The Forensic Psychologist and Corrections

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Apr 29, 2024

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Week 10 Assignment - Crimes Against Persons and Government By Kevin Perrin CRJ 331: Forensic Psychology Professor Deborah Swinson December 12, 2021 1 | P a g e

What was the role the forensic psychologist played in the scenario? In this scenario, the Forensic Psychologist played the role of an expert witness. To qualify as an expert witness, the individual must have specialized skills, knowledge, and experience about a subject matter. This individual is able to provide an account of what they think transpired in a certain case based on those skills, knowledge, and experiences. Unlike regular witnesses who testify about what they say, heard, or felt, the expert witness is able to draw a conclusion and submit their opinions in their testimony (1). Dr. Sandi Smith was able to make an assessment of Mr. Bell’s mental and psychological state and conclude that he was fit to stand trial and understood the charges that were being brought against him. She also diagnosed him with bipolar disorder mixed with alcohol dependence which his crime was attributed to. His violent behavior was also found to be as a direct result of his substance abuse. Because Dr. Smith is an expert in her field, the judge would consider her assessment of Mr. Bell as factual and use it in the sentencing decision. What services are offered in the prison system to treat addiction and mental health issues? Prisons are rife with substances abusers and mentally ill inmates. The mental health services provided in the prison system tends to focus on identifying mental illness, crisis management and suicide prevention as well as provide short-term treatment options. These mental health services vary based on the size of the prisons. This is largely due to funding and the availability of resources. Smaller prisons typically offer screening services and suicide prevention, and larger prison offer more comprehensive services such as evaluations, 2 | P a g e

psychotropic medication, and specialized housing (2). Other services offered to combat mental illnesses include psychotherapy and religious meetings. As it relates to substance abuse, Alcoholics Anonymous is a 12-step program that is offered and is aimed at helping inmates to become and stay sober upon release. This program helps inmates to address the psychological issues that are causing the drinking problem and strategies that they can use to avoid abusing alcohol. Prisons also offer drug abuse educational classes that teach the dangers and effects of substance abuse. This program also helps the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBP) to identify inmates who may need treatment beyond what the prison system is able to offer. There is also nonresidential drug abuse treatment program that uses cognitive-behavior treatment to help prisoners fight addiction. This is typically offered to inmates with short prison sentences. The residential drug abuse program is another treatment option that is the most intensive program offered by the FBP. It is a 9 month program that allows inmates to live in a social community. They participate in half-day programs and half day of work, school or other vocational activities they may have (3). What are the stressors the corrections officers faced in the story? The first stressor that the corrections officers faced in the story was the altercation between Mr. Bell and his cell mate after he was denied parole. This would fall under the category of stress arising from the job environment (4). The corrections officers would have to break up the altercation which means that they were putting themselves in danger, since they did not know if weapons were involved or if they would be attacked. Another stressor is dealing with Mr. Bell’s mental health issues. This would fall under the category of job content stress (4). 3 | P a g e

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