NCJ Number
64559
Journal
RASSEGNA DI CRIMINOLOGIA Volume: 8 Issue: 1 AND 2 Dated: (1977) Pages: 9-16
Date Published
1977
Length
7 pages
Annotation
ITALIAN EXPERTS INVOLVED IN INMATE EVALUATION TEAMS ARE URGED TO COOPERATE IN WORKING OUT A MODEL FOR A STANDARD CLINICAL-CRIMINAL DOSSIER THAT WOULD INCLUDE THE SAME TYPE OF DATA FOR EACH OF THE EXPERT'S FIELDS.
Abstract
THE PERSONALITY EVALUATION DOSSIERS OF INMATES THAT CONTAIN THEIR CLINICAL AND CRIMINOLOGICAL DATA AND THAT ARE CURRENTLY USED IN CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO FORMULATE PERSONALIZED TREATMENT PLANS ARE NOT COMPILED WITH A UNIFORM APPROACH AND DO NOT CONTAIN THE SAME TYPES OF DATA IN EACH FIELD. MEMBERS OF EVALUATION TEAMS IN THE SAME FIELD OF EXPERTISE (E.G., ALL PSYCHOLOGISTS, ALL PSYCHIATRISTS) SHOULD COOPERATE IN WORKING OUT A MODEL, STANDARDIZED DOSSIER WHICH WILL INCLUDE THE SAME KIND OF DATA, COLLECTED AT THE SAME LEVELS, IN EACH FIELD. FOR EXAMPLE, THERE ARE CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGISTS WHO SHOULD FORGET THEIR OWN THEORETICAL BIAS (E.G., THE FACT THAT THEY FAVOR FREUDIAN OR BEHAVIORIST THEORIES) TO MAKE PROVISIONS FOR THE INCLUSION OF THE SAME TYPES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DATA IN THE MODEL DOSSIER, TO BE COMPATIBLE WITH THE DATA COLLECTED BY THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN ALL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS. THIS UNIFORM APPROACH IS RECOMMENDED AS BETTER SUITED FOR THE DUAL PURPOSE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH (E.G., IN ESTABLISHING THE COMPONENT ELEMENTS OF THE CRIMINAL PERSONALITY AND THE REASONS FOR DEVIANT BEHAVIOR) AS WELL AS THE PRACTICAL GOAL OF REHABILITATING THE RESEARCH SUBJECTS. ALL EXPERTS IN THE SAME FIELD SHOULD ALSO ADMINISTER THE SAME KINDS OF TESTS (E.G., RORSHACH TO MEASURE AGGRESSION). THE INDEPTH, THREE-STAGE PERSONALITY EVALUATION (FOR WHICH UP TO 60 DAYS ARE PRESENTLY ALLOWED BY ITALIAN LAW) SHOULD BE PLACED IN GENERAL USE, ALTHOUGH A QUICKER, TWO-STAGE EVALUATION PROCEDURE IS NOW THE NORM IN ITALIAN CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS. THE THREE-STAGE EVALUATION COMBINES MULTIPLE INTERVIEWS BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGISTS AND SUBJECTS (WITH THE LATTER SUPPLYING INVALUABLE AND REVEALING INFORMATION ON THEIR OWN HISTORIES) WITH SCIENTIFIC TESTS, REPEATED PSYCHIATRIC AND PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS, INTERVIEWS WITH EDUCATORS AND SOCIAL WORKERS, AND PROTRACTED OBSERVATION OF THE SUBJECTS' BEHAVIOR. THE QUICKER, TWO-STAGE EVALUATION COMPRISES ONE-SHOT INTERVIEWS WITH PSYCHOLOGISTS, EDUCATORS, AND SOCIAL WORKERS, ONE PSYCHIATRIC AND PHYSICAL EXAMINATION, AND ONE INTELLIGENCE TEST. NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED MINIMUM EVALUATION STANDARDS SHOULD BE ADOPTED. --IN FRENCH. (LGR)