Case Study: Proposed Case Vignette for Comprehensive Examination
Please read the vignette carefully. Based on information provided in thevignette, please compose a well-written and organized response to each of the questions that follow:
Presentation of the Problem: Ralph is a 32 year old, Hispanic male arrested for conspiracy to distribute Opioids. This is a Federal charge that carries a minimum sentence of 15 years based on the amount of substances he had in his possession upon his arrest. Although Ralph was dealing, he was not a heavy hitter and certainly was not the king-pin of the drug distribution operation. He was charged with conspiracy due to his connection with the nationwide criminal organization distributing the drugs. Much of Ralph's drug sales were motivated by his own addiction that he developed after being prescribed oxycodone for pain following an industrial accident.
Prior to his arrest, Ralph worked as a skilled construction laborer. He lived with his wife and two small children until he was injured and develop an addiction to his pain medication. His addiction worsened shortly thereafter to the extent that he lost his job and home. At that point in time his wife and children moved in with his wife's parents and Ralph became transient, residing temporarily, off and onwith friends. In addition, Ralph was discharged by the physician prescribing his pain medication. He had to turn to the streets for narcotics as a result and began selling opioids to support his own addiction. He was court mandated to drug treatment, where he was detoxed and received residential services. He is waiting to be assigned an outpatient drug counselor and is subjected to weekly, random urine screens.
Ralph has no prior legal history and no history of substance abuse or addiction prior to this recent incident. He has always been a hard worker and although he quit school in the 11th grade to go to work, he is above average in intelligence. He was a good student and never had any disciplinary problems. He was raised in a stable and loving home with two younger sisters and one older brother, all of whom finished high school and two of whom completed college. They all became professionals in their respective fields. Ralph's parents are still alive and have mortgaged their home to pay for his legal defense. He feels extremely guilty about this gesture and as a result has admittedly contemplated suicide. He is currently residing with his parents and is on house arrest. He has accepted a plea deal and is awaiting sentencing. He fears going to prison but knows he will at least serve 5 years. His interest in most things has declined. He also sleeps for most of the day.
Despite the fact that Ralph is facing prison, he has expressed some hope for his future. In particular, he would like to reunite with his wife and children and resume work in construction. He also interests in obtaining his GED and attending college classes while he is incarcerated.
Based on the vignette provided, please compose a well-written and organized response to each of the following questions. When writing your responses, please:
• Use APA (6th edition) Style, with 1-inch margins, double-spaced, 12 font, with a reference list at the end.
• Write clearly and concisely.
• Cite appropriate, and especially current, literature (empirical and/or theoretical).
• Avoid all sexist idioms and allusions.
• Remember to demonstrate your multicultural competence where appropriate.
Psychological Theory and Practice: A. What assessments would you conduct to enhance your understanding of the problems of the person in the vignette and how would your choice of assessment(s) inform your diagnostic formation and treatment planning? Assessments may include structured or unstructured interviews, valid and reliable assessment measures, and/or formalized assessment procedures that may be conducted by yourself or by someone else referred by you.
B. Provide your diagnostic impressions (based on the DSM-5) for this individual. In narrative form, please describe how the individual meets the diagnostic criteria for the disorder(s) chosen in addition to the differential diagnostic thought process that you used to reach your hypotheses. Be sure to include any additional (missing) information that is needed to either rule out or confirm your differential diagnoses impressions.
Legal Theory and Application: A. Explain the background, current presentation, and behavior of the person in the vignette utilizing biological, learning, and social theories on offenders to support your position. Do not simply restate the background information from the vignette. Instead, provide a theoretically-based discussion to understand the criminal behaviors of the person in the vignette.
B. Consider the type of crime in the vignette and discuss how that type of crime generally impacts a victim of it. Do not limit yourself to discussing just the victim in this vignette. Instead obtain scholarly sources for information on how this type of crime can affect any victim, their family members, and other members of society.
C. Describe the psycholegal standards and/or definitions for each of the following: competence to stand trial, duty to warn, and insanity. Identify and describe one or more landmark case(s) for each standard (at least three cases total). Describe the elements or issues that a mental health professional usually focuses on when assessing a person's adjudicative competence, risk and insanity, and any additional items that might be especially important to focus on in the provided vignette.
Assessment, Research and Evaluation: A. Describe tests or assessment procedures you would employ to address the psycholegal issues of (competence to stand trial, risk of dangerousness, and insanity). You may refer to these from the Psychological Theory and Assessment Section "A" if you already covered them there. Discuss what the anticipated conclusions would be based upon information provided in the vignette.
B. Develop a research question and a testable research hypothesis regarding offenders or the type of crime that is discussed in the vignette (such as, addiction, recidivism, criminal behavior, etc.). Explain the variables in your question and the type of research study that could answer your question as well as why that research would make a contribution to the field of forensic psychology.
Leadership, Consultation, and Ethics: A. What are the ethical and legal dilemmas this vignette introduced? What would be your immediate steps and why? Please be specific and make sure that you describe your process of ethical decision making and the solutions/consequences to which this process might lead. Your discussion should be informed by the American Psychological Association's Ethics Code as well as the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists.
Interpersonal Effectiveness: A. What diversity factors, cultural considerations, or other demographic variables pertaining to the person in the vignette would you take into account in rendering diagnoses, choosing assessment measures, forming case conceptualizations, and designing the treatment plan? Be sure to discuss cultural/diversity factors that could apply even if they are not explicitly mentioned in the vignette.
B. Your writing, use of citations, ability to form a logical argument, and proper APA Style, including the use of paraphrasing, will be evaluated as a measure of your interpersonal effectiveness. No response is required for "B".