Annual Report Mental Health, Law, and Policy Institute. Simon Fraser University

Transcription

1 Annual Report 1996 Mental Health, Law, and Policy Institute Simon Fraser University

2 The Mental Health, Law, and Policy Institute at Simon Fraser University was established in June, 1991, under the university policy governing research and study groups (AC-35). The purpose of the Institute is to promote interdisciplinary collaboration in research and training in areas related to mental health law and policy. The primary participating academic units are the Department of Psychology and the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University. Membership may also include individuals from other universities or from relevant provincial and community agencies. In addition to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among academic departments, a primary purpose of the Institute is to facilitate research and training in government and community agencies. The Director of the Institute is Ronald Roesch, a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser University. A Management Committee establishes policy for the Institute. The current Management Committee members are Professors Raymond Corrado, David Cox, Stephen Hart, Marlene Moretti, and James Ogloff. Institute Members Douglas P. Boer, Ph.D. Correctional Service of Canada Adjunct Professor of Psychology Raymond R. Corrado, Ph.D. Professor of Criminology David N. Cox, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology Derek Eaves, M.D. Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission Adjunct Professor of Psychology William Glackman, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Criminology Isabel Grant, LL.B., LL.M. Professor of Law University of British Columbia Stephen D. Hart, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology Margaret Jackson, Ph.D. Professor of Criminology Marlene M. Moretti, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology James R. P. Ogloff, J.D., Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology Ronald Roesch, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology and Director of the Institute John Surridge, LL.B. Vancouver Pretrial Services Centre George Tien, Ph.D. Adjunct Professor of Psychology Simon Verdun-Jones, J.S.D. Professor of Criminology Christopher D. Webster, Ph.D. Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology Bob Wright, LL.B. B.C. Regional Crown Counsel Randy Kropp, Ph.D. Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission Adjunct Professor of Psychology Marie Achille Sharon Agar Lisa Brown Shauna Darcangelo Rebecca Dempster Kevin Douglas Lindsey Jack Chantelle Klassen Jocelyn Lymburner Dave Lyon Research Staff Darren Nicholls Tonia Nicholls Maureen Olley Natalie Polvi David Roesch Gordon Rose Lynne Sullivan Ruth Turner Karen Whittemore Patricia Zapf

3 Report from the Director As part of an international conference held in Vancouver a few years ago, I organized a workshop that focused on international perspectives on mental health issues in the criminal justice system. We thought it would be useful to take advantage of the fact that researchers and practitioners from around the world would be attending the congress. Our intention for this workshop was to provide an opportunity to explore possible avenues for collaboration among researchers, with the ultimate goal of developing some common methods of approach to research in this area. We identified research questions and discussed methods for addressing these questions, again with the intention that this would lead to the development of a research agenda that could be shared by researchers across jurisdictions. A collection of the papers presented at this workshop was published in 1995 in a special issue of the International Journal of Law and Psychiatry. In the introduction to that special issue, Jim Ogloff, Derek Eaves, and I commented that one of the shortcomings of the research in this area is that it is difficult to compare results across jurisdictions, due to variability in research methodology, measurement, and sample selection. We concluded that there is a clear need for researchers and policy makers to collaborate and develop common methods of approach to research. Since that time, we have tried to promote this international collaboration among researchers. To this end, the Institute was fortunate to have Professor Giovanni Traverso as a visiting scholar for a brief period during the year. Professor Traverso is a Full Professor of Forensic Psychiatry and Criminology at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Siena, who is conducting research on the impact of deinstitutionalization on mental health services. This research and other interests of his overlap with our own research, and we have discussed plans to develop collaborative projects with him and other colleagues in Italy. Along with Institute member Ray Corrado, I will spend some time in the fall of 1997 at the University of Siena to develop more specific proposals and explore grant possibilities. Two other international research projects are underway. Margaret Jackson has been involved in the Argentinian/Canadian Collaborative Study on Domestic Violence with Dr. Liliana Alvarez of the Universidad de Belgrano in Buenos Aries, with partial funding through the Canadian Embassy in Argentina. This project is described in more detail later in this report. Christopher Webster has established a strong link with the Sundsvall Hospital in Sweden. Dr. Henrik Belfrage has been directing a risk assessment project at the hospital and is coming to the Institute for three months in early 1997 to work with Dr. Webster and other colleagues here in the Institute, during which time he will produce Swedish versions of instruments developed in the Institute. There were many other activities of the Institute during the past year that Annual Report Page 1

4 should be highlighted. The Institute sponsored several workshops during the year, including ones on risk assessment, psychopathy, criminal harassment, and workplace violence. We also co-sponsored, with the B. C. Institute on Family Violence, a public forum on high risk violent offenders. We would like to increase these training activities in the coming year, and we are open to suggestions for workshop topics. Institute members continue to be active in the development of the psychology and law graduate program at Simon Fraser University as well as the forensic psychology minor within the APA/CPA accredited clinical psychology doctoral program. The Psychology and Law Program is directed by Jim Ogloff, and I serve as coordinator of the forensic psychology program. Jim was recognized for his efforts in developing this program by the Canadian Council of Professional Psychology Programs, which gave Jim its 1996 Award for Excellence in Professional Training. We are pleased that we have graduated the first two students from these programs this past year. Angela Connors received her Ph.D. in the clinical-forensic program, and Phil Laird completed his Ph.D. in the psychology and law program. Many of the graduate students in these programs conducted their thesis and dissertation research working on grants and other Institute projects. In addition to Phil and Angela, Shauna Darcangelo and Susan Turnbull completed their Ph.D.s. this year, and Lisa Brown, Kevin Douglas, David Kolton, and Lynne Sullivan defended MA theses. I would also like to welcome Rebecca Dempster and Lynda Murdoch, who were admitted as forensic psychology graduate students in the clinical program, and Gina Vincent, who joined the psychology and law program during the past year. In the spring of 1997, the Institute will move into its newly renovated space at the university. We will have 15 offices and research rooms, which is about twice as large as our current space. This new space should provide a little more elbow room for the some 25 graduate students and research assistants who share this space, as well as giving us room for research labs and a library/seminar room. As I mentioned in my report last year, one of the by-products of our training and research efforts is the development of research and clinical measures for use with forensic populations. These include the HCR-20, a measure developed by Christopher Webster, Kevin Douglas, Derek Eaves, and Steve Hart, for the assessment of risk of violence; the Spousal Assault Risk Assessment (SARA), developed by Randy Kropp and Steve Hart for the assessment of spousal assault risk; and the Fitness Interview Test-Revised (FIT- R), a revised version of a method for assessing fitness to stand trial I originally co-authored with Christopher Webster and Derek Eaves, and currently being revised by the three of us and one of my graduate students, Patricia Zapf. Information on ordering these measures in contained elsewhere in the report or you can or write directly to me at the address on the back cover. I want to thank Institute members and our students for their contributions to another successful year. As always, Annual Report Page 2

5 we welcome comments, requests for reprints, and inquiries about our research and training activities. Ronald Roesch Professor of Psychology Director of the Institute Annual Report Page 3

6 Education and Training Professional Training Institute members continued to conduct workshops in British Columbia and internationally. Steve Hart gave workshops on psychopathy, spousal assault, risk assessment, and violent young offenders. David Cox gave workshops for Crown counsel throughout British Columbia on stress management, and also led similar workshops for the RCMP, for whom he also gave workshops on mentally disordered offenders. Randy Kropp conducted workshops on spousal assault. Jim Ogloff continued to give workshops on ethical and professional issues, as well as fitness to stand trial and criminal responsibility. Colloquia The Sixth Annual Psychology and Law Symposium was held in December, It included presentations from graduate students in the introductory psychology and law course. Contributors were Sharon Agar, Darek Dawda, Kevin Douglas, Kelly Frame, Marie-Helene Pelletier, Lynne Sullivan, Gina Vincent, and Marilyn Walls. Other presentations made as part of the Institute s colloquia series during the past year were: Dr. Michael Nietzel, University of Kentucky, The Implications of Clinical Tender and Tough-Mindedness. Dr. Richard Wiener, Saint Louis University, Sexual Harassment: A Social Analytic Investigation of Policy and Law. Workshops Robert Fein, Bryan Vossekuil, and Steve White, Criminal Harassment: Coping with Threats of Violence. Robert Hare, Adelle Forth, and Stephen Hart, Assessing Psychopathy: Forensic Applications of the PCL-R, Advanced Workshop. Graduate Training The Institute administers two contracts that provide exceptional training opportunities for forensic psychology graduate students. The first is provided by the Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission and funds several students who are completing prac- Annual Report Page 4

7 ticum requirements in programs within the Commission. This year, we had students working at Youth Court Services, the Maples Adolescent Treatment Centre, the Forensic Psychiatric Institute, and the Forensic Outpatient Clinic. The students were involved in conducting psychological assessments under the supervision of forensic psychologists. The second contract is with the Surrey Pretrial Services Centre. As part of the Surrey Pretrial Mental Health Project, several graduate students are employed to conduct mental health screening interviews of all inmates admitted to SPSC. The interviews are brief, approximately 20 minutes in length, and provide sufficient information to make initial decisions about the mental health needs of the incoming inmates, including immediate risk for violence to self or others, as well the need for crisis intervention and other mental health and social services. The intake interviewers screened nearly 5000 inmates in 1996, and referred about 25% of them to the Mental Health Project for additional assessment and intervention. Graduate Program in Law and Psychology The Director of the Graduate Program in Law and Psychology is James R. P. Ogloff, who provided this update on the program. In 1996, we continued to see the Graduate Program in Law and Psychology develop and strengthen. In particular, we reached a landmark in the Program this year when we saw the first two students complete the program requirements and graduate. As mentioned elsewhere in this report, Angela Connors completed the requirements for the Clinical-Forensic Stream and Phil Laird completed the requirements for the Law and Psychology Stream. Angela is working as a psychologist in the Correctional Service of Canada, and Phil is a psychology professor at Trinity Western University. In addition to the success of our first two graduates, many of the other students in the Program have had their work recognized by provincial and national scholarships and awards. Several of our students have published their work in journals and books, and many more have made presentations of their work at scholarly conferences. Similarly, our students made a very strong showing at the biennial meeting of the American Psychology Law Society which met in Hilton Head, South Carolina early in the spring. Just as the students in the Program have distinguished themselves, so too have many of the faculty. Particularly noteworthy was Dr. Chris Webster's appointment as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. This year marks Dr. Ronald Roesch's final year as editor of Law and Human Behavior. Under his editorship, the journal has seen success marked by a near doubling in subscriptions and an increase of annual issues from four to six. On a personal note, I am most grateful to students and colleagues who nominated me for the Canadian Council of Professional Psychology Programs Award of Excellence in Professional Training. As we reach the end of 1996, the Program is moving toward a long-standing goal of developing a joint degree LL.B./Ph.D. program in cooperation with the Department of Psychology and the Faculty of Law at the University of British Columbia. This develop- Annual Report Page 5

8 ment will put us in the unique position of being the only program in Canada to offer students dual training in law and psychology. Annual Report Page 6

9 Research Projects The following are brief summaries of each of the research projects being conducted under the auspices of the Institute. Please feel free to write to the principal investigators for more information or for reprints of publications. Judicial Instructions and the Jury; Increasing Juror Comprehension of Judicial Instructions: A Comparison of Alternative Strategies. The purpose of the research conducted in these two projects (funded by the Law Foundation of British Columbia and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council; J. R. P. Ogloff, Principal Investigator) is to investigate the extent to which jurors comprehend judicial instructions and to develop strategies for ensuring that judicial instructions to juries are understood and followed by jurors. A total of six studies are being conducted. One study will be conducted to determine the extent to which jurors understand the concept of "beyond a reasonable doubt." Five studies are being conducted to determine whether any of the following strategies increase jurors' comprehension of judge's instructions: 1) "plain language" instructions, 2) juror note taking, 3) instructing jurors both prior to and following the trial, 4) providing jurors with a copy of the judge's instructions for their consideration during deliberation, and 5) a decision tree jury deliberation model. In addition, verdicts will be compared to determine whether any of the comprehension enhancement strategies produce changes in conviction rates. The studies will be completed by the end of 1997, with expected results available in Assessing Fitness to Stand Trial: Studies on the Reliability and Validity of the FIT-R This research program, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada (R. Roesch, Principal Investigator), is comprised of three studies, with data collection currently underway. In the first study, decisions about fitness based on an institution-based evaluation will be compared to those decisions made based on the Fitness Interview Test - Revised (FIT-R) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). The primary question is what mental health symptoms are indicative of mental disorder as defined in case law. The data will be analyzed to determine which of the symptoms on the BPRS are most indicative of serious mental disorder in order to allow the interviewer to establish whether or not the accused meets the criteria for mental disorder as defined in case law. As well, the total score received on the BPRS will be analyzed for all the participants to determine if a cutoff score could be used to indicate mental disorder as defined in case law. The results of this study will allow us to determine how well the FIT-R and the BPRS used together predict the decisions about fitness made on the basis of an institution-based evaluation. Data collection for this study will begin on January 1, 1997 and will continue through Annual Report Page 7

10 The second study will determine the reliability of the FIT-R with respect to five different professional groups. Professionals (forensic psychologists, forensic psychiatrists, attorneys, general practice physicians, and clinical doctoral students) will be trained on the use of the FIT-R and will then be required to score videotapes that depict the administration of the FIT-R to various fit, unfit, and questionably fit individuals. The data will then be analyzed to determine how well each of these groups does with respect to making fitness assessments with the FIT-R as well as to identify any ambiguous aspects of the FIT-R that may need to be revised. The final study will determine the test-retest reliability, inter-rater reliability, and the construct validity of the FIT-R. The FIT-R will be administered to approximately 200 individuals remanded for fitness evaluations and the decisions of fitness based on this instrument will be compared to those decision about fitness based on inpatient evaluations. The FIT-R will be given to some participants twice in order to determine the testretest reliability of this instrument as well as by different interviewers in order to determine the inter-rater reliability. The FIT-R will also be compared to another measure of fitness, the MacArthur Competence Assessment Instrument - Criminal Adjudication, to assess its construct validity. Data collection for this study is currently underway and will continue through the end of The product that will result from this research will be a brief screening procedure that can be used throughout Canada for assessing fitness to stand trial. The implications of this assessment instrument will be substantial. It will facilitate uniform assessments throughout Canada and will greatly reduce the amount of time required to complete these assessments, resulting in reduced costs to society and a minimization of the loss of liberty for defendants who are undergoing these evaluations. The Assessment of Dangerousness and Risk: HCR-20 Two main projects (C.D. Webster, Principal Investigator) are underway in British Columbia. At Riverview Hospital data have been collected on 230 consecutively admitted patients to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). These patients were assessed on admission by the HCR-20 and various other measures. Following discharge from the Hospital they were followed first at three months and then at six months. Of main interest is the number of subsequent violent incidents. With the data now in hand, it will be possible to determine the extent to which the HCR-20 scores were predictive of later violence. A similar project, funded by the British Columbia Health Research Foundation, is in progress at the Forensic Psychiatric Institute of the Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission of British Columbia. Both projects are managed by Ms. Deborah Ross. It is expected that preliminary results from the ICU and FPI sites will be presented at the International Society on the Study of Personality Disorders in Vancouver during June The original 1995 HCR-20 manual is published jointly by the Institute and the Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission. Sales have been brisk, especially since it was reviewed in laudatory terms by Randy Borum in the September 1996 issue of the American Psychologist. Version 2 is now being prepared (by Christopher Webster, Annual Report Page 8

11 Kevin Douglas, Derek Eaves, and Stephen Hart). Dr. Henrik Belfrage, of the Karolinska Institute, Department of Social & Forensic Psychiatry, Huddinge, Sweden and Dr. Rudiger Müller-Isberner, of the Haina Forensic Psychiatric Hospital, Germany, have provided expert consultation on the revision. This opinion is based on their experience with the original version in their home countries. Publication is expected in May of The new manual, to be published by the Mental Health, Law, and Policy Institute in collaboration with the Commission, will sell for $30.00 and can be obtained by sending a cheque for that amount to the Institute. The authors of the revised manual are now involved in trying to establish a study which will examine the validity of the HCR-20 in three sites in each of three provinces. The sites will entail general psychiatric, forensic, and correctional participants. Stemming from the HCR-20, the Institute is about to establish an electronic journal on the topic of risk assessment. This will be called the VRISC (Violence Risk Instruments and Scales Communiqué). The journal will be edited mainly by Kevin Douglas, Stephen Hart, and Christopher Webster. Several other members of the Institute will be involved. Gender Differences in Substance Use Among High Risk Youth Marlene Moretti is the principal investigator for this project, with funding from the Steel Fund. This study further explores preliminary findings from our earlier research on substance use in high-risk male and female adolescents. Results from our previous study indicated that, compared to males, substance use in females was more likely to occur in conjunction with a wide range of other psychiatric disorders such as oppositional-defiant disorder, anxiety disorder, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. These results suggest that male and female adolescents who present with substance use may have different treatment needs. Before reaching this conclusion, however, it is important that we increase our sample size and determine possible differences in referral patterns for adolescent males and females. The proposed research is designed to address these issues and to explore whether risk factors for substance use are differentially important in predicting substance use in high-risk adolescent males and females. Relatively little is known about gender differences in vulnerability to substance use disorders in high-risk populations. This may be due to the fact that most studies are completed exclusively with male samples. When female subjects are included, gender differences are rarely examined. Our preliminary research on substance use in high-risk adolescents, supported by the Steel Fund, indicated that conduct-disordered females are more likely than males to excessively use substances, and female use occurred more often in conjunction with a wide range of psychiatric symptoms. Females were also significantly more likely than males to meet abuse or dependence criteria for multiple substances. These findings suggest that substance abuse and dependence may be particularly acute in high-risk females. It is important to note, however, that this study was limited in several respects. First, the sample size of females was small and insuffi- Annual Report Page 9

12 cient to provide reliable information. Second, although all adolescents were referred for severe behavioral problems, it is not clear that the referral process, detection of premorbid psychiatric disturbance and provision of social services was comparable for males and females prior to the entrance to the facility. It may be that males and females are referred because of different symptoms (e.g., concerns regarding behavioral problems in males, concerns regarding self-harm in females), and these differences account for the different patterns of substance use. Thus, it is important to establish the comparability of males and females in this sample. Most importantly, this preliminary study did not examine possible gender differences in the relative importance of risk factors in predicting substance use. It is quite possible that risk factors associated with the development of excessive substance use and other delinquent behaviors (e.g., maltreatment, psychiatric illness) differentially impact vulnerability in males and females. Research suggests that while male substance use may reflect sensation seeking, this factor does not predict substance use in females. The limited research that is available suggests that when substance abuse is identified in females, it is often associated with an increased likelihood of a history of physical abuse, sexual abuse and removal from the home than is the case for males. The current research predicts that the impact of maltreatment (i.e., physical and sexual abuse; parental neglect and abandonment) on the development of excessive substance use is mediated by the development of insecure attachment and psychiatric illness (depression, anxiety & post-traumatic stress disorder). It is further predicted that this mediated path will be significantly stronger for females than males. Psychopathology and Attachment in Adolescents This research is funded by a contract from the BC Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission (Marlene Moretti, Principal Investigator). The research examines the impact of exposure to abuse at five developmental periods on the development of psychopathology and attachment at adolescence. The impact of exposure to adversity on the development of behavior problems is well documented. This study examines whether exposure to adversity at early developmental periods exerts a more profound impact on the development of behavior problems and attachment, or whether the impact is more simply understood as the function of the additive effects of adversity over childhood and adolescence. Working with a sample of high-risk youth, extensive social history information and interview data with caregivers will be coded for exposure to emotional, physical and sexual abuse, neglect, multiple parenting and other forms of adversity. Dependent measures include diagnostic interview and attachment interview data. Attachment and Psychological Functioning in High-Risk Youth: A Two-Year Follow-Up Study Annual Report Page 10

13 This research is funded by a contract from the BC Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission (Marlene Moretti, Principal Investigator). The purpose of this research is to assess the stability of attachment and psychological functioning over a two-year followup period in a sample of high-risk youth. Earlier research with this sample revealed the predominance of insecure attachment style, most notably fearful and preoccupied attachment. Little is known about the stability of attachment in high-risk adolescents and the relation of attachment to adaptive functioning over periods of time. The current research utilizes separate interviews to assess diagnostic status and attachment style at both measurement periods. Analyses also examine whether particular attachment styles are predictive of enhanced benefit from therapeutic services received within the follow-up period. Aggressive and Violent Girls: Risk Factors and Developmental Paths This research is funded by a grant from the B. C. Health Research Foundation (Marlene Moretti, Principal Investigator). Aggression and violence are viewed as problems that are almost exclusively restricted to males. When females do commit violent crimes, they typically draw disproportionate media attention and strong public condemnation. This, in part, reflects a general reluctance on the part of the public to recognize aggression and violence as within the realm of female behavior. The tendency to deny aggression and violence in women is not restricted to public conceptions; it is also clearly reflected in the failure of researchers to identify aggression in females as a significant social and mental health problem. To some extent this is due to the fact that males have consistently been found to show higher levels of aggression than females. Such findings, combined with general stereotypes of men and women, have fueled the "myth of the nonaggressive female." The magnitude of gender differences in aggression may, however, be considerably smaller than is commonly assumed. Recent studies tend to find smaller differences than do older studies suggesting a declining gender difference over time (references for these studies and others cited in this summary can be obtaining by contacting Professor Moretti). There are emerging trends that suggest an increasing level of aggression and violence in girls. Even though violent crime continues to be a predominantly male rather than female phenomena, the rate of female adolescents charged with violent crime in Canada increased 128% between 1986 and 1992 compared to an increase of 78% for male adolescents during that period. Similar trends are apparent in US crime statistics: the rate of females under the age of 18 charged with violent crime increased 128% between 1985 to 1994 compared to an increase of 69% for males in this age group. These trends suggest that girls are "catching up" to boys in their rates of aggressive and violent behavior. Coupled with concerns of increasing violence in females is the growing recognition that by adolescence a substantial number of girls are diagnosed with conduct disorder, a disorder characterized by high levels of antisocial behavior including aggression and violence. Until recently, theory and research on conduct disorder has focused Annual Report Page 11

14 almost exclusively on boys. On one hand, this focus is justifiable given the consistent finding that conduct disorder is diagnosed approximately three times more frequently in boys than in girls. On the other hand, it is clear that a substantial number of girls do indeed develop conduct disorder; in fact, it is the second most common psychiatric disorder found in girls. Moreover, females diagnosed with conduct disorder appear to suffer from sequelae that are comparable to that found in boys. It is difficult, of course, to determine the extent to which the apparent increase in female aggression and violence is simply due to changes in reporting standards (selfreports, criminal charges, etc.). But even if aggression and violence continue to be substantially higher in males, and relatively less common in females, we must still recognize that there have always been a substantial number of aggressive and violent females. Little is known about these girls; few treatment strategies have been developed specifically for their needs. Clearly it is time to balance our investigation of aggression and violence by exploring patterns of risk factors, causal models and developmental paths as they apply to females. The purpose of this research is to examine these issues. Specifically, this research examines the roles of maltreatment; pervasive psychopathology; and, selfregulatory mechanisms in predicting aggression and violence in adolescent girls. Structural equation modeling will be used to evaluate a model of the relationships between these variables. In addition, developmental paths to aggression and violence will be explored by examining exposure to risk factors at three developmental periods in conjunction with age of onset data for the development of various psychiatric disorders and aggressive and violent behaviors. Narrative information will be collected to provide an alternative source of data regarding the situations that lead girls into aggression and violence and their experiences within the mental health system. Argentina and Canada: Policies and Practices in Child Abuse Issues Margaret Jackson is involved in a collaborative project with Belgrano University in Buenos Aires (with the Head of Forensic Psychology, Dr. Lillian Alvarez) that focuses on the policies and practices related to child abuse issues in Argentina and Canada. There are two components: 1. An analysis of governing policies in the two jurisdictions (the focus for Canada is British Columbia; for Argentina, it is Buenos Aires and the province of Buenos Aires); 2. An analysis of the practices involved in the processing of cases of child abuse through the development and construction of an inventory which contains the following variables: a) institutional information (e.g., type of institution-- police, judicial, correctional, clinical); b) characteristics of the offender and victim; c) tracking of the cases through the system, with follow-up on outcome; d) characteristics of the practices themselves (e.g., a description of process and procedure for handling cases). Review of the Empirical Research Literature on Legal Education Annual Report Page 12

15 In this project funded by the Law School Admission Council (J. R. P. Ogloff, Principal Investigator), we have been conducting a review of the empirical research that has been conducted on legal education. This review includes studies about their decision to apply to law school, the characteristics of those who apply to law school and of those who are accepted, as well as factors related to the law school experience itself. Following the review of the literature on law students, we turn to a discussion of the research on the law school itself, including law professors and administrators, the law school curriculum, methods and tools of instruction, law school grading and evaluation of students, and bias and discrimination in legal education. Although the focus of the article is on law school training, per se, we do provide some evaluation of studies of the legal education that occurs beyond the walls of the law school (e.g., applied legal training and continuing legal education). Related to this topic is our assessment of the work investigating "life after law school," including the bar examination, factors related to entry into the work place and choice of career. The last area of empirical research on legal education we present concerns practical considerations in legal education. Finally, we provide a discussion of the need for future research, as well as recommendations concerning the direction such work should follow. The final report will be completed by July 1, The Canadian Mental Health Association, B.C. Division, Project on the Dimensions of Mental Disorder One member of the Institute, Christopher Webster, sat throughout the year on the CMHA's Policy committee. With others from the Association, he assisted in the planning of a day-long workshop to be held in January, The Workshop will aim to determine whether effort should be expended to establish a provincial B.C. Mental Health Survey. Dr. Dan Offord, McMaster University, author of the Mental Health Supplement of the Ontario Health Survey will be leading the discussion along with Dr. Julio Arboleda-Florez of the University of Calgary. An Investigation of Civil Commitment in British Columbia This project is funded by a BC Health Research Foundation grant to Jim Ogloff, Isabel Grant, Barry Ledwidge, and Christopher Webster. We will obtain answers to four important questions concerning mentally ill people who are involuntarily detained in hospital: 1) What are the demographic characteristics of those who are involuntarily hospitalized, and what is the nature, course, and severity of their mental illnesses? 2) What happens to these people once they are released into the community and do they continue to receive psychiatric treatment? 3) What sort of risk do they pose of harming themselves or others and can we better determine their risk levels? 4) Involuntary patient typically are discharged by their psychiatrists or following a hearing by a Review Panel that reviews their detention. This raises the question of whether patients released by Review Panels are any more likely to harm themselves or others, or to be readmitted to hospital, when compared to patients who are discharged by their psychiatrists? Pa- Annual Report Page 13

16 tients involuntarily hospitalized in a provincial psychiatric hospital also will be compared to those with criminal charges pending who are involuntarily detained and remanded for court assessments to a provincial forensic hospital. This study is nearing completion and results will be available in the fall of Assessing Risk for Violent Recidivism: RRAC Research Centre The development and implementation of standardized procedures for assessing the risk for violent recidivism continues to be an important corporate objective of the CSC. We are currently conducting research on risk assessment that is designed to: evaluate and improve the quality of risk assessment procedures already in use by CSC, and determine the potential costs and benefits of expanding extant risk assessment procedures. The proposal is notable in two ways. First, it is a collaborative effort between CSC and the Mental Health, Law, and Policy Institute. Our view is that a collaboration of this sort keeps the research relevant to the day-to-day activities of CSC, while ensuring that it uses the best available methodological and statistical techniques. Second, quality assurance is a primary objective of the research. This is not an academic project; rather, the findings have direct and immediate implications for the way that CSC conducts risk assessments. The study involves a review the files of 400 offenders to examine risk for violent recidivism. Trained raters code one risk scale already used routinely in CSC (the Hare Psychopathy Checklist Revised, or PCL-R), and one new scale that is used less frequently (the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide, or VRAG). The researchers will review files that have been stripped of any PCL-R and VRAG scores obtained by CSC personnel; thus, the results will provide an independent evaluation of the reliability of CSC ratings. In addition, independent ratings of the PCL-R and VRAG will be used to determine the degree of redundancy among these measures. Finally, 20% of all the files will be recoded by a second independent researcher, to examine the reliability of PCL-R and VRAG ratings. Note that the research has numerous potential spin-off benefits. For example, it will provide excellent normative data concerning the PCL-R and VRAG scores of federal offenders. Also, it will yield data on the criminogenic risks and needs of psychopathic offenders, an area that has received little attention from researchers. Finally, it will examine the risk for violence in offenders with identified mental health problems relative to offenders without identified problems. Annual Report Page 14

17 Law and Psychology Publications Members of the Institute published many articles, book chapters, and books during the past year. Please feel free to write to the authors for more information or reprints. Articles, Chapters, Books, and Reports Achille, M., & Ogloff, J. R. P. (in press). When is a request for assisted suicide legitimate? Factors influencing public attitudes toward euthanasia. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science. Bass, L. J., DeMers, S. T., Ogloff, J. R. P., et al. (1996). Professional conduct and discipline in psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Boer, D. P., Wilson, R. J., Gauthier, C. M., & Hart, S. D. (in press). Assessing risk for sexual violence: Guidelines for clinical practice. In C. D. Webster & M. A. Jackson (Eds.), Impulsivity: Perspectives, principles, and practice. New York: Guilford. Cooper, M., & Eaves, D. (1996). Suicide following homicide in the family. Violence and Victims, 11, Corrado, R. R. (in press). Euzkadi to Ackatasuna: Basque homeland and freedom. In S. Hart (Ed.), Encyclopedia of terrorism. London: Brown. Corrado, R. (in press). Review of Jeffrey I. Ross (Ed.), Violence in Canada. Justice Quarterly. Corrado, R., & Cohen, I. (in press). State use of torture: A review and analysis. In L. Kurtz (Ed.), Encyclopedia of violence, peace and conflict. San Diego: Academic Press. Corrado, R. R., & Markwart, A. (1996). The modified justice model experiment in Canada: Success or failure? In D. J. Shoemaker (Ed.), International handbook of juvenile justice (pp ). NY: Greenwood. Cox, D. N., Roesch, R., & Zapf, P. A. (1996). Psychological perspectives on criminality. In R. Linden (Ed.), Criminology: A Canadian perspective (3rd edition; this chapter is a revision of the Cox & Roesch chapter published in the 2nd edition). Toronto: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Crockett, D. J., Hurwitz, T. A., Hart, S. D., MacDonald, J., & Welch, S. (1996). Prevalence of WAIS-R prototypal profiles in neuropsychiatric participants. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 11, Douglas, K. S., & Ogloff, J. R. P. (1996). An investigation of factors affecting public opinion of property bias in Canadian Criminal Code maximum sentences. Law and Human Behavior, 20, Douglas, K. S., & Ogloff, J. R. P. (in press). Public opinion of statutory maximum sentences in the Canadian Criminal Code: A comparison of offences against property and offences against people. Canadian Journal of Criminology. Douglas, K. S., Lyon, D. R., & Ogloff, J. R. P. (in press). The impact of graphic photographic evidence on mock jurors decisions in a homicide trial: Probative or prejudicial? Law and Human Behavior. Douglas, K. S., Macfarlane, E., & Webster, C. D. (1996). Predicting dangerousness Annual Report Page 15

18 in the contemporary Canadian mental health and criminal justice systems. Canada s Mental Health, 43, Douglas, K. S., & Webster, C. D. (in press). Assessing risk of violence in mentally and personality disordered individuals. In R. Roesch & S. D. Hart (Eds.), Psychology and law: The state of the discipline. New York: Plenum. Dutton, D. G., Bodnarchuk, M. A., Kropp, P. R., Hart, S. D., & Ogloff, J. R. P. (in press). Wife assault treatment and criminal recidivism: An eleven year follow-up. Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. Dutton, D. G., Bodnarchuk, M. A., Kropp, P. R., Hart, S. D., & Ogloff, J. R. P. (in press). Client personality disorders affecting wife assault post treatment recidivism. Violence and Victims. Eaves, D., Tien, G., Wilson, D. (in press). A systems approach to the management of impulsivity. In C. D. Webster & M. A. Jackson (Eds.), Impulsivity: Perspectives, principles, and practice. New York: Guilford. Ekstedt, J. W., & Jackson, M. A. (1996) The keepers and the kept: Corrections in Canada. Toronto: Nelson. Forth, A. E., Brown, S. L., Hart, S. D., & Hare, R. D. (1996). The assessment of psychopathy in male and female noncriminals: Reliability and validity. Personality and Individual Differences, 20, Golding, S. L., Skeem, J. L., Roesch, R., & Zapf, P. A. (in press). The assessment of criminal responsibility: A historical approach to a current controversy. In I. B. Weiner & A. K. Hess (Eds.), Handbook of forensic psychology (2nd ed.). NY: Wiley. Griffiths, C. T., & Corrado, R. R. (in press). Restorative youth justice in Canada. In L. Walgrave & G. Bazemore (Eds.), Restoring juvenile justice. Brussels: Kluger. Hare, R. D., Hart, S. D., Forth, A. E., Harpur, T. J., & Williamson, S. E. (in press). Psychopathic personality disorder: Development of a criteria set for use in the DSM-IV antisocial personality disorder field trials. In American Psychiatric Association (Ed.), DSM-IV options book. Washington, DC: Author. Hart, S. D. (1996). Psychopathy and risk assessment. In D. J. Cooke, A. E. Forth, J. P. Newman, & R. D. Hare (Eds.), Issues in Criminological and Legal Psychology: No. 24, International perspectives on psychopathy (pp ). Leicester, UK: British Psychological Society. Hart, S. D., & Dempster, R. J. (in press). Psychopathy and impulsivity. In C. D. Webster and M. A. Jackson (Eds.), Impulsivity: Perspectives, principles, and practice. New York: Guilford. Hart, S. D., & Hare, R. D. (in press). The association between psychopathy and narcissism: Theoretical views and empirical evidence. In E. Ronningstam (Ed.), Disorders of narcissism Theoretical, empirical, and clinical implications. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press. Hart, S. D., & Hare, R. D. (in press). Psychopathy: Assessment and association with criminal conduct. In D. M. Stoff, J. Brieling, & J. Maser (Eds.), Handbook of antisocial behavior. New York: Wiley. Hart, S. D., & Hare, R. D. (1996). Psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 9, Hart, S. D., & Hare, R. D. (1996). Psychopathy and risk assessment. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 9, Hart, S. D., & Kropp, P. R. (1996). Monitoring and evaluating men s treatment pro- Annual Report Page 16

19 grams. In A. Hamilton (Ed.), Proceedings of the B.C. Association of Counsellors of Abusive Men Fall Conference, 1995 (pp ). Vancouver, BC: British Columbia Institute on Family Violence. Heilbrun, K., Hart, S. D., Hare, R. D., Gustafson, D., Nunez, C., & White, A. (in press). Inpatient and post-discharge aggression in mentally disordered offenders: The role of psychopathy. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Holland, R., Moretti, M., Scarfe, E., et al. (1996). Attachment and adolescent psychopathology: Theory and research. Canadian Child Psychiatric Bulletin, 5, Honeyman, J., & Ogloff, J. R. P. (1996). Capital punishment: Arguments for life and death. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 28, Jack, L. A., & Ogloff, J. R. P. (in press). Factors affecting the referral of young offenders for medical and psychological assessment under the Young Offenders Act. Canadian Journal of Criminology. Jackson, M. A., & Banks, N. K. S. (Eds.) (1996) Ten years later: The Charter and equality for women. Simon Fraser University: Continuing Studies. Conference Proceedings. Kropp, P. R., & Hart, S. D. (1996). Spousal assault risk assessment. In A. Hamilton (Ed.), Proceedings of the B.C. Association of Counsellors of Abusive Men Fall Conference, 1995 (pp ). Vancouver, BC: British Columbia Institute on Family Violence. Kropp, P. R., & Hart, S. D. (in press). Assessing risk for domestic violence. In C. D. Webster & M. A. Jackson (Eds.), Impulsivity: Perspectives, principles, and practice. New York: Guilford. Moretti, M., Emerys, C., Grizenko, N. et al. (in press). The treatment of conduct disorder: Perspectives from across Canada. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Special Edition on Children and Adolescents. Moore, K., Holland, R., & Moretti, M. M. (in press). A new perspective on youth care programs: Using attachment theory to guide interventions for troubled youth. Residential Treatment for Children and Youth. Ogloff, J. R. P. (in press). To the rescue: Some much needed assistance for teachers of professional ethics courses. Contemporary Psychology. Ogloff, J. R. P. (in press). Legal perspectives on the concept of "impulsivity." In C. D. Webster & M. A. Jackson (Eds.), Impulsivity: Perspectives, principles, and practice. New York: Guilford. Ogloff, J. R. P. (1996). R. v. O Connor: New threats to confidentiality safeguards. Psynopsis, Summer, 8. Ogloff, J. R. P. (1996). The Supreme Court clarifies the standard for expert witness testimony. Psynopsis, Spring, 8, 12. Ogloff, J. R. P. (1996). The Surrey Pretrial Mental Health Program: Community component evaluation. Vancouver: British Columbia Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission. Ogloff, J. R. P., Lyon, D. R., Douglas, K. S., & Rose, V. G. (1996). More than learning to think like a lawyer : The empirical research on legal education. Report of the Law School Admissions Council. Ogloff, J. R. P., & Olley, M. C. (in press). The interaction between ethics and the law: The ongoing refinement of ethical standards for psychologists in Canada. Canadian Psychology. Ogloff, J. R. P. & Polvi, N. H. (in press). Legal evidence and expert testimony. In D. Turner & M. Uhlemann (Eds.), A legal handbook for the helping professional (2nd ed.). Victoria, BC: Sedgewick Society for Consumer and Public Education. Annual Report Page 17

20 Ogloff, J. R. P., Tomkins, A. J., & Bersoff, D. N. (1996). Education and training in law/criminal justice: Historical foundations, present structures, and future developments. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 23, Polvi, N. H. (in press). Assessing risk of suicide in correctional settings. In C. D. Webster & M. A. Jackson (Eds.), Impulsivity: Perspectives, principles, and practice. New York: Guilford. Polvi, N., & Webster, C. D. (in press). New advances in assessing the risk of violence. In J. Ziskin, Supplement to Coping with psychiatric and psychological testimony (5th ed.). LA: Law and Psychology Press. Read, J. D., Lindsey, S., & Nicholls, T. L. (in press). The relationship between accuracy and confidence in eyewitness studies: Is the conclusion changing? In C. P. Thompson, D. Herrmann, D. Bruce, D. Payne, J. D. Read, & M. Toglia (Eds.), Eyewitness memory: Theoretical and applied perspectives. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Reaves, R. P., & Ogloff, J. R. P. (1996). Laws and regulations that affect the practice of psychology. In Professional conduct and discipline in psychology (pp ). Washington, DC: APA. Reaves, R. P., & Ogloff, J. R. P. (1996). Liability for professional misconduct. In Professional conduct and discipline in psychology (pp ). Washington, DC: APA. Roesch, R. (1996). The Surrey Mental Health Project. The International Innovator, 1, 4-5. (Newsletter). Roesch, R., & Hart, S. D., & Zapf, P. (1996). Conceptualizing and assessing competency to stand trial: Implications and applications of the MacArthur Treatment Competence Model. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 2, Roesch, R., & Ogloff, J. R. P. (1996). Settings for providing civil and criminal mental health services. In B. D. Sales & S. A. Shah (Eds.), Mental health and law: Research, policy and services. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press. Roesch, R., Ogloff, J. R. P., Hart, S. D., Dempster, R. J., Zapf, P. A., & Whittemore, K. E. (in press). The impact of Canadian Criminal Code changes on assessments of fitness to stand trial and criminal responsibility. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Roesch, R., Ogloff, J. R. P., Zapf, P. A., Hart, S. D., & Otto, R. (in press). Mental health issues for jail and prison inmates: A review of prevalence, assessment, and treatment. In N. N. Singh (Ed.), Comprehensive clinical psychology: Applications in diverse populations. Oxford: Elsevier. Roesch, R., Zapf, P. A., Golding, S. L., & Skeem, J. L. (in press). Defining and assessing competency to stand trial. In I. B. Weiner & A. K. Hess (Eds.), Handbook of forensic psychology (2nd ed.). NY: Wiley. Stewart, L., Stermac, L., & Webster, C. D. (Eds.) (1996). Clinical criminology: Toward effective correctional treatment. Ottawa: Ministry of the Solicitor General and Correctional Service, Canada. Verdun-Jones, S. N. (in press). The defence of NCRMD in Canada. International Bulletin of Law and Mental Health. Verdun-Jones, S. N., & Webber, C. (in press). Bibliography on mental disorder and the criminal justice process. International Bulletin of Law and Mental Health. Webster, C. D., Douglas, K. S., Eaves, D., & Hart, S. D. (in press). The HCR-20 scheme (version 2): The assessment of risk for violence. Vancouver: Simon Fraser University. Webster, C. D., Douglas, K. S., Eaves, D., & Hart, S. D. (in press). Assessing risk of Annual Report Page 18