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How online data informs forensic mental health evaluations of sexual behavior: An overview Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2024-03-09 Camille Morgan, Carolina Klein
The Internet plays a pervasive role in modern life including the expression of human sexuality and sexual offending. A range of online sexual activities may be of interest in forensic mental health evaluations (FMHE), including those which are clearly illegal or those which are legal but functionally problematic. Online sexual offenses will clearly prompt forensic evaluators to consider the role of
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Forensic psychiatric issues in intellectual disability Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2024-03-09 Mark J. Hauser, Robert Kohn
Forensic psychiatrists and neuropsychiatrists are likely to encounter individuals with intellectual disability as they are over‐represented in the judicial system. These individuals may have the full range of mental illnesses and comorbid conditions, including physical infirmity, sensory deficits, language impairment, and maladaptive behaviors. They are frequently disadvantaged in the judicial system
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Forensic assessment of somatoform and functional neurological disorders Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2024-03-07 Vivek Datta, Austin W. Blum
Functional neurological disorders (FND) and somatization are common in clinical practice and medicolegal settings. These conditions are frequently disabling and, if arising following an accident, may lead to claims for legal compensation or occupational disability (such as social security disability insurance). However, distinguishing FND and somatization from symptoms that are intentionally produced
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Sleep disorders and criminal behavior Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2024-03-07 Clarence Watson, Kenneth J. Weiss
Behaviors that would otherwise be considered criminal acts, but occur in the context of a sleep disorder, pose challenges to the traditional application of legal principles of criminal responsibility. Determining the degree to which consciousness is present during such behaviors becomes a necessary step in assigning criminal culpability. Historically, legal defense theories of unconsciousness, automatism
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Widening the net: Use of social media data in personal injury and disability evaluations Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 Lisa M. Drago, Anthony J. Giuliano
A central tenet of forensic mental health assessment is the use of multiple sources of data. Traditionally, these sources have included clinical interviews with and observations of the examinee, written records review, psychological test data, and interviews with collateral sources. Data from social media and social networking sites (SNS) is now widely used in civil litigation. However, existing professional
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From posts to protection: Ethical considerations regarding forensic psychiatrists and a duty to warn based on social media Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2024-02-23 Michael R. MacIntyre, Alexander C. Sones, Jesse Li, William C. Darby, Robert Weinstock
Increasing use of social media in forensic mental health evaluations will lead to new challenges that must be resolved by forensic practitioners and the legal system. One such dilemma is the discovery of information that would typically trigger a legal duty and professional ethics obligation for mental health professionals to breach doctor‐patient confidentiality to promote public safety and prevent
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From Reddit to manifestos: Forensic evaluation of incel online activity Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2024-02-17 Juliette K. Dupré, Camille A. Tastenhoye, Nina E. Ross, Tetyana V. Bodnar, Susan Hatters Friedman
Forensic evaluators are increasingly called upon to review online collateral information, including social media posts, web forum posts, chat histories, and other sources such as manifestos. This information is especially vital when assessing members of a virtual community such as that of the involuntary celibate, or incel community. While this new wealth of information can add valuable context to
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The Internet is a scary place: How does evidence source and examinee race or ethnicity influence determinations of threat? Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2024-02-11 Madison R. Lord, Ashley B. Batastini, Colin J. Smith, Michael J. Vitacco, Tom Eddy
Violent rhetoric online is becoming increasingly relevant to the practice of forensic mental health assessment as examinee's virtual lives may transform into real-world acts of violence. With the rise of a diverse subculture of violent online communities, the aim of the present study was to inform how concerns with online sources of collateral data and racial/ethnic biases may influence determinations
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Issue Information Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2024-02-01
No abstract is available for this article.
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The use of neurobiological evidence in sentencing mitigation Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2024-01-23 Zain Khalid, Ruby Lee, Barry W. Wall
Neurobiological evidence has grown increasingly relevant in U.S. criminal proceedings, particularly during sentencing. Neuroimaging, such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Positron Emission Tomography scans, may be introduced by defense counsel to demonstrate brain abnormalities to argue for more lenient sentencing. This practice is common for penalty mitigation in cases eligible for capital
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Capital sentencing and neuropsychiatry Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Samuel Jan Brakel, Douglas E. Tucker
The neuropsychiatric contribution to capital sentencing proceedings has grown substantially in recent decades as the consideration of neurological and psychiatric factors in criminal behavior has been increasingly accepted as relevant to the quest for justice. This review article will focus on the legal theories underlying neuropsychiatric input into capital sentencing decisions, as well as some of
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Forensic neuropsychiatric evaluation of a personal injury case Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-12-25 J. Richard Ciccone, Jerid Fisher, Josh C. W. Jones
Civil litigation involving the forensic neuropsychiatric evaluation of a personal injury case requires an assessment of damages and causation. The expert witness is obliged to integrate data from three critical sources of information: the review of records; the results of neuropsychological testing; and the findings from the clinical examination. In civil litigation involving a personal injury claim
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Forensic neuropsychiatric aspects of epilepsy Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-12-15 Roy G. Beran, Manish A. Fozdar
Epilepsy may be associated with automatisms that are classed as ‘insane ‘as they are deemed to have originated within the mind. ‘Sane automatism’ is said to occur from external factors, such as physical trauma, while ‘insane automatism’ is said to be innate to the individual experiencing them. To claim automatism within the context of a criminal matter requires a detailed evaluation of the behavior
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Issue Information Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-12-10
No abstract is available for this article.
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An overview of malingering and deception in neuropsychiatric cases Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-12-04 Richard Rogers, Scott D. Bender, Sara E. Hartigan
Forensic practitioners must shoulder special responsibilities when evaluating over-stated pathology (e.g., malingering) as well as simulated adjustment. Such determinations may modify or even override other clinical findings. As a result, practitioners must be alert to their own misassumptions that may unintentionally bias their conclusions about response styles. Detection strategies for malingering—based
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“It wasn't me, check the cameras!” Suspects' apparent verifiable responses might not indicate innocence Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-11-30 Ana Isabel Jiménez-González, Jaume Masip, Iris Blandón-Gitlin, Carmen Herrero
The verifiability of a suspect's alibi is often interpreted as a sign of innocence. Because the police resources are limited, verifiability could be used to dismiss suspects of minor offenses. We examined whether alibi verifiability actually indicates innocence for minor crimes. In Experiment 1, participants imagined they were guilty or innocent suspects of minor crimes and selected a response to convince
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The history of forensic neuropsychiatry Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-11-29 Manish A. Fozdar
Significant advances in various disciplines of neurosciences, such as neurology, neuropsychiatry, neuroimaging, and neurogenetics, have caused an exciting field to emerge in the field of forensic neuropsychiatry called neurolaw. The resurgence of interest in this field has paralleled the renaissance of neuropsychiatry in the last few decades. This historical review of the practice of forensic neuropsychiatry
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Exploring how attorneys address grooming in criminal trials of child sexual abuse Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-11-23 Emily Denne, Stacia N. Stolzenberg
Grooming is a common tactic among perpetrators of child sexual abuse (CSA). It is important that grooming is addressed in court to explain the unintuitive ways a child may act when they have been victims of abuse. The present study draws upon 134 transcripts of CSA criminal trials to establish how attorneys talk about grooming in court. Only 1.8% of attorney's questions addressed grooming behaviors
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Neuroethics and neurolaw in forensic neuropsychiatry: A guide for clinicians Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-11-20 Neil Krishan Aggarwal, Abhishek Jain
As neuroscience technologies develop, ethical and legal questions arise regarding their use and societal impact. Neuroethics and neurolaw are growing interdisciplinary fields that address these questions. This review article presents the research agenda of both areas, examines the use and admissibility of neuroscience in expert testimony and legal settings, and discusses ethical issues related to forensic
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Mental health criminal defenses in persons with neuropsychiatric disorders Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-11-15 Richard L. Frierson, Kaustubh G. Joshi
Persons with neuropsychiatric disorders present specific and unique challenges for forensic experts and defense attorneys in the criminal justice system. This article reviews two potential criminal defenses: legal insanity and the various legal standards or tests of criminal responsibility that are used in jurisdictions throughout the United States (i.e., the M’Naghten standard and the American Law
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Life or death: A qualitative examination of mitigating and aggravating evidence presented in capital trials Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-10-12 Lisa Bell Holleran
The US Supreme Court has required that death penalty procedures narrow the class of persons eligible for a death sentence. Through the selection requirement, juries must use mitigating and aggravating evidence jointly to determine if a defendant is one of the worst of the worst, resulting in a sentence of life without parole or death. This study analyzed capital trial transcripts from the punishment
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Cover Image Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-10-05 William Bernet, Shenmeng Xu
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Issue Information Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-10-05
No abstract is available for this article.
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Issue Information Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-08-01
No abstract is available for this article.
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Issue Information Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-06-01
No abstract is available for this article.
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Introduction to special issue on advances in forensic mental health assessment. Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-05-08 Wade C Myers,Alan R Felthous
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Exploring the nature and prevalence of targeted violence perpetrated by persons found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-05-03 Madison F. E. Almond, Tonia L. Nicholls, Karen L. Petersen, Michael C. Seto, Anne G. Crocker
Although mental illness has a demonstrated link with violence, the prevalence of targeted (planned and goal-directed) violence perpetrated by individuals with mental illness and its association with psychiatric symptoms is relatively unexplored. File information was compared for all 293 individuals found not criminally responsible due to mental illness in British Columbia between 2001 and 2005, of
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Relations between peer influence, perceived costs versus benefits, and sexual offending among adolescents aware of sex offender registration risk Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-04-20 Cynthia J. Najdowski, Hayley M. D. Cleary, Paige M. Oja
A policy's general deterrent effect requires would-be offenders to be aware of the policy, yet many adolescents do not know they could be registered as sex offenders, and even adolescents who do know may still commit registerable sexual offenses. We tested whether peer influences shape the perceived costs/benefits of certain sexual offenses and, subsequently, registration policy's general deterrent
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DSM-5-TR diagnosis as a guide to suicide risk assessment Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-04-19 Alan R. Felthous, Neha Kulkarni, Catalina Belean
A specific mental disorder can itself constitute a risk factor for a completed suicide. Even more important, the disorder is typically a modifiable risk factor which informs its own treatment. Recent editions of the DSM have included “suicide subsections” for specific mental disorders and conditions in which the risks of suicidal thoughts and behaviors for the disorder are noted in the literature.
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Ruling out feigned crime-related amnesia? A response to Acklin (2022) Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-04-18 Steven James Rubenzer
In a recent paper, Acklin discussed a case of possible amnesia for a murder in terms of neurobiology, psychoanalysis, and personality assessment. Acklin accepted the defendant's claim of amnesia for the crime as genuine. The considerable literature that takes a skeptical view of crime-related amnesia was not cited, and the possibility of feigning or malingering was “ruled out” with a single sentence
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Evaluations of competence to stand trial are evolving amid a national “competency crisis” Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-04-13 Daniel C. Murrie, W. Neil Gowensmith, Lauren E. Kois, Ira K. Packer
Across the United States, court orders for competence to stand trial (CST) evaluations and competence restoration services have been increasing much more rapidly than states can provide these services, prompting what has been called a national “competency crisis.” The challenge in providing timely competence restoration services has, in several jurisdictions, prompted a change in competence evaluations
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The forensic assessment of dissociation: Distinguishing real from the unreal Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-04-03 Charles L. Scott, Amanie M. Salem, William W. Tindell, Hunter K. Neely, Austin W. Blum
Because a wide range of disorders incorporate dissociative symptoms, evaluators should be familiar with evidence-based approaches to evaluating dissociation claims in the clinical and forensic context. This article provides specific guidelines for practitioners when conducting a forensic assessment of individuals who report dissociative symptoms. We review the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
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Examiners' perceptions of forensic mental health assessments conducted via videoconferencing Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-03-25 Josie Skala, Jacob X. Chavez, Katelin Anderson, Chinmoy Gulrajani
The COVID-19 pandemic led to an acceleration in the adoption of videoconferencing (VC) for conducting forensic mental health evaluations (forensic mental health assessments [FMHA]). Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, we administered a survey to 71 Minnesota-licensed forensic evaluators. Approximately two-thirds (65.7%) had started using VC for FMHA only after the pandemic, though a combined 84.5%
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Serial sexual murder by juveniles and the role of sexual sadism: An international study Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-03-24 Wade C. Myers, Mark Safarik, Heng Choon (Oliver) Chan, Enzo Yaksic
This is a descriptive study of 21 cases of serial sexual murder by children and adolescents spanning nearly the past century and a half. No earlier cases worldwide were identified. Each of these youth committed two or more sexual homicides prior to age 18. Their psychopathological, psychosocial, crime scene behaviors, and offender–victim relationship characteristics are presented. Additionally, the
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Structured instruments for insanity defense evaluations: Opportunities and limitations Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-03-20 Giovanna Parmigiani, Gabriele Mandarelli, Gerben Meynen, Stefano Ferracuti
Insanity evaluations are often criticized for their—alleged—lack of objectivity, reliability and transparency. Structured tools to guide and support forensic evaluators during these evaluations have been developed—but they are rarely employed in forensic practice. In the present article, we consider the value of these tools for forensic practice in terms of opportunities and limitations. First, we
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Mind the past: A systematic review on psychological autopsy Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-03-20 Federico Pacchioni, Marta Bosia, Giulia Moretti, Cristiano Barbieri, Silvia Bellumore, Guido Travaini
Psychological Autopsy (PA) has become widespread to the point of being applied in many diverse fields. However, it is difficult to identify a standard model. In this systematic review, we focused on PA studies assessing mental illness as a major risk factor for suicide. The research, performed on Scopus, Embase, and Pubmed to cover the last 20 years led to 321 reports of which 15 met the inclusion
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Forensic assessment instruments: Their reliability and applicability to criminal forensic issues Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-03-19 Richard Rogers, Kamar Y. Tazi, Eric Y. Drogin
Forensic evaluations have advanced considerably with the development of specialized measures validated on forensic and correctional samples. Prior to this progress, such evaluations relied heavily on extrapolations from general psychological tests to crucial, legally relevant questions. Since then, decades of empirical work have produced forensic assessment instruments (FAIs) addressing psycholegal
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Risk, resilience, and recovery in forensic mental health: An integrated conceptual model Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-03-10 Stephanie R. Penney, Suraya Faziluddin, Alexander I. F. Simpson, Patti Socha, Treena Wilkie
In this paper we describe a novel, integrated conceptual model that brings together core elements across structured tools assessing risk for future violence, protective factors, and progress in treatment and recovery in forensic mental health settings. We argue that the value of such a model lies in its ability to improve clinical efficiencies and streamline assessment protocols, facilitate meaningful
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From “below chance” to “a single error is one too many”: Evaluating various thresholds for invalid performance on two forced choice recognition tests Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-03-09 Laszlo A. Erdodi
This study was designed to empirically evaluate the classification accuracy of various definitions of invalid performance in two forced-choice recognition performance validity tests (PVTs; FCRCVLT-II and Test of Memory Malingering [TOMM-2]). The proportion of at and below chance level responding defined by the binomial theory and making any errors was computed across two mixed clinical samples from
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Prediction of violence: Part contagious disease, part unpredictable individual: Is a public health assessment approach an additional option and at what cost? Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-03-03 Ryan C. W. Hall, Gregory Iannuzzi
On a population level, violence shares many similarities with communicable disease states and other public health issues. Therefore, there has been a push to apply public health interventions to the problem of societal violence and for some to even identify violence as the product of a disease state (e.g., changed brain). This conceptualization could lead to the development of new risk violence assessment
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Falling through the cracks: Failing to identify compromised Miranda abilities for defendants with limited cognitive capacities Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-03-02 Kamar Y. Tazi, Richard Rogers
Custodial suspects must be informed of their Miranda rights (Miranda v. Arizona, 1966) prior to police questioning. Since this landmark decision, scholars have rigorously studied Miranda comprehension and reasoning among vulnerable groups including those with intellectual disabilities (ID). However, the focus on ID has left arrestees with limited cognitive capacities (i.e., LCCs with IQs between 70
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Childhood trauma as a mediator between attachment and recidivism risk: A study of Canadian offenders with mental disorders Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-03-01 G. Camelia Adams, Andrew J. Wrath, Mansfield Mela, Andrea DesRoches, Stephen Adams, Anita Andreen, Anne McKenna
The current study aimed to explore the relationships between attachment and childhood trauma on recidivism risk in a sample of Canadian offenders with mental disorder (OMDs). N = 56 OMDs completed the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) questionnaire, a measure of adult attachment (Experiences in Close Relationships Scale), and interview to determine recidivism risk (Level of Service/Case Management
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Issue Information Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-01-22
No abstract is available for this article.
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Examining the effect of prison time on landlords' willingness to rent to exonerees: A test of the stigma-by-association framework Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-01-22 Leah Hamovitch, Samantha Pejic, Lesley Zannella, Jason C. Deska
Researchers posit that stigma-by-association may account for the discrimination that exonerees experience post-release. Exonerees who serve a longer prison sentence may experience more stigma than exonerees who spent less time in prison. Across two studies, we examined whether criminal history (exoneree, releasee, or control) or prison time (5 or 25 years) impacted landlords' willingness to rent their
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Violence risk assessment of Sovereign Citizens: An exploratory examination of the HCR-20 Version 3 and the TRAP-18 Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-01-15 Lee M. Vargen, Darin J. Challacombe
Sovereign Citizens comprise an understudied right-wing extremist movement in the United States who have grown in notoriety in recent years due to several high-profile instances of violence. Despite this, little empirical research has been conducted on Sovereign Citizens, including research on assessing their risk for violence. In this study, we sought to replicate and extend a prior study on Sovereign
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Cessation of dangerousness status in Brasília, Brazil: An analysis of 144 reports from Federal District Medical Examiner's Office in the last 10 years Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2023-01-05 Gustavo Carvalho de Oliveira, Henrique Oliveira Dumay, Thayná Pereira da Silva, Marina Clara Oliveira Fraga, Alexandre Martins Valença
The aim of this study is to evaluate factors related to cessation of dangerousness of individuals under safety measures, through the study of psychiatric reports. This is a cross-sectional study, conducted through a retrospective analysis of expert psychiatric dangerousness cessation reports issued by the Federal District Coroner's Office, Brasília, Brazil. By examining official files, information
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Scholarly rumors: Citation analysis of vast misinformation regarding parental alienation theory Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2022-12-29 William Bernet, Shenmeng Xu
Misinformation is widespread in political discourse, mental health literature, and hard science. This article describes recurrent publication of the same misinformation regarding parental alienation (PA), that is, variations of the statement: “PA theory assumes that the favored parent has caused PA in the child simply because the child refuses to have a relationship with the rejected parent, without
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Alcohol, gender, and violence: Factors influencing blame for partner aggression Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2022-12-08 Jody M. Ross, Jedidiah Davis
Alcohol use has been associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) and reduced perpetrator blameworthiness, but this finding is not universal. Researchers examining alcohol and IPV-related blame often utilize vignettes depicting perpetrators who are sober and compare this to perpetrators depicted as more or less intoxicated. In this study, participants read one of three vignettes depicting male-to-female
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Issue Information Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2022-11-29
No abstract is available for this article.
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Assessing symptom exaggeration of psychopathology in incarcerated individuals and mentally ill offenders within forensic contexts Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2022-11-30 Natthawut Arin, Jiraporn Mengchuay
In forensic contexts, there is a high probability that offenders may exaggerate illness to avoid legal punishment. Since very few empirical studies presently exist on this matter in Thailand, the objectives are to explore the prevalence rate of the exaggeration of psychopathological symptoms and to examine the detection strategy response styles for Thai version of the Symptom validity test (SVT-Th)
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Transforensic psychiatry: Addressing inpatient aggression in the “gray zone” between general and forensic psychiatric care Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2022-11-08 Joost M. L. G. à Campo, Alfons van Impelen, Nicole Hamakers, Henk L. I. Nijman
A minority of psychiatric patients are unfit for general psychiatric care due to offensive behavior that renders them at risk of coming into contact with the criminal justice system. In the absence of criminal proceedings, these patients find themselves in the “gray zone” between general and forensic psychiatric care. To accommodate these patients, we established a “transforensic” ward. Instead of
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Waiving goodbye to youth: Jurors perceive transferred juveniles differently from adults but render similar verdicts Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2022-10-13 Jacqueline Katzman, Melanie B. Fessinger, Brian H. Bornstein, Kelly McWilliams
Juveniles are developmentally different from adults but are often treated similarly in the criminal justice system. In case processing, many juveniles are transferred to adult courts. Before case processing, many juveniles are interrogated with the same tactics used against adults. Limited research has examined jurors' decisions in juvenile transfer cases, particularly those involving confession evidence
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Issue Information Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2022-10-03
No abstract is available for this article.
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Introductory essay: International perspectives on stalking from a psycho-criminological approach Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2022-09-28 Heng Choon (Oliver) Chan, Alan R. Felthous
CONFLICT OF INTEREST The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this manuscript.
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Dealing with stalking cases in Lithuania: The role of public perceptions and legal response Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2022-09-26 Ilona Laurinaitytė, Ilona Michailovič, Liubovė Jarutienė
Stalking is considered a dangerous form of victimization that requires an effective criminal justice response. In this current research, we aimed (1) to examine lifetime prevalence of stalking victimization and public perceptions of stalking as well as (2) to investigate the characteristics of stalking cases in recent court practice in Lithuania. In Study 1, a web-based survey on a representative sample
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Post break-up stalking: Police-officers' perceptions Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2022-09-25 Rita Mesquita, Mariana Gonçalves, Célia Ferreira, Marlene Matos
Stalking is characterized by persistent unwanted behaviors and can disrupt the lives of victims. Its prevalence has been increasing with time. Due to the recent criminalization of stalking in Portugal and its being an understudied phenomenon, the objective of this study is to assess the perceptions of police officers (n = 1212) about stalking post intimate relationship breakup. We developed an adaptation
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Victim reactions to being stalked: Examining the effects of perceived offender characteristics and motivations Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2022-09-23 Ryan Randa, Bradford W. Reyns, Ashley Fansher
The current research utilized the National Crime Victimization Survey Supplemental Victimization Survey to investigate stalking in the United States. These data, collected from stalking victims, address the relationship between victims' perceptions of the stalker's motives on two post-victimization outcomes. Specifically, we examined the relationship between the victim's assessment of motive and the
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A critical analysis of stalking theory and implications for research and practice Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2022-09-22 Alice J. Parkhill, Margaret Nixon, Troy E. McEwan
This article comprehensively reviews and critiques theories providing an aetiological account of stalking. We evaluate applications of preexisting psychological theories to stalking (attachment theory, evolutionary theory, social learning theory, information processing models of aggression, coercive control theory, and behavioural theory) as well as the only novel theory of stalking to date: Relational
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Cyber-harassment victimization of Portuguese adolescents: A lifestyle-routine activities theory approach Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2022-09-14 Maria Vale, Filipa Pereira, Brian H. Spitzberg, Marlene Matos
Cyber-harassment refers to a pattern of repeated, intentional, and unwanted annoyances, impositions, threats, or other aggravating actions mediated by Information and Communication Technologies. Globally, substantial proportions of adolescents experience cyber-harassment, resulting in a host of deleterious health-related consequences. This study tested the empirical utility of the Lifestyle-Routine
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Does children’s fear matter? Evaluating children’s positions in Finnish court decisions on stalking Behavioral Sciences & the Law (IF 2.568) Pub Date : 2022-09-08 Sanna Koulu, Anna Nikupeteri, Merja Laitinen, Mirva Lohiniva-Kerkelä
Children are at particular risk when one parent is targeted by the other parent's stalking behaviors post-separation. In this article, we explore how court decisions position children when assessing fear, distress, and unlawfulness in cases of parental stalking. The data comprised 127 court decisions on stalking that involved a relationship (dating, cohabitation, or marriage), separation/divorce, and