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Documentation of Central Nervous System Insults in Violent Offenders

NCJ Number
151737
Journal
Juvenile and Family Court Journal Volume: 45 Issue: 3 Dated: (1994) Pages: 29-38
Author(s)
P Hatzitaskos; D O Lewis; C A Yeager; K Trujillo
Date Published
1994
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper explores the difference in the quality and quantity of data elicited by the kinds of routine medical questions typically asked of violent offenders with the quality and quantity of data collected using a detailed instrument developed by the authors following their earlier study revealing that clinicians overlooked many major illnesses, accidents, and injuries.
Abstract
The participants were formerly incarcerated juvenile delinquents who had undergone extensive neuropsychiatric evaluations at an average age of 15 years and were reevaluated as young adults with an average age of 24 years. A total of 67 young adults received followup interviews. However, after the first 24 interviews were completed, the responses were reviewed and the instrument was modified and expanded to correspond with the Juvenile Justice Assessment Instrument. Analysis of the 43 interviews conducted with the more comprehensive approach produced numerous reports of severe central nervous system trauma that had not been documented in the original evaluations and chart reviews. Findings indicate that combinations of intrinsic neuropsychiatric vulnerabilities and abusive experiences interact to generate repeatedly violent behaviors. The data also demonstrate that even if a person gives a positive response to a question, the interviewer cannot assume that a single reported example of any medical event tells the whole study. Therefore, clinicians should not be content with perfunctory answers to perfunctory questions and should never ask a question if they do not genuinely wish to know the complete answer to it. Lists of general and specific questions and 20 references