SUBSTANCE MISUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM:Marijuana, Unconventional drugs

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Forensic Psychology (PSY - 513)

Lesson 41

SUBSTANCE MISUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM

Objectives:

To learn the differential diagnosis of drug addict and ASPD

To know about the controversial and few other important drugs

As a result addicts exhibits many anti-social traits like:

Lying

Stealing

Conning, Manipulation/ Cheating

Irresponsibility

Violence and aggression

Lack of victim empathy

Bad company

Differential diagnosis

For making differential diagnosis, we need to understand that stealing, lying, irresponsibility and

aggression is different because addicts do lie but addicts' lying is not compulsive and pathological

they lie in order to get money for drugs and so are purposeful. Like wise manipulation, stealing and

bad company is also to get drugs. Addicts can exhibit violence and aggression under the influence

and effect of drugs. People with ASPD have flat emotional experience so lack victim empathy;

addicts also show lack of victim empathy but usually they do this because of withdrawal

symptoms or under the influence of drug, an emotional numbness have empowered them and they

are unable to feel empathy for victim.

But differential diagnosis is not that much easy as it appears to be because one of main

characteristics of ASPD is the drug addiction and they use poly drugs for thrill seeking. Here one

delicate concept to remember that all ASPD are drug addicts but it is not necessary that all addicts

have ASPD.

The education about the effects of different drugs is very important in order to understand the

treatment programs. Because few drugs are highly addictive, having devastating bodily effects and

are strongly linked with crimes rate and other drugs are rarely linked with crimes like people using

"Ganja" you will never find him committing any crime.

Drugs are widely divided into two categories:

1. Uppers or stimulants (like tea, coffee)

2. Downers or depressants (use of such drugs slows down the bodily functions and person

feels happy and cheerful)

Use of many drugs like heroin becomes life style so change is requiring a crucial medical and

psychological treatment. And lot of will, behavioral and emotional power along with community

support is essential. So role of psychologists is vital in helping an addict to live a normal life.

Few of important drugs are listed below:

1. Marijuana

2. Heroin

3. Cocaine

4. Unconventional drugs

5. LSD and other Pills

6. Alcohol

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Forensic Psychology (PSY - 513)

Marijuana

Marijuana: the controversial drug

Many studies insist it is harmful

Many others reject such claims

Legal drug in many countries and many states in the United States

Less harmful than alcohol

Medicinal use such as in cancer patients

This drug provides a gateway to all other more lethal drugs, the belief a lower classed drug can lead to

the use subsequent abuse of "harder", more dangerous drugs. Some believe tobacco, alcohol, and

marijuana are gateway drugs.

Heroin and cocaine

Highly addictive

Tolerance increases exponentially

Distort the perceptual system

Impair conscious control

Could lead to dangerous behavior

Many crimes like stealing, manipulation, lying, violence and aggression are done because of the

withdrawal symptoms or under the influence of drug.

Unconventional drugs

These substances are not usually prepared for addiction purposes but their mis use can be also addictive

and can have devastating effects on nervous system like:

Glue sniffing ( common in street children)

Solvent abuse

Spirit, petrol, cleaning agents etc

Highly poisonous

Impact nervous system

LSD and other Pills

Many legal and illegal pills

Legal pills such as tranquilizers are addictive

Illegal pills such as Ecstasy

People have died as a result

Many pills that are legal and use under the care of doctor is for a certain period of time is acceptable but

people misuse them as addiction agents and even such drugs can have extremely lethal effects.

SEX OFFENDER TREATMENT PROGRAM

(Additional material about an important and sensitive area on forensic psychology)

Objectives

To understand the Sex offender treatment program

To know about the Risk assessment of sex offenders

To learn about the different types of sex offenders

This is a very sensitive but very important topic in forensic psychology Sex offending, in all its

varieties, is a topic where it is important to remain emotionally detached and open minded. As for as,

violence related crimes are concerned, many people adopt criminal life due to many personal/situational

factors. And psychological treatment is only offered to those who have developed the criminal life style

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Forensic Psychology (PSY - 513)

and are dangerous but more hazardous types of criminals are sex offenders and seriously need

psychological treatment.

Types of Sexual Offences

In our Pakistani frame work sex is only acceptable in the realm of marriage and any other kind is illegal.

But from where we are getting the forensic psychology is west and adultery is not considered illegal

there but in Pakistan adultery is also illegal but as being forensic psychologist we need to know that

people involve in this practice do not need any psychological treatment.

1. Incest

Is that crime in which usually victim is female and perpetrator is male, with whom marriage is not

allowed in Islam like step father, uncle or father e.t.c

2. Rape

Is legally defined in Pakistan as an adult male sexually violating an adult female and in west the same

charges are applied for a male victim and male perpetrator.

3. Sodomy

This offence has come from British law, and sodomy is legally defined as male sexually assaulting

another male. In Forensic psychology we can talk about the treatment of habitual of sodomy.

4. Penetration with a foreign object

Perpetrators, who are not sexually capable, can use foreign object for penetration.

5. Oral Copulation

The perpetrator forces the victim to have oral sex and again it is a punishable offence.

6. Sexual Assault

Why this is different from rape because it can take many forms from hideous crime of rape to

inappropriate touching. Such cases do not come into courts in Pakistan but can have a deep

psychological trauma on victim and in west females are more likely to involve police in these kinds of

issues and police is more likely to arrests that person.

7. Sexual Battery

Some body assaulting other but also violently, in west even many wives can accuse their husbands for

sexual batteries. So on the basis of sexual battery a wife can get divorce on these grounds.

8. Sexually assaulting an animal

A person having sexual preference for animals can seek treatment from psychologists.

9. Sexual Homicide

Sexual homicide is a much more serious crime and a very tricky area because not all homicides are

accompanied by the sexual activity e.g. a women is raped and then murdered and this is called a

homicide but on the other hand is a serial killer who have killed six or seven or even more than this

prostitutes. And clarifying himself by saying that I am purifying and glorifying the world and being a

pious man it is my duty. As we know from our religion that taking state's law in hands in not

permissible. And In our psychological reference if a person is indulged in these kinds of activities, a

psychologist would assume he is sexually motivated and this is another form of sexual proversion and

expression and must be treated. But it is a case of murder that is punishable by death so question of

treatment does not arise.

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Forensic Psychology (PSY - 513)

10. Indecent exposure/ exhibitionism

It is legally defined as if a man indecently exposes himself to a female or to a child is considered a

crime and in west urinating in public place is also considered indecent exposure and a crime but in

Pakistan it is a common practice.

11. Voyeuristic Activity

Peeping other people with out their knowledge when they are in toilet or changing clothes or naked.

12.

Lewd acts with a child are another illegal offence.

13.

Molest Children

14.

Invitation to sexual touching

15.

Unlawful sexual activity with a minor, having relationship with some one who is legally below

age. Here there is a mismatch in shariat and law as in shariat marriage below 18 years of age is

permissible. But again this issue does not come under the category of treatment that a forensic

psychologist has to offer.

16. Attempted sexual offences

17. Crimes related to child pornography

18. Pimping

19. Offering prostitution services

20. Seeking/ hiring prostitutes

21. Consenting sex in public locations

All these types are considered illegal in our country.

Sex Offenders: Assessment and Treatment

Risk Assessment

In terms of future risk of sexual offences, we will discuss :

Static 99, Hanson & Thornton 1999

Penile Plysmathography (PPG)

Risk Assessment

Static 99, Hanson & Thornton 1999

This tool was designed to assess the long-term potential for sexual recidivism among adult male sex

offenders. And it assesses future risk just on the basis of static factors. categories that are incorporated

in this tool and it's scoring is given below:

Prior sex offences charges none = 0

1 to 2 charges = 1

3 to 5 charges = 2

Convictions none = 0

1=1

23=2

4+ =3

Prior sentencing dates

3 or less = 0

Non-contact sex offences

= 0

yes

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Forensic Psychology (PSY - 513)

Index non-sexual violence

No = 0

yes = 1

Prior non-sexual violence

No = 0

yes =1

Unrelated victims

yes = 1

Stranger victims

yes = 1

Male victims

yes = 1

Young offenders

25 + = 0

18 - 24 = 1

Single, ever-married or lived 2 years = 0

No partners = 1

All scores are added up to view the total score of an offender and future risk is determined.

Viewing the items of this scale we come to know that:

Statistically speaking, non contact sexual offenders are more likely to re-offend because they

have deep rooted psychological problems.

Some one who has violent tendency and have committed some sexual offence is at high future

risk, because violence and sexual offences are strongly correlated.

If a person is involved in family and convicted, research supports that there are less chances that

he will re-offend. On the other hand a person is going to other peoples house and then committing

a crime has more hardened criminal personality, difficult to treat and has higher future risk to re-

offend.

If a person is victimizing a stranger there are more chances that he will re-offend.

Sexual preferences for male are difficult to treat

Younger offenders have more chances to re-offend

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