America Out Loud News

Many people view fraud as a victimless crime or one that has little impact beyond someone’s pocketbook; if an insurance company gets scammed or a down-on-her-luck bookkeeper slips her hand in the money till they argue, the cash isn’t coming out of our pockets. Some fraudsters even use this argument as a defense, if not against conviction, then against a serious penalty. 

But there are plenty of frauds committed against individuals – identify theft, romance cons, investment fraud. And the impact of any one of these can be devastating. Fortunately, there is increasing recognition of the emotional, relationship, and financial havoc that financial crimes cause victims and their families. And another thing we forensic psychologists have learned is that just because someone might not look like a criminal doesn’t mean s/he isn’t dangerous. As you’ll see in my interview with the senior communications director for the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, some “white collar” criminals are just as violent and dangerous and any you’d meet in a dark alley or on the “wrong side of the tracks” – and sometimes more so.  

Jim Quiggle is the Coalition’s lead communicator. He joined the Coalition staff in 2000. He oversees the Coalition’s outreach strategy and publicly positions the Coalition as one of America’s most-trusted authorities on insurance fraud.

In April of 2020, Dr. Wilkas Janke’s book, ‘The Protector: A Woman’s Journey from the Secret Service to Guarding VIPs and Working in Some of the World’s Most Dangerous Places’ was published, a memoir of her life as told through the exciting and dangerous missions she accepted as one of the few females in the world of international executive protection agent.

We’ve talked about stalking on this show before but we’ve never had a guest with such a unique perspective. Dr. Mary Beth Wilkas Jenke is a psychologist who worked on a stalking unit and a former Secret service agent who served as a protection agent on numerous government contracts. She is also the only female to ever officially protect a foreign president outside of the United States. With this fascinating background, she talks with Dr. Joni Johnston about what this taught her about stalking and unwanted pursuit.

On July 20, 2012 in Aurora, Colorado, James Holmes entered a midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises with a tactical shotgun, a high-capacity assault rifle, and a sidearm. He threw a canister of tear gas into the crowd and began firing. Soon twelve were dead and fifty-eight were wounded; young children and pregnant women were among them. Unlike most mass shooters, who commit suicide or provoke a deadly shootout with responding police officers, Holmes was found calmly waiting at his car and was arrested without any resistance.  

In the court case that followed, only Dr. William H. Reid would be allowed to record interviews with the defendant. Reid would read Holmes’ diary, investigate his phone calls and text messages, interview his family and acquaintances, speak to his victims, and review tens of thousands of pages of evidence and court testimony in an attempt to understand how a happy, seemingly normal child could become a killer.  

On this episode of The Forensic Psychiatrist, we not only have a chance to get an inside look at the mind of a mass murderer, we get to see what it’s like to be a forensic psychiatrist in action.

William Reid, MD, MPH, is among the most experienced forensic mental health professionals in North America. He has received both the Manfred Guttmacher Award for forensic writing and the Seymour Pollack Award for Distinguished Contribution to Education in Forensic Psychiatry, and is a past president of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. Dr. Reid has written, co-authored, or edited 16 professional volumes and over 200 professional articles and book chapters, many on antisocial behavior, terrorism and forensic practice. Dr. Reid was one of two psychiatric experts retained by the presiding judge in People of the State of Colorado v. James Holmes, and the only psychiatrist allowed to record interviews with Holmes and access the unredacted videos and transcripts.

With so many people working from home these days, it seems odd to do a show on workplace violence. But the reality is that Covid hasn’t erased workplace violence; it’s just influenced the shape of it. From fights over mask-wearing to increased financial stress that shortens tempers to a blurring of boundaries between domestic and workplace violence, the ability to accurate assess – and respond to – threats can mean the difference between life and death. On this episode of The Forensic Psychologist, Dr. Joni Johnston talks with workplace violence expert Dr. Steve Albrecht on what employers and employees need to know.  

Dr. Steve Albrecht is one of the country’s leading experts on workplace and school violence prevention and on dealing with high-risk employees, students, customers, library patrons, and taxpayers. In 1994, Dr. Steve Albrecht co-wrote Ticking Bombs, one of the first business books on workplace violence. As part of his on-going research, he has interviewed three workplace murderers in prison.

It’s impossible to watch a true crime television show or listen to a podcast without hearing the name of a serial killer – Ted Bundy, Joseph James Deangelo, Samuel Little. But how do we know that a murderer is a serial killer, especially if there’s no forensic evidence to link crimes together? Our guest today is going to answer that question. Join us as Dr. Johnston interviews Dr. Gabrielle Salfati, a pioneer in the field of crime scene analysis and one of the founders of investigative psychology, a branch of psychology that uses science to help law enforcement solve crimes. C. Gabrielle Salfati is currently Full Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice where she directs the Investigative Psychology Research Unit (IPRU).

Suicide is the number one driver of psychiatric malpractice claims, especially when the clinician fails to recognize the seriousness of a patient’s condition and does not properly assess or treat him or her. But what should a clinician reasonably know and what should s/he reasonably do, especially given the fact that it is impossible to predict which of the individuals who think of suicide actually follow through? And how does a family member know if his or her loved one is getting the care that s/he needs, especially at such a critical time?

Today’s show explores suicide and malpractice and how patients and their families can proactively get better mental health care for suicidal loved one and recognize when the treatment s/he is getting is substandard or negligent – before it is too late.   

With a legal background ranging from duties as a U.S. Air Force Courts Martial Judge lawyer to services as Texas' top drug traffic prosecutor, Skip Simpson, B.A., J.D. has created a private law practice that has covered a wide range of intriguing matters both civil and criminal. Now, he has limited his practice primarily to psychiatric and psychological malpractice. Nationally recognized for his expertise in suicide and repressed memory cases, Mr. Simpson has to look at suicide from every possible angle in preparing a case, and he has to make his findings easily understandable to a jury.

While mental health professionals have known about the link between animal abuse and violence towards human for years, until recently there’s been no way to track how often it occurs or identify repeat offenders. Even more alarming is the fact that, while all 50 states had some animal protection laws, most of the offenses were classified as misdemeanors. It wasn’t until November of 2019 that a federal law was passed making animal cruelty a federal felony that is punishable by up to seven years in prison. 

Dr. Mary Lou Randour

On today’s show, Dr. Mary Lou Randour talks about the importance of tracking violent offenses against animals, updates us on what we know about the link between violence towards humans and violence towards animals, and talks about when animal mistreatment is a warning sign – in both children and adults – of worse things to come.

Dr. Randour, a psychologist, is Senior Advisor, Animal Cruelty Programs and Training, Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, D. C. She is the author of handbooks such as A Common Bond: Child Maltreatment and Animals in the Family, as well as AniCare Child, a treatment approach for children who abuse animals. Dr. Randour has published articles in numerous professional journals, most recently in Trauma, Violence & Abuse, as well as written chapters for edited volumes, such as “The Psychology of Animal Abuse Offenders,” co-authored with Dr. Maya Gupta, which is in the newly released book Animal Cruelty: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Understanding.

When it comes to violent crime in the United States, there’s a lot of good news. On the one hand, the number of serial killers has plunged from their heyday in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. On the other hand, as the number of serial murderers has declined, so has the clearance rate; in comparison to the 91 percent solve rate of the 1960s, by 2017, it had fallen to 61.6%. Thomas Hargrove, believes that serial killers are responsible for a significant number of unsolved murders. Watching police officers struggle to link serial crimes, and witnessing some of the built-in barriers that hindered them, former crime reporter and current crime data analyst developed an algorithm that helps police spot crime clusters that signal serial crimes. On today’s show, Tom Hargrove explores how he is using math to help law enforcement solve the problem of murder.  

Thomas K. Hargrove is a retired Washington, D.C., -based investigative journalist and former White House correspondent. He founded the nonprofit Murder Accountability Project in 2015 to track unsolved homicides nationwide. While working as a national correspondent for the Scripps Howard News Service, Hargrove developed an algorithm that uses FBI homicide data to identify clusters of murders with an elevated probability of containing serial killings. Working with fellow board member Prof. David J. Icove of the University of Tennessee, Hargrove developed another algorithm that can review the National Fire Incident Reporting System to identify undetected or unreported arsons.

Few cases have captured the interest and attention as much as the Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case. In November 2019, a welfare check on two missing children led to a multiple state investigation and the eventual uncovering of three dead adults and a trial of lies, deception and extreme religious beliefs. Then, on June 9, 2019, the missing children were found – murdered. Two adults are currently in custody awaiting criminal charges of tampering with evidence and concealing bodies. Murder charges are anticipated. In this episode, Dr. Joni Johnston takes a look at this case from a forensic psychologist’s perspective, talking about what diagnoses a forensic expert would consider and whether or not an insanity plea is available or likely.

Image: Rexburg Police Department; Madison County Sheriff's Office

We’ve all heard of trials where the jury voted in a way that seemed absolutely illogical or astonishing. How could they think the defendant was innocent? How could they convict on such flimsy evidence? While judges and attorneys try to figure this out, the rest of us are left shaking our heads.

On this episode of The Forensic Psychologist, host Dr. Joni Johnston interviews Dr. Margaret Bull Kovera, one of the leading experts in jury research. Dr. Covera has spent hours talking to real and mock jurors to get inside their heads and see how they evaluate eye witnesses, experts, and other evidence that can make or break case.  

Dr. Kovera received her Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Minnesota. A Presidential scholar and current professor of psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Dr. Kovera is a Past-President of APLS and has served as the Treasurer of APLS and the Secretary/Treasurer of SPSSI. She is also the current Editor-in-Chief of Law and Human Behavior, the first woman to ever hold this position. For over twenty years, she has conducted research on eye-witness identification, jury decision-making, and scientific evidence with the goal of improving accuracy and fairness in the courtroom.