Transcript The role of Psychologist members and Psychologist witnesses

The role of Psychologist members and
Psychologist witnesses in the Parole Board
process
Eleni Belivanaki & Sarah Khan
Specialist Psychologist members of the Parole Board
Division of Forensic Psychology Conference
Belfast 2013
Contents
o Introduction
o The Parole Board
o The role of a Forensic Psychologist as a specialist member of the
Parole Board
o What the panel expect of Psychologist witnesses
o Questions / comments
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The Parole board
o Function / Independent body
o What happens at oral hearings
o Evidence of risk reduction
o Can recommend / direct progressive move to Cat D or release
o Cannot recommend specific therapeutic interventions / further
treatment
o Will take into account all written and oral evidence provided by OM,
OS, Psychologists, Personal officers etc, as well as the prisoner
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The Parole board
o The test: “The Board will direct release, if the Board is satisfied that
it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public that the
person should be confined.
o From 03/12/12
o Abolition of the Indeterminate sentence for Public Protection (IPP),
introduction of the Extended Determinate Sentence (EDS)
o Parliament has ruled that the test shall be one of public protection
rather than a balancing act between the risk of any type of
offending against the benefits of early release; in other words, it will
be a ‘risk-only’ test.
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THE ROLE OF THE PSYCHOLOGIST
MEMBER
o Currently 20 Psychologist members, all on part-time basis
o To provide a psychologically informed case formulation
o To provide a specialist opinion on complex cases, for example
when there is a diagnosis of MI, PD, ASD, LD etc
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THE ROLE OF THE PSYCHOLOGIST
MEMBER (cont.)
o To provide a specialist opinion on risk
o To review, analyse, critically evaluate and if necessary challenge
written and oral evidence provided by Psychologist witnesses
o Not all hearings require a Psychologist member on the panel
(around 14% do).
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What the Panel expect of Psychologist
witnesses
o
To treat the oral hearing as a court hearing
o
To comply with their duty to the court and to remain independent and
impartial
o
To decline any referral for assessments that are not within their clinical
expertise
o
To be clear about their instructions and to make those known in their
report and in their oral evidence to the panel (example: a cognitive
functioning, ASD, LD assessment is very different to a psychological risk
assessment)
o
To have shared their report with the prisoner and if possible to have
included the prisoner’s comments
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What the Panel expect of Psychologist
witnesses (cont.)
o To attend the hearing prepared (have read the dossier, know the
case very well, know their report)
o To be prepared to answer questions by the panel, as well as by the
prisoner’s legal representative.
o To provide an independent, updated, evidence-based,
psychological risk assessment that will assist the panel in making
their decision
o To use valid and current psychometric tools
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What the Panel expect of Psychologist
witnesses (cont.)
o To be able to explain how they have reached their conclusions and
to provide defensible recommendations
o To be able to comment on risk factors, protective factors and
outstanding treatment needs / targets
o To comment on risk level and imminence of risk
o To make a recommendation as to whether outstanding risk factors
should be addressed in closed conditions (Cat A, B, C), open
conditions (Cat D) or in the community (release)
o To make recommendations for risk management
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What the Panel expect of Psychologist
witnesses (cont.)
o To provide the panel with a list of therapeutic interventions /
courses the prisoner has completed (helpful)
o If not involved in the prisoner’s treatment, to provide feedback from
the treatment team
o To avoid criticising, challenging or commenting on another
Psychologist’s report. This lies within the role of the PB
Psychologist member
o To seek supervision and advice from a more senior / more
experienced Psychologist for particularly complex cases
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Questions
Comments
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