Mental Health

Can you provide examples of adaptive risk factors that contribute to high rates of recidivism?

Adaptive risk factors: The overlooked contributors to recidivism

Absolutely. So when you're thinking about what types of adaptive risk factors might contribute to a person, committing another crime, here's the kicker. You think about a person as, oh, I don't know, a whole live human being that has needs in the same way that you another human being or i another human being might have them, right? So this this concept, I'm I'm explaining it in kind of a satirical way, but really this needs to be attributed to how we start to view people coming out of the incarceration system. So my favorite example to utilize is access to health care. What would your life be like? And your life literally might be like this, I'm not sure. But what would a life be like if you had a toothache and no way to get dental care, what would your life be like if you had mental health medications that helped you remain stable or helps you return to a baseline, whatever that might mean for you and you get dropped off in a downtown area of a thriving metropolis and you have three days of meds and what happens then if you have no ID and you have to get ID to be able to get the medication, to be able to get the doctor's appointment and then who's gonna pay for that? What happens if I don't have insurance? All of these types of questions, they tend to snowball, right for a person. And in that respect that I think is where you see people start to experience desperation. I would, I can wholeheartedly say that we see decompensation as something that tends to get blamed on the person. And in reality, what that person is experiencing is something that's rather normative when we don't have the things that we need, that's how adaptive or changeable risk factors contribute.

Adaptive risk factors can contribute to a person committing another crime if they lack access to basic needs like health care, ID, insurance and other resources. Without those needs, people may experience desperation which may lead them to commit another crime.

Certainly. When considering adaptive risk factors that contribute to high rates of recidivism, it's important to view individuals as whole human beings with needs similar to any other person. One example is access to healthcare. Imagine having a toothache but no means to receive dental care. Or relying on mental health medications to maintain stability, but being released into a bustling city without proper medication or identification to obtain prescriptions or appointments. The financial aspect also comes into play, as lack of insurance or resources can hinder access to necessary healthcare. These challenges can quickly snowball, leading to desperation and potentially contributing to a higher risk of reoffending. It's crucial to recognize that the decompensation individuals may experience is often a result of lacking the essential resources they need, rather than personal shortcomings.

Can you describe a particular case or situation that inspired you to pursue a career in forensic psychology?

Book on Auto Erotic Asphyxiation Inspires Career in Forensic Psychology

When I first started reading books about the field of forensic psychology, I ran across one particular book, I believe it was called The Evil That Men Do (by Roy Hazelwood). There's a lot to unpack, of course in that title. But the book featured a chapter as I recall to the best of my ability. Decades later, it featured a chapter on auto erotic asphyxiation related deaths. And that has been a topic that I have researched and that has held my interest how forensic psychologists and other mental health professionals can help police departments, investigative agencies and other agencies that deal with what we recognize to be. In some cases, accidental deaths, how they can help a person potentially or an agency potentially be able to figure out that a death might not have been a death by suicide. So there's a number of different topics, but I would say one that's absolutely held my attention and I have placed my own efforts in trying to assist B DS M and kink communities in developing safer practices. Is definitely something related to sexualized choking behaviors.

The book I read, The Evil That Men Do, featured a chapter on auto erotic asphyxiation related deaths and this topic has held my interest ever since. I have also put effort into helping BDSM and kink communities develop safer practices related to sexualized choking behaviors.

Reading the book The Evil That Men Do by Roy Hazelwood played a significant role in inspiring my career in forensic psychology. One particular chapter that stood out to me was about autoerotic asphyxiation-related deaths. This topic fascinated me and sparked my interest in how forensic psychologists and other mental health professionals can assist law enforcement agencies and investigative departments in identifying cases that may appear to be suicides but are potentially accidental deaths. Over the years, I have focused my research and efforts on helping BDSM and kink communities develop safer practices in relation to sexualized choking behaviors. This specific case and the broader field of forensic psychology motivated me to pursue a career in this rewarding and important field.

Have you seen any successful programs or initiatives that aim to reduce recidivism rates?

Integrative health care programs show promise in reducing recidivism rates

Absolutely. So when you take a look at something like maybe a mental health court is in the region where you live or drug court. So these initiative programs have a perspective of something called integrative health care. Meaning you're not simply telling a person stop committing crimes, that's not good. You are addressing the very issues that perhaps led that person to make those decisions that ended up having them become incarcerated or charged for having committed some type of crime. What you also see is that when a person has more well rounded support, perhaps they have access to medical care. Now, perhaps they have access to mental health treatment, perhaps they have access to a case manager or a social worker. That's when you start to see people a being treated like human means, which of course we are. And b you start to see people develop critical thinking skills that are going to be more useful for them in the future if times become rough again. So if I'm a person, for example, short example here, if I'm a person that has a job interview on Monday, but I don't have the necessary clothing for that job interview. How am I supposed to get that done? Some of these programs start to address these other pieces that simply haven't been addressed before.

Integrative health care initiatives like mental health and drug court are designed to address the issues that led a person to commit a crime, such as lack of access to medical care or critical thinking skills. These programs provide support such as case managers or social workers, which help people develop the skills needed to succeed in future situations, such as job interviews.

Certainly. Successful programs and initiatives aimed at reducing recidivism rates include mental health courts and drug courts that adopt an integrative healthcare approach. These programs go beyond simply telling individuals to stop committing crimes and instead address the underlying issues that may have contributed to their involvement in criminal activities. By providing comprehensive support, such as access to medical care, mental health treatment, case managers, or social workers, individuals are treated with dignity and given the tools to develop critical thinking skills. This equips them to navigate challenging situations in the future. These initiatives also address practical needs that may hinder successful reintegration, such as helping individuals obtain appropriate clothing for job interviews. By addressing these previously unmet needs, these programs offer holistic support for individuals in their journey towards rehabilitation and reduced recidivism rates.

How do I find out what therapy form is best for me?

Discovering the Best Therapy Form: Expert Consultation

I think that we as human beings can get really tempted to run to the internet to start typing in different types of therapy and start trying to self diagnose almost, right? Like, oh I don't know if D BT is right for me, maybe this other form of therapy like C BT is more effective and what's evidence based practice. It's really easy to fall down that rabbit hole if you will. I'm a huge fan of something called a consultation. This is something I do in my practice, right? A free consultation, meaning like a 10- 15 minute conversation with a person which is meant to serve a couple of different roles. One of those is I want that person to better understand what therapy with me would look like. And more importantly, this is an opportunity for that person to explain a little bit about what type of therapy they're looking to get, not specifically and not naming all the fancy words, but [saying something like] I'm just looking to talk to somebody or I really just want to tell my story or I just really want someone to listen to what's going on for me or I really want someone to challenge me or I've got a really hard decision to make, but I don't know how I'm going to go about making that decision. Any and all of these statements help the therapist or the psychologist or whomever it is professionally that you're attempting to speak to better assess what's going on. Then there's something called a collaborative treatment plan process that means that I the psychologist and working hand in hand with the person that is attempting to get therapy in that respect. It's really common for me to say, hey, I think this type of therapy will be effective for you. This is based on my expertise but you the person in the room, the person trying to get the therapy are always gonna be the expert in your lived experience and in that way you can collaborate and talk about. Yeah, I think this might be effective or no. Let's try another one.

Consultations are a great way to learn about therapies and create a collaborative treatment plan with a psychologist or therapist. They allow the person getting the therapy to explain what kind of therapy they need and give the professional insight into their lived experience.

To determine the best therapy form for you, it can be tempting to search the internet and self-diagnose based on different types of therapy. However, I recommend seeking a consultation instead. A consultation involves a 10-15 minute conversation with a therapist, like what I offer in my practice. This serves multiple purposes. It allows you to understand what therapy with that specific therapist would look like. More importantly, it provides an opportunity for you to express the type of therapy you're seeking without using fancy words. For example, you may want someone to listen to your story, challenge you, or help you make a difficult decision. These statements help the therapist better assess your needs. From there, a collaborative treatment plan process takes place where the psychologist and the person seeking therapy work together. The psychologist may suggest a specific therapy form based on their expertise, but you are always considered the expert in your lived experience. Through collaboration and discussion, you can determine which approach may be most effective or explore other options if needed.

Can you provide an example of how social work has been integrated into criminal justice to support individuals?

Integrating Social Work into Criminal Justice: Meeting Human Needs for Success

So we try and support individuals that are involved in the criminal justice system or perhaps that have been incarcerated in the past through recognizing that we human beings function the best and the most effectively when our needs are being met. When I am a person that is experiencing desperation, that's usually the result of me not having a need met. Think about, am I able to find some place to sleep tonight? Do I have money and access to it so that I can have things like a cell phone so that I can purchase food? I need a cell phone for example, to be able to put down on a job resume so that somebody can call me me back or perhaps I need an address to be able to access some type of assistance program that I'm going to be doing. I need to be able to have perhaps a, a clean shirt and maybe a tie or a jacket or something like that to even get to the job interview. I need to maybe have a bus pass or a vehicle that works in a consistent manner to be able to get to the job even if I do, you get it. So you see where I'm going with this. A person is not one star on the map. We humans are a constellation. If you've listened to some of my questions and answers, you definitely heard me say that before and I say it so many times because it's true. Taking a look at the person as a constellation rather than one point on a map. Is that person able to have access to medical care, is that person able to have the access to behavioral health care and all of these other social components. That is how social workers and other people that work in social services have been able to better assist people because we want to give a person the best possible chance to succeed. Because I would argue myself included a lot of us when experiencing feelings like desperation tend to not make the best choices.

Social workers recognize that people need their basic needs met in order to function effectively and be successful. This means providing access to things such as housing, money, medical care, and behavioral health services.

Social work has been integrated into the criminal justice system to support individuals by recognizing that meeting their needs is crucial for their well-being and effective functioning. When a person's needs are not met, they may experience desperation. For example, having a place to sleep, access to money and resources like a cell phone or food, or even a clean shirt for a job interview are all essential needs. Social workers understand that individuals are not just isolated entities but interconnected constellations of needs. They consider factors such as access to medical and behavioral health care, along with other social components. By addressing these various needs, social workers and other professionals in social services aim to provide individuals with the best possible chance to succeed. This approach acknowledges that when people feel desperate, they may not make the best choices, and by supporting their well-being, positive outcomes can be achieved.

What can affect an eyewitnesses' ability to identify suspects in lineups?

How physical attributes and cultural factors impact eyewitness identification

Oh, see, now I'm kind of a psychology nerd y'all. So bear with me as I geek out over this question. So there are a host of psychological studies that talk about the impact positive and or negative of an eyewitness's ability to identify a suspect either in a lineup or usually these studies will do something like show them a movie and say, hey, what did you see, what did you notice about that person? Namely, there are a few different things, some of them are physical attributes relating to the crime or the commission of the event in and of itself. For example, if there's the presence of a weapon. So if there is the presence of a handgun, for example, we know from these studies that people tend to in the majority anyway, tend to look more at the weapon, especially if it's alarming or scary for them as opposed to the person's face. There are also other factors related to the individual themselves. So there's both external, something having to do with the situation, like the presence of a weapon and internal factors. Something having to do with the person's own cultural or diverse identity factors. And so what that means is there's something called interracial meaning between races, greater reliability. So we recognize and a study from maybe 10, 20 years ago, talks about interracial meaning between race identification of eyewitness lineups and or testimony related identification patterns is I think 1.6 times less likely to be reliable. Meaning if I'm trying to identify someone outside of my own self identified race, it's harder for me to do so. So there's a host of different things that impact it, but that's just too, for you to chew on for now.

Studies have found that people tend to focus more on external factors related to the crime, such as the presence of a weapon, rather than the person's face. Additionally, interracial identification patterns are 1.6 times less likely to be reliable.

An eyewitness's ability to identify suspects in lineups can be influenced by various factors. Psychological studies have explored these influences, and they offer insights into the topic. One factor is the presence of physical attributes related to the crime itself, such as the presence of a weapon. Studies indicate that when a weapon is present, people tend to focus more on the weapon rather than the suspect's face. Additionally, there are factors related to the individual themselves, both external and internal. External factors include situational elements, while internal factors relate to an individual's cultural or diverse identity. For example, studies have found that there is a lower reliability in identifying someone of a different race (interracial identification) compared to identifying someone within one's own race. This means that cross-race identification in eyewitness lineups or testimonies may be 1.6 times less reliable. Overall, there are multiple factors that can impact an eyewitness's ability to identify suspects in lineups, providing interesting insights for consideration.

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Dr. Chapple-Love is a licensed counseling psychologist and owner of Elle Psychological Services, LLC in Las Vegas. She earned her bachelor's in Forensic Psychology (2007), master's in Forensic Psychology (2010), and Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology (2018). She has experience in Forensic and Correctional Psychology, court-mandated individuals, and sexual health. She is a member of the executive board of the Nevada Psychological Association (NPA), and currently serves as the President, the first Black-identified psychologist in the organization's 65 year history. Her practice focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion training and consultation.

Neither AnyQuestion nor its Experts provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment or otherwise provide professional healthcare services.

Dr. Lauren Chapple-Love, PhD