them. A perfect example of this would be the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting. Although the mother of the shooter, Nancy Lanza, owned her firearms legally, in my opinion, she should have not of held the firearms kept at home. Unfortunately, this mistake cost her life along with 20 innocent children and six adult staff members.
One major issue regarding to mass shootings in school is due to the easy availability of firearms. Erickson (2018) wrote: “Americans have a disproportionate number of guns at least 300 million, about one per person, especially handguns and semiautomatic weapons. A bullet from an AR-15 rifle, which the alleged shooter used in the Florida attack Wednesday, can penetrate a steel helmet from five hundred yards. As the New Yorker put it: when fired from a close range at civilians who aren’t wearing body armor, the bullets from an AR-15 don’t merely penetrate the human body – they tear it apart. It ‘looks like a grenade went off in there,’ Peter Rheem a trauma surgeon at the University of Arizona, told Wired.” With this being said, in my opinion, high powered AR-15 rifles should only be accessed by law enforcement or the military. Being able to willingly purchase an AR-15 is something that I find preposterous. It is clear that not only is school violence an issue that is unique to the United States, but the United States is also the only country that has an overall dilemma with firearm-related deaths. We as Americans are failing as a country, and our future unfortunately suffers.
With mass shootings happening at an alarming rate, we as a country must do something about it, rather than becoming so numb to it. One country that we can learn from is from Australia. On April 28, 1996, a 28-year-old Australian identified as Martin Bryant shot up a local tourist location using a semiautomatic rifle. The results of the shooting left 35 people deceased and 23 wounded resulting in the worst mass shooting in Australian history. After the shooting took place, the ruling center-right Liberal Party came together with groups across the political board to work together on legislation with the objective of ending easy access to guns. Calamur (2017) wrote: “Australian government banned automatic and semiautomatic firearms, adopted new licensing requirements, established a national firearms registry, and instituted a 28-day waiting period for gun purchases. It also destroyed more than 600,000 civilian-owned firearms, in a scheme that cost half a billion dollars and was funded by raising taxes.” The entire process took months to complete. The findings after the Australian government took action indicate that stricter guns laws do in fact work. Calamur (2017) shares the definition of a mass shooting in Australia is any incidents in which a gunman killed five or more people other than himself. This is a notably a higher casualty count than is generally applied for tallying mass shootings in the U.S. Mass shootings dropped from 13 in the 18-year period before 1996 to zero after the Port Author massacre (Calamur 2017). Between 1995 and 2006, gun related homicides and suicides in the country dropped by 59 percent and 65 percent, respectively, though these declines appear to have since leveled off.” It seems reasonable to aim to implement similar regulations in the United States, however the United States has more people, more guns per capita, and, the second amendment, which complicates the process.
Bartol, C. and Bartol, A. (2017). Criminal behavior: A psychological approach (Eleventh Edition). Upper Boston: Pearson.
Calamur, K. (2017, October 2). Australia’s lessons on gun control. The Atlantic. Retrieved from: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/10/australia-gun- control/541710/
Erickson, A. (2018, February 15). The one number that shows America’s problem with school shootings is unique. The Washington Post. Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/02/15/the-one- number-that-shows-americas-problem-with-school-shootings-is- unique/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.065d444660f4.