Assignment 2: RA 2: Case Scenario

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Humanities

Description

The defendant is a forty-year-old, single, black female charged with a first-degree assault. Specifically, she is alleged to have splashed liquid fire, a liquid drain cleaner, onto another woman's face, thus incidentally splashing five bystanders. Per the court order you received, Ms. Tyler was referred some time after the alleged crime for evaluation of her criminal responsibility. Her competency to stand trial (CST) was also at issue. At the time of the evaluation, Ms. Tyler was being held at the Southern County Detention Center. You met with Ms. Tyler. The defendant was informed that the results of the evaluation will be released to the court and that the results may be used against her in the court. Ms. Tyler gave her written consent to be evaluated.

Psychosocial History:

Only limited information is available regarding Ms. Tyler's background. She is a lifetime resident of the state. Her mother died of cancer at the age of seventy-nine years. Her father, L. Defendant, is eighty-four years old and is a retired farmer. Ms. Tyler has five living sisters, four living brothers, and two deceased siblings. Three of her sisters have received inpatient psychiatric treatment. One sister lives in Close Town, one in Europe with her husband who is in the military, and one sister died in a drowning accident. One brother committed suicide by hanging himself. There is no history of psychiatric problems among the other brothers.

Ms. Tyler has completed the tenth grade. She is literate. Ms. Tyler has worked on an assembly line for five years until 1988 when the factory closed. She then did an office-cleaning job. Her reasons for leaving this position are vague. She was unemployed for several years and was supported by her family. She lives in rent-free government housing. Her church pastor, A. Reverend, arranged for her to get employment at Helpful Industries through a vocational office at the State Psychiatric Hospital. She was employed at Helpful Industries for approximately two months prior to the incident. Ms. Tyler has never married. She has a thirteen-year-old son who lives with his father.

Psychiatric History:

Ms. Tyler denies any previous psychiatric treatment. Family members and individuals who know Ms. Tyler state that she has a long history of psychiatric symptoms such as loose associations and persecutory delusions. Ms. Tyler's sister, Ms. Sister, reports that Ms. Tyler has been violent in the past, threatening her niece with a knife. Her emotional difficulties were also apparently common knowledge among her congregation. As stated above, Ms. Tyler has a positive family history for psychiatric illness. Ms. Tyler is currently on haloperidol, an antipsychotic medication.

Ms. Tyler denies any alcohol or substance abuse. She states that she has one previous arrest for prostitution in 1975. She spent six months in jail for this offense.

Report of the Crime:

When asked to report what happened, Ms. Tyler states, "It happened so fast, I just remember, I threw it on her. I didn't mean to." She continues, "I threw liquid fire on her. She always caused me trouble . . . She picked with me all the time . . . Sometimes she would step on my feet. I did not mean to do it, it happened so quick I did not understand myself. That morning when I went to church, I was standing by a table and she came over, starting trouble with me . . . Came over and said my name."

Ms. Tyler was guarded in her responses, and at one point, she asked what the court would do with her if she said, "just didn't know why I did it." Her report conflicts with several eyewitness reports. All the eyewitnesses who were interviewed claimed that Ms. Tyler yelled at Ms. Mobly. Mr. Witness 1 states that Ms. Tyler approached Ms. Mobly and said, "I'm getting sick and tired of you picking on me every day at church." He states that she then started splashing Ms. Mobly with the drain cleaner. Ms. Witness 2's account is similar. She states, "As soon as Ms. Mobly entered, Ms. Tyler grabbed her purse and started throwing the solution on her saying 'told you I was gonna get you. I'm tired of you getting me in trouble.'"

Ms. Witness 3's report of the incident is also similar. Additionally, Ms. Witness 3 states that Ms. Tyler would frequently deny making threats when confronted with an issue, claiming that she did not make such a threat or did not remember making it. Ms. Witness 3 also states that Ms. Tyler reported experiencing auditory hallucinations telling her to get people. However, Ms. Tyler has consistently denied hallucinations.

Tasks:

In a 8- to 10-page report, analyze this case and address the following to the best of your abilities:

  • What tests or assessments would you recommend to provide a comprehensive diagnostic assessment of Ms. Tyler?
  • Provide diagnostic impressions based upon the case and the tests you have recommended. Provide an explanation or a rationale for how you arrived at this diagnosis.
  • What are the psycholegal issues to be assessed? What are the standards used to evaluate these issues (i.e., discuss the relevant court decisions and holdings)?
  • What tests should be administered and why? What is the empirical support for the tests you have suggested?
  • What other information do you need to offer an opinion on whether Ms. Tyler is competent to stand trial?
  • What other information do you need to offer an opinion as to whether Ms. Tyler met the legal criteria for insanity at the time of the offense?
  • What outcomes do you expect will be reached by the court with regard to these issues and why?
  • What are the potential ethical issues involved in this case? How would you resolve these issues?

Use resources from professional literature in your analysis. Professional literature may include relevant textbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles, and websites created by professional organizations, agencies, or institutions (.edu, .org, or .gov).

Submission Details:

  • Save your paper as M5_A2_Lastname_Firstname.doc and post it to the Submissions Area by the due date assigned.
Assignment 2 Grading CriteriaMaximum Points
Recommended tests or assessments to provide a comprehensive diagnostic assessment of Ms. Tyler.

36

Provided diagnosis based upon the vignette and the tests you have recommended. Provided a brief differential diagnosis to explain how you arrived at this diagnosis.

36

Assessed psycholegal issues, including the standards used to evaluate these issues (i.e., discussed the relevant court decisions/holdings).

36

Identified and discussed tests to be administered; provided rationale and the empirical support for the tests you have suggested.

32

Explained other information needed to offer an opinion as to whether Ms. Tyler met the legal criteria for insanity at the time of the offense.

32

Identified other information needed to offer an opinion on whether Ms. Tyler is competent to stand trial.

32

Predicted outcomes you expect will be reached by the court with regard to these issues and rationale.

32

Identified the potential ethical issues involved in this case. Created a resolution plan for these issues.

32

Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

32

Total:

300

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Explanation & Answer

Attached.

Running head: ASSIGNMENT 2: RA 2: CASE SCENARIO

ASSIGNMENT 2: RA 2: CASE SCENARIO
Name:
Institution affiliation:
Date:

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ASSIGNMENT 2: RA 2: CASE SCENARIO

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ASSIGNMENT 2: RA 2: CASE SCENARIO
Introduction
The cases of people being prosecuted for committing the first-degree assault crimes are
very rampant in the present-day world. The individuals who are at high risk of committing these
crimes are those; with a short-tempered personality, suffering from various mental disorders,
engage in drug and substance abuse, and those with a history of psychiatric treatment. In this
case, Ms. Tyler committed the first-degree assault by splashing a liquid drain cleaner (liquid fire)
onto the face of Ms. Mobly. From the case study, it is evident that Ms. Tyler lives a depressive
life because she has no stable employment and she stays lonely in a rent-free government
facility. Also, her family has a history of psychiatric disorders and suicide.

The tests or assessments I would recommend


Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
MMPI is one of the assessment tools utilized by mental health professionals to diagnose

mental disorders. This test was developed in the late 1930s, but it has been updated and revised
severally to improve its validity and accuracy. The MMPI-2 comprises of 567 questions that
require true or false responses, and it can be administered in 60 - 90 minutes whereas the MMPI2-RF comprises of 338 questions that need true or false responses and it can be administered in
35-50 minutes. In this regard, MMPI can be very helpful in diagnosing the mental disorders that
Ms. Tyler might be suffering from ("What Is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
(MMPI)?", 2019).

ASSIGNMENT 2: RA 2: CASE SCENARIO


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Beck Depression Inventory
This is a 21-question multiple-choice self-report inventory that was developed by Aaron

T. Beck. It is one of the most widely utilized psychometric tests for determining the symptoms
and characteristic attitude of depression. The current version, BDI-II is suitable for individuals
aged 13 years and above (2018). Since Ms. Tyler indicates some symptoms of depression,
conducting Beck Depression Inventory would have enriched the report with a lot of information
about the type of depression that he might be experiencing.



Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
This is a psychological test designed by David Wechsler to measure the level of

intelligence and cognitive ability in older adolescents and adults. The current 4th edition of this
test (WAIS-IV) is the most utilized IQ test globally. This test would have enriched the report
with more information about Ms. Tyler’s IQ level ("How Does the Wechsler Adult Intelligence
Scale Measure Intelligence?", 2019).

The results obtained from this assessment are vital in

determining Ms. Tyler’s level of intelligence and if she is fit to stand trial.



Mental status examination
Mental status examination (MSE) is a psychological test that evaluates the behavior and

mental state of a patient. This test involves the objective observation of the patient by the health
professional and subjective description given ...


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