CRIMINAL PSYCH 526 - EXAM 2
QUESTIONS & ACCURATE
COMPLETE ANSWERS 100%
not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) - correct answer ✔✔-focus on role of mental disorder in
criminal acts
-when mentally disordered commit crimes, are they responsible?
NGRI legal standard - correct answer ✔✔1. did___ suffer from mental disease/defect at the
time of the commission of the act alleged in the petition and if so...
2. did this cause them to lack substantial capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of their
conduct AND/OR to conform their conduct to the requirements of the law
assessing NGRI - correct answer ✔✔-did they plan the offense?
-did they attempt to avoid detection?
-did they display signs of mental illness prior, during, and after?
-is the mental illness directly linked to the offense? (not sufficient to just be mentally ill)
myths about NGRI - correct answer ✔✔-many people think it means they "just get off"
-NGRI is only 1% of felony indictments
-generally tends to be high expert agreement
-indiv found NGRI likely have psychotic disorders and extensive mental health history (psychotic
= loss of contact with reality)
command hallucination - correct answer ✔✔-hallucinations that direct patient to perform an
action
,-related to more severe mental illness
-25% report feeling unable to resist commands
-risk of harm to self or others
competency to proceed - correct answer ✔✔-addressed before an NGRI trial would go on
-person lacks substantial mental capacity to understand proceedings and assist with their
defense
Dusky Standard - correct answer ✔✔-defendant has ability to consult with his lawyer and
reasonable degree of rational understanding (understand proceedings against them, rational
and factual)
does mental illness cause crime - correct answer ✔✔-NGRI: suffering at the time of the crime,
need substantial link bw mental illness and crime
-Andrea Yates
-Jared Laughner
-James Holmes
-not simply mental illness but the nature of the symptoms...
-threat control override delusions (someone is taking over their mind)
-command hallucinations
-both increase risk of violence
-if you control for these, relationship bw mental illness and violence disappears
-eg. Aaron Alexis
command hallucinations and violence (McNeil et al) - correct answer ✔✔-30% patients report
command hallucinations to hurt others
-22% complied with commands
-if a hallucination was a command, they were 2x as likely to be violent
, how dangerous are mentally ill - correct answer ✔✔-only about 3% of violent crime
-9-15% of murders committed by mentally ill who also abuse substances
base rate bias - correct answer ✔✔-remember low frequency but sensational events
-tend to view outgroups in terms of label and link behavior of one to the entire group (failure to
consider base rate)
actual danger - correct answer ✔✔-18-29 year old males (statistically)
malingering - correct answer ✔✔-intentional faking of symptoms to avoid legal consequences
(for personal gain)
-does not mean they are not mentally ill
how to assess malingering - correct answer ✔✔-how suggestible are they to symptoms?
-are reports inconsistent with presentation?
-unlikely symptoms?
-is there collateral info to corroborate?
lie detector tests - correct answer ✔✔-not admissible in court due to low reliability
-more used for interrogation purposes
-measure HR and skin conductance
-use the indiv as their own control group (collect baseline data first using control questions)
-high PCL-R no more likely to beat a lie detector than any other criminal
-to beat, bite tongue or pinch toes during baseline questions (47% able to beat it if taught this
technique)
QUESTIONS & ACCURATE
COMPLETE ANSWERS 100%
not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) - correct answer ✔✔-focus on role of mental disorder in
criminal acts
-when mentally disordered commit crimes, are they responsible?
NGRI legal standard - correct answer ✔✔1. did___ suffer from mental disease/defect at the
time of the commission of the act alleged in the petition and if so...
2. did this cause them to lack substantial capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of their
conduct AND/OR to conform their conduct to the requirements of the law
assessing NGRI - correct answer ✔✔-did they plan the offense?
-did they attempt to avoid detection?
-did they display signs of mental illness prior, during, and after?
-is the mental illness directly linked to the offense? (not sufficient to just be mentally ill)
myths about NGRI - correct answer ✔✔-many people think it means they "just get off"
-NGRI is only 1% of felony indictments
-generally tends to be high expert agreement
-indiv found NGRI likely have psychotic disorders and extensive mental health history (psychotic
= loss of contact with reality)
command hallucination - correct answer ✔✔-hallucinations that direct patient to perform an
action
,-related to more severe mental illness
-25% report feeling unable to resist commands
-risk of harm to self or others
competency to proceed - correct answer ✔✔-addressed before an NGRI trial would go on
-person lacks substantial mental capacity to understand proceedings and assist with their
defense
Dusky Standard - correct answer ✔✔-defendant has ability to consult with his lawyer and
reasonable degree of rational understanding (understand proceedings against them, rational
and factual)
does mental illness cause crime - correct answer ✔✔-NGRI: suffering at the time of the crime,
need substantial link bw mental illness and crime
-Andrea Yates
-Jared Laughner
-James Holmes
-not simply mental illness but the nature of the symptoms...
-threat control override delusions (someone is taking over their mind)
-command hallucinations
-both increase risk of violence
-if you control for these, relationship bw mental illness and violence disappears
-eg. Aaron Alexis
command hallucinations and violence (McNeil et al) - correct answer ✔✔-30% patients report
command hallucinations to hurt others
-22% complied with commands
-if a hallucination was a command, they were 2x as likely to be violent
, how dangerous are mentally ill - correct answer ✔✔-only about 3% of violent crime
-9-15% of murders committed by mentally ill who also abuse substances
base rate bias - correct answer ✔✔-remember low frequency but sensational events
-tend to view outgroups in terms of label and link behavior of one to the entire group (failure to
consider base rate)
actual danger - correct answer ✔✔-18-29 year old males (statistically)
malingering - correct answer ✔✔-intentional faking of symptoms to avoid legal consequences
(for personal gain)
-does not mean they are not mentally ill
how to assess malingering - correct answer ✔✔-how suggestible are they to symptoms?
-are reports inconsistent with presentation?
-unlikely symptoms?
-is there collateral info to corroborate?
lie detector tests - correct answer ✔✔-not admissible in court due to low reliability
-more used for interrogation purposes
-measure HR and skin conductance
-use the indiv as their own control group (collect baseline data first using control questions)
-high PCL-R no more likely to beat a lie detector than any other criminal
-to beat, bite tongue or pinch toes during baseline questions (47% able to beat it if taught this
technique)
