Forensic Psychiatry FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY Influences of Evil

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2005012486 Preface

In the 1990s, while working in a high-security psychiatric hospital in the United Kingdom, two colleagues, Dave Mercer and Joel Richman, and I undertook a series of research projects relating to the care and management of mentally disordered offenders. These projects were approved by both an academic research committee and an ethics committee. During the course of one of the projects, the notion of “evil” emerged from the discourse of the subjects (hospital staff) as a corollary to our investigation. In no way were we attempting to evoke or elucidate this concept at the time. Simply stated, this was a research finding. The fact that the subjects were forensic psychiatric practitioners who claimed a high degree of professionalism is a point of academic interest. However, what intrigued us was the way in which their commentary on “evil” impacted their practice. There are some who may claim that psychiatry is a science (and a few may even make the claim for forensic psychiatry) and as such is based on empirical knowledge obtained through the testing of hypotheses with conclusions drawn from a priori relationships. These relationships may be statistically expressed or otherwise represented but, nonetheless, the claim is for a science of psychiatry. In this perspective, it is usually argued that the notion of evil is at best a question for theologians or moral philosophers and at worst, a concept that is irrelevant to psychiatric practice. Certainly, some maintain that “evil” does not exist in any real physical sense, but it most assuredly does as a metaphysical reality within the spheres of human action and social consciousness. No judgments of right or wrong are offered here; merely an acceptance of and respect for another’s belief. One aim of this book, therefore, is to challenge the notion that psychiatry as “science," and “evil” as either divine or secular, are mutually exclusive constructions. Others claim that although psychiatry may not be a science in the true sense of the word, the concept of evil is not helpful to our understanding of the aberrations of human thinking and behavior. In this view, there is an implicit message that those mental health professionals who do not dismiss the idea of evil as irrelevant in psychiatric practice are somehow engaging in a lesser

v vi Preface degree of professionalism, are entertaining a negative judgmentalism, or are unable to “bracket out” personal feelings in their professional lives. Others may counterclaim this moral position by asserting it to be sophistry based on narrow-mindedness and a limitation in thinking capacity. Whatever the perspective, it may be useful to point out that to dismiss other social construc- tions, such as marriage, family relations, and religion, in the quest to under- stand the ravages of the human mind may be somewhat naïve. Therefore, another aim of this book is to offer a balance to those who have the ability to reflect on alternative thoughts and who are able to be responsive to the possi- bilities and potential in the points of view of others. Thankfully, only a few see psychiatry in such narrow terms and for people who do, it is highly unlikely that any text in itself will produce any real change in their thinking. One purpose of this book, therefore, is to offer material for others to challenge those with such restricted views. Fortunately, the majority of professionals working in the field of foren- sic psychiatry appreciate that their craft is inchoate and that they need to respond to the issues that are raised in a reflective manner. In Forensic Psychiatry: Influences of Evil, the relationship between forensic psychiatry and evil has been dealt with from various and diverse disciplinary perspec- tives. The rationale for this approach is that both forensic psychiatry and the notion of evil are part of our developing society, and we should not be afraid of embracing these divergent viewpoints in our quest for understanding. Thus, another aim of this book is to open up further the debate on forensic psychia- try and its incorporation of extremes of aberrant behavior in relation to its social function. Therefore, this book should not only be relevant for all those working in these varying disciplines, but also be pertinent for many others in society at large who may well have given some thought to the problems of evil and its medicalization. Tom Mason Contents

Preface ...... v Contributors ...... ix

Chapter 1: Introduction Tom Mason ...... 1 Chapter 2: Organizations As Evil Structures Dave Holmes and Cary Federman ...... 15 Chapter 3: The Psychopharmaceutical Complex Brian Kean ...... 31 Chapter 4: Intention, Excuse, and Insanity Tamas Pataki ...... 67 Chapter 5: An Archaeology of the Psychopath: The Medicalization of Evil Tom Mason ...... 89 Chapter 6: The Comforts of Evil: Dangerous Personalities in High-Security Hospitals and the Horror Film Mick McKeown and Mark Stowell-Smith ...... 109 Chapter 7: Madness, Badness, and Evil Deidre N. Greig...... 135 Chapter 8: Destruction As a Constructive Choice David A. Winter ...... 153

vii viii Contents Chapter 9: Violence As Secular Evil: Forensic Evaluation and Treatment of Violent Offenders From the Viewpoint of Existential Depth Psychology Stephen A. Diamond ...... 179 Chapter 10: Scapegoat, Spectacle, and Confessional: Close Encounters With Sex Offenders and Other Species of Dangerous Individuals Dave Mercer and Joel Richman...... 207 Chapter 11: The Vilification of Victimized Children in Historical Perspective Victoria Van Slyke...... 231 Chapter 12: Evil: A Clinical Perspective J. David Kinzie...... 249 Chapter 13: Capacities and Dispositions: What Psychiatry and Psychology Have to Say About Evil Gwen Adshead ...... 259 Chapter 14: Should Radical Evil Be Forgiven? Marguerite La Caze...... 273 Chapter 15: Mad, Bad, and Evil: Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis, and Evil Michael Levine ...... 295 Chapter 16: Talking About Evil, Even When It Is Not Supposed to Exist C. Fred Alford...... 313 Chapter 17: The Influence of Evil on Forensic Clinical Practice Tom Mason, Joel Richman, and Dave Mercer ...... 327 Chapter 18: Hope in the Face of Evil Geri Miller and Ron Hood...... 355 Index ...... 367 Contributors

GWEN ADSHEAD • Department of Psychotherapy, Broadmoor Hospital, Berkshire, UK C. FRED ALFORD • Department of Government, University of Maryland, College Park, MD MARGUERITE LA CAZE • Department of Philosophy, School of History, Philosophy, Religion and Classics, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, STEPHEN A. DIAMOND • Forensic Panel, Superior Court (Criminal Division) and Bloch Medical Clinic and Department of Psychology, Ryokan College and Center for Existential Depth Psychology, Los Angeles, CA CARY FEDERMAN • Department of Political Science, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA DEIDRE N. GREIG • Criminology Department, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia DAVE HOLMES • School of , , , Canada RON HOOD • Counseling and Forensic Psychology, Blue Ridge Psychological Services, Boone, NC BRIAN KEAN • School of Education, Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia J. DAVID KINZIE • Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, OR MICHAEL LEVINE • Department of Philosophy, School of Humanities, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia TOM MASON • School of Health and Social Care, University of Chester, Chester, UK MICK MCKEOWN • Mental Health Division, Department of Nursing, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK DAVE MERCER • Division of Nursing, Liverpool University, Liverpool, UK GERI MILLER • Human Development and Psychological Counseling Department, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC

ix x Contributors

TAMAS PATAKI • Department of Philosophy, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia JOEL RICHMAN • Professor Emeritus in Medical Anthropology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK MARK STOWELL-SMITH • Psychological Therapy Service, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership Trust, Merseyside, UK VICTORIA VAN SLYKE • School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN DAVID A. WINTER • School of Psychology, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Herts, and Clinical Psychology Department, Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust, Edgware, Middlesex, UK