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Forensic Psychiatry

Claims Of Crime-Related Amnesia In Forensic Patients

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Abstract

Many authors assume that crime-related amnesia arises from the stressful nature of crimes and/or drug intoxication at the time crimes are committed. The current study examined prevalence and correlates of crime-related amnesia in a German (n=180) and a Dutch (n=128) sample of forensic inmates. More specifically, patients claiming amnesia and control patients were compared with regard to their intelligence, criminal backgrounds, and psychiatric diagnoses. In contrast to the popular stress-dissociation interpretation, stressful features of the crime were not found to be related to claims of amnesia. Neither alcohol nor drug intoxication, nor psychotic episodes could fully account for claims of memory loss. Interestingly, amnesia claims were especially prevalent among recidivists. This suggests that such claims are the product of a learning process. Thus, it may well be that those who are familiar with the penal system may have experienced the advantages of claiming amnesia.

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Law and Psychiatry Doing Forensic Work, III: Marketing your Practice

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“Marketing” refers to the entire process of bringing a product or service to the public and creating a demand for it. It is not simply advertising. There are good and bad ways to market one’s practice, and some that are distasteful or even unethical. The quality and credibility of your work are your most important marketing tools. Reputation and word-of-mouth among attorneys is the largest referral source for most private forensic practitioners. Your professional and business practices, the quality of your staff and their interactions with clients, and your day-to-day availability are all critical. The Internet is important for some practitioners. Practice websites are inexpensive, but they should be carefully constructed and avoid appearing sensational or overly self-serving. Research the basics of websites and website traffic, and don’t expect great results for the first year or so. A Web consultant may be helpful, but avoid those who charge lots of money or make grand promises. Paying for advertisements, listings, or brochures is

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Sexual Assault, Irresistible Impulses, And Forensic Psychiatry In Sweden

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Abstract

After forensic psychiatry was firmly established in Sweden in the 1930s, many rapists and individuals charged with assaulting children underwent a forensic psychiatric examination. The physicians found that most of them had not been “in control” of their senses or not “in complete control” of their senses at the time of the crime. If the court ordered a forensic psychiatric examination, the defendant had a very good chance of either being discharged or having his sentence reduced considerably. By the 1950s psychological perspectives began to dominate in forensic psychiatry. In the forensic records of the 1950s we can notice a shift from a biomedical to a socio-psychological perspective, and crime was increasingly related to conditions that were not seen as mental derangement from a legal point of view. As a result, it became less and less common, from the...

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