Paul Wilson

Validity, utility and ethics of profiling for serial violent and sexual offenders

Despite its apparent popularity, criminal personality profiling has been poorly evaluated as either an investigative aid or a conceptual tool. This article documents some aspects of the development of offender profiling. Importantly, it identifies and differentiates the different styles of profiling and their distinct conceptual orientations. The literature is also reviewed to extract what conclusions can be drawn with respect to the validity, utility and ethics of offender profiles in criminal investigations and what this may mean for psychiatry, psychology and the law in general.

Participation in Politics: A Preliminary Analysis1

MosT citizens in the western world have been told, and have come to believe, that in order for democracy to fiourish they should be informed about and be active in politics. If democracy is going to be rule ’of the people, by the people and for the people’ the people, by definition, must be politically active. Paradoxically though, studies in a variety of western democracies show that only a minority of citizens either participate or value participating in the political process. Almond and Verba2 for example, in their cross-cultural study of political attitudes in five countries point

Lessons from the antipodes: successes and failures of forensic science

Abstract The article deals with the function of forensic science in Australia and New Zealand and how it has contributed to or helped to avoid miscarriages of justice. The supposed impartiality of forensic science is questioned and problems with the presentation of forensic science in court are explored. The deficiencies in interdisciplinary training between science and law is made evident and recommendations are suggested as to how this situation could be remedied. The future of forensic science is dealt with in regards to its continued credibility and changes in court procedure.

Do normal people commit genocide? Observations from the Cambodian trial of 'Duch'

This article is written from the perspective of a forensic psychologist and criminologist who observed the recent trial of Duch, the commandant of S-21, the prison where up to 14,000 men, women and children were systematically interrogated, tortured and then murdered during the reign of Pol Pots Khmer Rouge regime. It focuses on what the trial revealed about Duchs personality and notes the absence of any form of psychopathology or mental illness in his psychological profile. Duch, however, like many other middle-ranking officials involved in major human rights abuses, may well have distinct personality characteristics. This finding lends weight to the view that an individuals involvement in genocide and other related crimes is best understood as a complex interaction between the situation in which people find themselves during times of war or civil conflict and their personality characteristics.

Relationship Between Criminal Behaviour and Mental Illness in Young Adults: Conduct Disorder, Cruelty to Animals and Young Adult Serious Violence

Many mental health professionals working with children and juveniles either do not have the training in psychological testing techniques, or sufficient diagnostic time to recognise significant indicators of future serious violent offending. The research literature suggests the diagnosis of conduct disorder (CD) can be a strong indicator of serious young adult violence. One component of CD, cruelty to animals, would also appear to be a significant indicator or “red flag” in the background of many serial killers and thus, it is suggested, in the history of perpetrators of other forms of major interpersonal violence. Either concurrently with CD or as a major indicator of antisocial behaviour in its own right, cruelty to animals deserves more attention from both a research and assessment perspective.

R v Leonboyer: The role of expert witnesses in psychological blow automatism cases

Automatism is a defence in criminal violence that raises some critical issues about the role of the expert witness in the determination of guilt and innocence. The recent Australian case of R V Leonboyer illustrates some of these issues including psychiatrists and psychologists going beyond their area of expertise, establishing reasonable doubt on the basis of possibilities rather than probabilities and failing to differentiate between automatic behaviour and its causes. Though there may be a necessity to utilise the experience of psychologists and psychiatrists to explain the complex issues arising from the defence of automatism, there are particular problems in using such expert witnesses in this under-researched and complex area.

Trust me - I'm an expert: Forensic evidence and witness immunity

The implications of the NSW Court of Criminal Appeals ruling in Commonwealth of Australia v Griffiths and Anor, to the effect that an expert who gives incorrect evidence against a party is protected from civil suit by the ‘witness immunity’ rule are reviewed. It is argued that there is an urgent need to reconsider the sanctions that may be imposed on those whose forensic evidence falls short of the high standard expected in this increasingly important area of justice.

Book Reviews : HOMOPHOBIC VIOLENCE Gail Mason and Stephen Tomsen (eds) Sydney, The Hawkins Press, 1997, xi, 148 pp.,

Building upon the theoretical outline of the first chapter, the second introduces the reader to the predominant discourses (e.g. psychology, family health and welfare, sociological and academic masculinity literature) which inform and structure modern fatherhood. Taking a historical perspective, discussion begins with consideration of the emergence of the family movements of the late 1800s and early 1900s. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is the historical account in which the main constitutive