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J R Ogloff

Publications and source records attributed to J R Ogloff.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Evaluating the comprehensibility of jury instructions: a method and an example.

Methodological problems in jury simulation research involve issues of sampling, choice of stimulus materials, appropriate unit of analysis, appropriate dependent variable, corroborative data, and problems of role playing. Despite these issues, comprehension of jury instructions may be suitable for examination by jury simulation techniques--if certain of these methodological concerns can be satisfied. In a series of 5 experiments using typical Canadian legal instructions on criminal conspiracy and the coconspirator exception to the hearsay rule, this study attempted to validate a simple and inexpensive technique for testing the incomprehensibility of a given set of jury instructions by requiring participants to apply those legal instructions to a set of facts. The results demonstrate the utility of an application test, and suggest that for assessing the comprehensibility of jury instructions, it may be acceptable to use undergraduate students as participants, to use individual participants without group deliberation, and to employ written stimulus materials.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Two steps forward and one step backward: the law and psychology movement(s) in the 20th century.

The field of law and psychology has existed, in some form or another, for almost 100 years. The article presents a brief overview of law and psychology in the last century and shows that there actually have been two movements--one in the first third, and the other in the latter third, of the century. Given these movements, why has the law and psychology movement had so little impact on the law (and, for that matter, on psychology)? Failure to ponder--and answer--this question, may result in the demise of the movement. Given the power of law over individuals and societies, though, the application of psychology to the law is an important and useful way to assess the validity of laws and to ensure that psychological research can influence the law. This paper discusses 12 reasons that may have contributed to the relative failure of the law and psychology movement thus far. In presenting each of the reasons, and considering factors that have led to some successes in the field, the paper discusses methods and strategies that may help ensure the continued vitality and strength of the field of legal psychology.

History, 20th Century↗
PubMed1999

Assessing risk for violence among psychiatric patients: the HCR-20 violence risk assessment scheme and the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version.

This study evaluated the predictive validity of the HCR-20 (Historical, Clinical, and Risk Management) violence risk assessment scheme and the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV). Files of 193 civilly committed patients were coded. Patients were followed up in the community for an average of 626 days. Receiver operating characteristic analyses with the HCR-20 yielded strong associations with violence (areas under curve [AUCs] = .76-.80). Persons scoring above the HCR-20 median were 6 to 13 times more likely to be violent than those scoring below the median. PCL:SV AUCs were more variable (.68-.79). Regression analyses revealed that the HCR-20 added incremental validity to the PCL:SV and that only HCR-20 subscales predicted violence. Implications for risk assessment research, and the clinical assessment and management of violence, are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

The impact of graphic photographic evidence on mock jurors' decisions in a murder trial: probative or prejudicial?

Although courts in the United States and Canada regularly admit graphic photographs into evidence, little research exists on whether such evidence prejudices the decisions of jurors. Mock jurors (N = 120) read a detailed trial transcript of a murder trial, and were either presented with color, black and white, or no photographs of an actual murder victim. The proportion of guilty verdicts in the color and the black and white photograph conditions was approximately double that in the control condition. Both groups were more likely than the control condition to report emotional distress and physical reactions in response to viewing the photographs. By contrast, there were few differences between groups concerning the extent to which participants felt that the photographs influenced verdicts. Participants in all conditions equally felt that they had acted fairly. Implications surrounding the admissibility of graphic photographic evidence, and the seeming inability of participants to recognize that their judgments were biased, are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

The impact of Canadian Criminal Code changes on remands and assessments of fitness to stand trial and criminal responsibility in British Columbia.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact in British Columbia of the 1992 Criminal Code of Canada amendments dealing with remands for fitness to stand trial and not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (NCRMD) assessments. METHOD: Information on 620 remands for evaluation of fitness to stand trial and/or NCRMD were collected from a sample obtained in British Columbia from 1992 to 1994. The data collected included length of remand order, length of evaluation, criminal charges, psychiatric diagnoses, and the decisions about fitness or NCRMD. RESULTS: Remands increased by about 20% in a 1993-1994 fiscal year compared with the previous year. The majority of evaluations continue to be conducted in an inpatient facility. The goal of a 5-day evaluation period is rarely met: only 12.5% of inpatients were released within 5 days of admission, and the average length of evaluation was about 3 weeks. The use and success of the NCRMD defence appears to be on the rise. In addition, there were some striking differences in remands from metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas in terms of rates of referral and recommendations of unfitness or NCRMD. CONCLUSION: Results indicated that Bill C-30 has not yet had the anticipated impact on remands as inpatient evaluations continue to be the norm and evaluations typically take several weeks. Suggestions for policy reform and future research are presented.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

An investigation of competency to participate in legal proceedings in Canada.

OBJECTIVE: To assess fitness to stand trial, competency to plead guilty, and competency to understand Charter cautions to determine if the level of competency varies across these domains. METHODS: The Fitness Interview Test-Revised (FIT-R) and the Test of Charter Comprehension (ToCC) were administered to a group of individuals held on remand for fitness evaluations. Additionally, several questions from the FIT-R that address the ability to make a guilty plea were assessed separately and constituted an individual measure of competency to plead guilty (CoP). RESULTS: As predicted, the results indicated that the fact that an individual is competent at one juncture in the criminal proceedings does not mean that the individual necessarily is competent at all other stages of the proceedings. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest a need for a stage-specific approach to forensic competency assessments, requiring specialized instruments designed to assess the legal issues of competency at the various stages of legal proceedings.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Patients' rights advocacy: implications for program design and implementation.

Individuals held in mental health care facilities often have been deprived of their basic civil and legal rights. In Canada and the United States, legislation now exists to ensure the protection of these rights, and advocacy programs have been developed to apply and enforce this legislation. It is important for mental health professionals to be aware of the relevance and need for advocacy programs. Equally important is the appreciation of the structural issues involved in developing and administering advocacy programs. In examining a number of patients' rights advocacy programs, strengths, weaknesses, and general success factors are identified. Recommendations are then made for the development, implementation, and modification of advocacy programs. A review of this area indicates a need for empirical research in a number of areas, and directions for future research are discussed.

Canada↗
PubMed1995

Mental health research in the criminal justice system: The need for common approaches and international perspectives.

There is a need for researchers and policy makers in the area of mental health and law to collaborate and develop common methods of approach to research. Although we have learned a great deal about the prevalence and needs of mentally ill offenders in jails and prisons, there are a number of research questions that remain. If the "second generation" of research is to be fruitful--and useful to policy makers--we need to be sure that the methods we employ are valid and that the findings we obtain are reliable. By collaborating with colleagues in other jurisdictions, we can begin to learn whether some of the existing findings are of a general nature, or dependent upon the system in which they were found. Similarly, while the first-generation research has alerted us to the needs of mentally ill offenders in jails and prisons, second-generation research is needed to help identify factors that may help prevent the "revolving door phenomenon," which results in mentally ill people being volleyed among mental health, criminal justice, and community settings. One area that has received embarrassingly little attention has been the need for considering the relationship between substance abuse and mental disorders. In our own work, we have found an alarmingly high degree of substance abuse among offenders, including mentally ill offenders. We have come to realize the importance of considering the role that substance abuse coupled with other mental disorders may play in the criminal justice system. As a result of this concern, the Surrey Mental Health Project recently hired a full-time drug and alcohol counselor whose job it is to work with inmates with substance abuse disorders while in the jail, and to help arrange continuing treatment resources upon their release. As Wilson et al. (1995) discuss, intensive case management projects may be particularly useful at targeting the unique needs of mentally ill offenders with multiple problems. Much of the research conducted with mentally ill offenders to date has focused primarily upon psychological and psychiatric questions--questions that are, as Hodgins (1995) indicates, epidemiological in nature. More attention must be paid to that research by policy makers and others who work with mentally ill offenders in the criminal justice system. As Hoyer et al. (1995) and Gould (1995) make clear, a number of unique policy questions arise when considering mentally ill offenders in the legal system.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Criminal Law↗
PubMed1994

Fitness and competency issues in Canadian criminal courts: elucidating the standards for mental health professionals.

The issue of competency arises at various stages of criminal proceedings in an effort to protect those individuals who are unable to participate in the legal process. The competency question is a legal issue ultimately decided by a judge. However, mental health professionals are often called upon to provide insight into an individual's level of competence. To date, the standards by which an individual is found competent have remained far from clear. This creates a problem for clinicians who are requested to make competency evaluations. This article addresses the competency issues as they arise at various stages of legal proceedings in order to determine the standards that are applied by the courts. Furthermore, given the importance placed on mental health evaluations of competency, the role of mental health practitioners will be addressed as it pertains to the competency question at each juncture in the criminal justice system.

Canada↗
PubMed1991

A model for the provision of jail mental health services: an integrative, community-based approach.

Although a considerable amount of attention has been paid to the development and implementation of mental health services in prisons, relatively little work has focused on the provision of such services to jails. Jails generally serve two purposes: (1) they hold inmates awaiting arraignment or trial and (2) they serve as short-term correctional facilities for individuals who have been assigned relatively short sentences (no longer than one or two years). Because inmnates in the first category usually remain in jail for a short period of time, it is particularly challenging to provide them mental health services. This article describes an innovative program that has recently been developed for assessing the mental health needs of inmates awaiting arraignment or trial, and providing them with mental health services.

British Columbia↗