Social Work and Human Services – Cheap Research Essays

Social Work and Human Services
Read at least one colleague’s posting, sharing an insight gained from your reading. See the weekly Discussion area for details.

Weekly reading:

When conducting a forensic assessment, the helping professional needs to investigate the biopsychosocial needs of the individual. A thorough assessment is important in order to identify the best intervention for the individual. The purpose of the assessment is to learn more about the client.

Post by Day 3 a description of how you would conduct an assessment of Bill Brown, the accused assailant in the murder of Andy Simpson, as detailed in the Interactive Community: Week 4 and 6. Identify an assessment tool and describe the areas this tool will assess. Include your rationale for selecting this assessment tool. What psychosocial areas will this tool give you further insight into understanding Bill Brown?

Colleagues’s posting:

Forensic Assessment

A forensic assessment is conducted on individuals who have become involved with the legal system. The purpose of a forensic assessment is to determine the facts under question in a legal matter; such issues may involve competency and / or impact of drug or alcohol use or abuse. Sometimes, a question of a person’s psychological functioning becomes a matter that involves the legal system. The psychologist may be asked to assess whether or not the client was legally insane when he committed the criminal act, (Hamblin, 2003).

How would you conduct an assessment of Bill Brown?

My evaluations would include a screening of substance abuse and psychiatric assessments; in addition, a structured clinical interview on Bill current cognitive status, his personality and psychological functioning. Accordingly, McLaughlin & Kan (2014) article stated, this type of forensic mental health assessment (FMHA) involves the defendant’s thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors before, during, and immediately following the alleged offense. Helping the evaluator to determine whether the defendant understood the nature and wrongfulness of his action or was his brain impaired due to a mental disease or defect, (McLaughlin & Kan, 2014). Furthermore, it is personally believed that a risk assessment on all offenders should be a requirement on at least two levels. First, clinical assessment is necessary to decide if the offender should be targeted for rehabilitation. Second, a risk assessment is necessary to determine if the perpetrator is at high risk of re-offending.

Assessment Tools

I would use more than one instrument, and the first is a Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders. The purpose is to obtains Axis I and II diagnoses to either rule out or to establish a diagnosis of drug abuse/dependence and alcohol abuse/dependence. The administration time for Axis I and II requires more than 2 hours each with multiple diagnoses. The Psychoactive use disorders module may be administered in 30 to 60 minutes formatted in a series of 10 questions, (SAMHSA.gov, 2009).

The second instrument is HCR-20; the version 2 is a structured professional judgment tool that consists of Historical, Clinical, and Risk-20. The HCR Structured Guide is for the Assessment on risk of violence. It is intended for use with civil psychiatric, forensic, and criminal justice populations. It also consists of 20 items as well as the Hare PCL-R. There are 10 historical, 5 clinical, and 5 risk management factors, (Green, Carroll & Brett, 2010).

The rationale for selecting this assessment tool:

The instruments selected are consider either or both a forensic assessment (FAI) or forensic relevant instruments (FRI) that are known to provide comprehensive assessments involving legal issues, such as an offender response style or legal constructs, such as functional abilities, (McLaughlin & Kan, 2014). The SPJ tools are great in improving personal support by focusing a team such as a community on the core issues that directly affect the clinical care of a high-risk offender. The SPJ tools offer a higher level of transparency with regards to decision making as well as enabling a clear framework to communicate assessments, (Green, Carroll & Brett, 2010). The psychosocial areas these tools will help to reveal about Bill Brown are his developed sense of self that is known as his identity, and it refers to his beliefs, ideals and values, which shapes and guide this person behavior.

In other words, Bill Brown seems to have been highly favored by many people in his community, who could not believe in him being capable of committing, such a crime. Although, substance abuse problems or a prognosis of depression will not declare a person mentally incompetent, it can help a community to understand, in all probability for the crime. Most importantly, Bill Brown criminogenic needs can be met.

References

Green, G. Carroll, A. Brett, A., (2010): Structured Risk Assessment in Community Forensic Mental Health Practice. Australasian Psychiatry: Bulletin of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, 18 (6), 538-541. Doi: 10.3109/10398562.2010.488513

Hamblin, D. (2003). A case study of forensic decision-making processes (Order No. 3122694) Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (305335030). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/305335030?accountid=14872

McLaughlin, J. L. Kan, L. Y., (2014). Test usage in four common types of Forensic Mental Health Assessment. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 45 (2), 128-135. Doi: 10.1037/ a0036318

SAMHSA.gov, (2009): Based on TIP 45: Detoxification and Substance Abuse Treatment. Retrieved, July 7, 2015, from, store.samhsa.gov/shin/content/SMA09-4331/SMA09-4331.pdf

Interactive Community – Week 4
Program Transcript
Adult Detention Facility
Read about Bill Brown’s role in the murder.
[Bill Brown’s Police Report]
Police Report #123_a – Classified
Bill Brown, an 18- year -old white male, is presently detained in the Middletown
Adult Detention facility on a charge of murder. He and a 17-year -old male, James
Xavier, are accused of luring a young man, Andy Simpson, into an isolated
parking lot with the intent of robbing him of money. Prior to committing the crime,
Bill and the accomplice used alcohol, PCP, and marijuana. At some point during
the robbery, Andy was fatally shot in the neck. Bill and James attempted to cover
up the crime by siphoning gasoline from a car’s gas tank, placing Andy on the
hood, and lighting the car on fire. Bill and James were apprehended after a
Fred’s Mart employee called the police and fire departments while he was
outside smoking a cigarette. Bill and James both reported that Bill provided the
weapon, but each alleged the other with shooting Andy Simpson. James Xavier,
in part due to his status as a minor, was released from jail on bail and into the
custody of his parents. However, he attempted to leave the jurisdiction via a
stolen car and was killed in a subsequent shoot-out with police.
Suburban Church
Read about Tanya Smith’s reaction to the recent events.
[Tanya Smith’s Reaction]
Tanya Smith, a parishioner at the church, has known Bill Brown and Andy
Simpson since they were children. She was dismayed at the murder. Ms. Smith
says she saw Bill withdraw from her and other neighbors after his grandmother’s
death. She has trouble reconciling her image of Bill as a child with that of Bill as a
murderer, but does believe he is guilty. She has been in touch with the Simpson
family and says she has the utmost sympathy for them.

Interactive Community – Week 4
Community Center
Read about Joe Johnson’s reaction to the recent events.
[Joe Johnson’s Reaction]
Joe Johnson, Bill Brown’s former football coach, was shocked and saddened that
Bill is accused of such a heinous crime. He can’t believe that it’s true. Coach
Johnson is holding out hope that it is a case of mistaken identity and that Bill will
be acquitted.
High Rise Condominium
Read about Seth Taylor’s reaction to the recent events.
[Seth Taylor’s Reaction]
Seth Taylor was saddened by the crime but was more concerned about what it
suggests about rising crime rates. He hadn’t heard about the crime until some
co-workers at his downtown investment firm told him about it.
Andy Simpson’s Parents’ Home
Read about Andy Simpson.
[Andy Simpson]
Police Report #123_c – Classified
Murder victim: Andy, the youngest of four children, had a mild developmental
disability from Down’s Syndrome. He was murdered by Bill Brown and James
Xavier . Andy’s parents are Joan and Stan Simpson. Joan is a teacher at the local
school and Stan is an administrator at the suburban hospital. Andy’s brother and
two sisters are attending college out of state. Andy and Bill were friends and
attended school together.

Interactive Community – Week 4
Bill Brown’s Home
Read about Bill Brown.
[Bill Brown’s Police Report]
Police Report #123_b – Classified
Bill is an only child born to a 15-year -old mother, Susan, in a rural section of the
country. Bill does not have any knowledge of his biological father. Susan did not
receive any prenatal care, and the pregnancy went to full-term. Bill was delivered
without complications. Bill was raised primarily by his maternal grandmother,
Mrs. Brown. When Bill was two years old, his mother left town, and never
returned. Bill’s grandmother reported that Susan was likely addicted to drugs and
that she refused to seek treatment despite the grandmother’s urgings. Once or
twice a month, Susan would call the house. But when Bill was in first grade, she
stopped calling and the family has not heard from her since.
Bill was placed in special education classes, and was described by teachers as a
“hard worker but slow.” By sixth grade, he had an established group of friends
and was participating in a local football game weekly at the community center.
During his 10th grade year, Bill’s grandmother suffered a stroke and became
paralyzed on the right side of her body. She was hospitalized for several months.
During this time, Bill was “very independent,” according to neighbors. He stayed
at home alone with weekly visits from neighbors to check in or bring him
groceries. When his grandmother returned to the house, he took on various care-taking tasks for her, such as driving her to physical therapy appointments. Bill
dropped out of his after school community activities. He often appeared tired or
disheveled at school, although he continued to have good attendance and
average grades.
At the end of the 11th grade, Bill’s grandmother died subsequent to a second
stroke. He received a sizable amount of money from her insurance policy.
Neighbors originally thought, “He’d be O.K.” However, Bill did not attend school
after her death, and neighbors, who stopped by to check in, said he appeared
depressed and wearing the same clothes. He would refuse to talk to neighbors
about how he wa s doing. After about a month, the few neighbors who persisted
in stopping by, found him often at home with a group of young men, including
James, known to be involved in drug distribution and drug use. Neighbors said
that after this point, they stopped going over for fear that they would get hurt, as
James, on more than one occasion waved a gun and told them to leave the
house. Bill rarely was seen outside of the house for the next several months. It
was 10 months after the death of his grandmother that the crime was committed.