the crime report

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Writing in Psychology Today, Bella DePaulo comments on the popularity–particularly among criminologists, apparently–of the Showtime TV network’s “Dexter.” Set in Miami, the 5-year-old show focuses on Dexter Morgan (played by Michael C. Hall), a police forensics expert who moonlights as a serial killer. The program won an Emmy Award this week for best directing in a drama series. DePaulo, a California psychology professor and writer, is editor of a new book,  “The Psychology of Dexter,” that features analysis of the character by various experts in psychology, sociology and criminology. (more…)

Five years after Hurricane Katrina, a fundamental question remains unanswered: How many died? Of an estimated 1,464 victims officially recognized by the state of Louisiana, more than 500 names have not been publicly released, reports the Houston Chronicle. And Louisiana’s once-ambitious efforts to tackle dozens of related cases of missing persons and unidentified bodies ran out of money in 2006 and has never been revived. “We didn’t complete the mission,” said Dr. Lewis Cataldie, a Baton Rouge physician who once ran the state’s efforts. “I’m very angry about it.” (more…)

The Raleigh News & Observer reports that its review of a 1999 murder prosecution of a high school dropout named Derrick Michael Allen offers a sobering look at questionable forensic work by the State Bureau of Investigation. In the case, prosecutors trumpeted two powerful pieces of evidence: a pair of blood-stained panties and bloody pajamas, certified as such in an SBI lab report. But records show that the SBI performed tests on the clothing three times, and all tests were negative for blood. A blistering audit made public Aug. 18 says that SBI lab agents misstated or overstated blood test results from 1987 until 2003, when their methods changed with new testing procedures. (more…)

The Office of Victims of Crime released a series of resources for criminal justice professionals to utilize when dealing with the growing trend of elder abuse.

Resources include: information for court and court personnel, resources for law enforcement and community correction officers.

Access the resources here.

Use the Crime Report for more information on Elder Abuse.

One of the more troubling issues I have encountered in my 15 years of the practice of psychiatry is the frequency with which agencies work to evade responsibility and accountability for the clients they are supposed to serve.  No agency is immune to this problem, but in my experience, one of the most egregious situations goes something like this:

Joe is a 33 year old man seen on the grounds of a local elementary school. He is not recognized by school staff, and the police are called.  Upon approach by police officers, he appears not to understand their direction to leave the grounds.

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