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Shrunk: Crime and Disorders of the Mind
SHRUNK: Crime and Disorders of the Mind is a collection of powerful chapters by eminent forensic psychologists and psychiatrists who write about mental health issues they face and what they are doing about it. Unlike any other book within the genre of True Crime, SHRUNK is the first book that delves deeply into the disturbed human psyche to help build a solution to the problem of understanding mental illness within the criminal justice system.We asked our forensics experts to tell stories about cases that still haunt them. Among the stories in the book are: Dr. Joel Watts on Luka Magnotta; Dr. J. Thomas Dalby on serial killer Clifford Olson; Dr. Jeffrey Waldman on Vince Li and the Greyhound Bus tragedy; Mr. Justice Richard D. Schneider on a typical day in Mental Health Court; Dr. Sven Å. Christianson on a Swedish case of psychopathic personality and media manipulation; Dr. Jack White on the most notorious Australian serial killing of all time; Dr. Louise Olivier on a case of dissociative fugue in South Africa; Dr. Donald Dutton on an American case of mind-control and folie à deux; Dr. Stephen Porter and Tianna Dilley on brain damage and extreme amnesia; Dr. Barry Cooper and Jacqueline Kanipayur on malingering; Dr. Marc Nesca on catathymic murder and necrophilia; Dr. Patrick Baillie on David Milgaard’s wrongful conviction; Dr. Lawrence Ellerby on deviance to rehabilitation; and Dr. David Dawson finds moments of warmth and shared humanity with psychiatric patients. Criminal defence lawyer William Trudell writes about working with forensic experts and their contributions in the defence of those suffering from mental disorders.
SHRUNK is scheduled for release on May 5, 2016.
SHRUNK is scheduled for release on May 5, 2016.
- GenresTrue CrimeNonfiction
272 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2016
80 people want to read
About the author
Lorene Shyba
27 books5 followersLorene Shyba MFA PhD is publisher and creative director at Durvile & UpRoute Books. The print, audio, and ebook series that she oversees are Durvile's True Cases and Reflections series, and UpRoute's Every River Lit and Ways of Light series. She edits the Indigenous Spirit of Nature series alongside Raymond Yakeleya. Lorene has worked professionally in book and magazine publishing for over three decades, with expertise in writing and editing, print and web design, and audiobook production. Her doctoral degree from the University of Calgary is in interactive media and and she has served on the faculty in departments of creative arts, communications, and computer science at the University of Calgary, University of Lethbridge, Montana Tech, and McMaster University. Lorene lives and works in the foothills of the Rockies with the right mix of modern tech to stay in touch with authors and colleagues, and the right mix of nature, people, and dogs to stay chill.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 15, 2016
An insightful book into the criminal justice system and the role of mental health professionals in the system. Like so much of our society main stream media has had a strong influence on how the general public views mentally ill criminals. This book presents these same stories from a very different lens.
The book contains several pieces by individuals working mostly in Canada who are involved with the mentally, or possibly mentally, ill individuals that come through the court system. Having read the book I have gained an appreciation of the work these individuals do, as well as a better understanding of mental illness and the affects it has on all.
Having read the several cases, many high-profile, cases that were presented in the book I find myself questioning if the court systems should be changed, or if cases such as these need their own court system. I also wonder if all of us shouldn't spend a little more time to learn about mental illness.
The book contains several pieces by individuals working mostly in Canada who are involved with the mentally, or possibly mentally, ill individuals that come through the court system. Having read the book I have gained an appreciation of the work these individuals do, as well as a better understanding of mental illness and the affects it has on all.
Having read the several cases, many high-profile, cases that were presented in the book I find myself questioning if the court systems should be changed, or if cases such as these need their own court system. I also wonder if all of us shouldn't spend a little more time to learn about mental illness.
August 4, 2018
Listened to audiobook.
March 13, 2023
This book sat on my TBR list for upwards of seven years before I got my hands on a copy and I was extremely disappointed once I did.
For context, when I was an undergraduate student focusing in Forensic Psychology I worked under a contributor to this collection. I then went on to obtain my GCert in Tactical Crime Analysis, and am pursuing my Masters in Counselling Psychology. SO, I am no stranger to the subject matter within this collection and have a very vested interest in the topics covered.
Why I gave this book such a low rating wasn’t because the topics covered within aren’t important or interesting, but instead because the way in which they are presented is sloppy, vague, and lacks agreement in writing style.
First and foremost, I do not believe for a moment that an editor was used in the publishing of this collection. The writing style differs to an agitating degree between contributors (some sound like university professors, others sound like eighth-grade language arts students), the syntax is often a mess, and the pacing/flow is a wreck. APA citing/referencing is used by one contributor, whereas others either do not cite at all or leave references as an afterthought. The organization of the material also comes across as very haphazard, which I think is a disservice to both the reader and contributors.
Second, the topics were both too vague and too specific. Many contributors told stories centered on the same idea (specifically automatism and/or NCRMD) which narrowed the breadth of the subject matter but remained vague in explanation limiting the depth. Cases would also be discussed without context which bled the material of substance.
Lastly, this collection is not reader friendly. It is academic friendly. If you do not walk into this book with a solid understanding of forensic psychology, mental health practices, and Canadian law, you will be lost. I understood most of what was discussed not because the material is approachable, but because I’ve spent the last 10 years studying the ideologies presented within.
I do not want to discredit the brilliant minds that came together to create this collection, as their work and research is incredibly important to the scope of law and psychology, however, if you are looking to gain an understanding of mental health and crime there are many other non-fiction books and peer-reviewed studies that would provide better insight.
For context, when I was an undergraduate student focusing in Forensic Psychology I worked under a contributor to this collection. I then went on to obtain my GCert in Tactical Crime Analysis, and am pursuing my Masters in Counselling Psychology. SO, I am no stranger to the subject matter within this collection and have a very vested interest in the topics covered.
Why I gave this book such a low rating wasn’t because the topics covered within aren’t important or interesting, but instead because the way in which they are presented is sloppy, vague, and lacks agreement in writing style.
First and foremost, I do not believe for a moment that an editor was used in the publishing of this collection. The writing style differs to an agitating degree between contributors (some sound like university professors, others sound like eighth-grade language arts students), the syntax is often a mess, and the pacing/flow is a wreck. APA citing/referencing is used by one contributor, whereas others either do not cite at all or leave references as an afterthought. The organization of the material also comes across as very haphazard, which I think is a disservice to both the reader and contributors.
Second, the topics were both too vague and too specific. Many contributors told stories centered on the same idea (specifically automatism and/or NCRMD) which narrowed the breadth of the subject matter but remained vague in explanation limiting the depth. Cases would also be discussed without context which bled the material of substance.
Lastly, this collection is not reader friendly. It is academic friendly. If you do not walk into this book with a solid understanding of forensic psychology, mental health practices, and Canadian law, you will be lost. I understood most of what was discussed not because the material is approachable, but because I’ve spent the last 10 years studying the ideologies presented within.
I do not want to discredit the brilliant minds that came together to create this collection, as their work and research is incredibly important to the scope of law and psychology, however, if you are looking to gain an understanding of mental health and crime there are many other non-fiction books and peer-reviewed studies that would provide better insight.
February 26, 2023
Recommended for readers interested in the forensic field of psychology of the abnormal perpetrator. Most of the information is about the criminal justices systems deriving from the British one, mainly those of Canada and the U.S., as they pertain to that field.
I was already familiar with this and would have appreciated more information instead about the perpetrators, though that was addressed to a fair degree. The first takeaway is that these justice systems have difficulty addressing cases involving mental illnesses of the perpetrators. The public has trouble also, and this book may help readers understand these difficulties. The editors deserve credit for this.
The fundamental problem is always that it is considered unfair to punish anyone who didn't and doesn't know they have done anything wrong (or who is mentally incapable of assisting in their own defense).
Many persons in the criminal justice system have serious and even debilitating psychological issues, but only a tiny percentage of criminal cases involve an insanity defense, and in only a few of those does that defense prevail, but those cases occupy more than their share of resources and media attention. Those defendants whose insanity defenses do prevail normally spend years in an institution for the criminally insane after trial.
Most of the cases here are within the last few decades. It was likely difficult for the editors to find interesting cases to present due to limitations imposed by requirements for consent from perpetrators and victims (and relatives) and cooperation from others involved. Most of the chapters were written by experts who had examined and testified for a perpetrator. Most of these crimes were committed in Canada, but their system is quite similar to the U.S. one.
I was already familiar with this and would have appreciated more information instead about the perpetrators, though that was addressed to a fair degree. The first takeaway is that these justice systems have difficulty addressing cases involving mental illnesses of the perpetrators. The public has trouble also, and this book may help readers understand these difficulties. The editors deserve credit for this.
The fundamental problem is always that it is considered unfair to punish anyone who didn't and doesn't know they have done anything wrong (or who is mentally incapable of assisting in their own defense).
Many persons in the criminal justice system have serious and even debilitating psychological issues, but only a tiny percentage of criminal cases involve an insanity defense, and in only a few of those does that defense prevail, but those cases occupy more than their share of resources and media attention. Those defendants whose insanity defenses do prevail normally spend years in an institution for the criminally insane after trial.
Most of the cases here are within the last few decades. It was likely difficult for the editors to find interesting cases to present due to limitations imposed by requirements for consent from perpetrators and victims (and relatives) and cooperation from others involved. Most of the chapters were written by experts who had examined and testified for a perpetrator. Most of these crimes were committed in Canada, but their system is quite similar to the U.S. one.
November 16, 2017
This one could easily rate 3 stars because of a lot of variation in approach and quality in the essays that make up the book. Am giving it 4 stars because the perspectives from professionals involved with criminally accused who suffer from mental disorders shed much light on a poorly understood aspect of the justice system — and on mental disorders generally. One of the standout chapters describes the promising experience with Toronto's mental health court. Other jurisdictions have been experimenting with mental health courts as well; they appear to be one of the ways that lawyers and the courts have to change to accommodate the realities of endlessly diverse human beings.
July 1, 2018
Ugh. I didn’t like the approach to this subject - in large part because it wasn’t explained in my audio book version.
For the record, there’s one essay that gleefully describes how to integrate a mentally-ill-rapist-tpedophile-murdering-women-hating offender who has already tortured and murdered an innocent citizen back into society. To the author, it is the responsibility of the citizens to allow this evil-doer back into its community. Evidently innocent citizens Should warmly welcome back into the community a man who brutally sodomized raped and murdered a woman.
This, Canada, is why Americans will never relinquish our second amendment, and our right to firearms and self-defense.
For the record, there’s one essay that gleefully describes how to integrate a mentally-ill-rapist-tpedophile-murdering-women-hating offender who has already tortured and murdered an innocent citizen back into society. To the author, it is the responsibility of the citizens to allow this evil-doer back into its community. Evidently innocent citizens Should warmly welcome back into the community a man who brutally sodomized raped and murdered a woman.
This, Canada, is why Americans will never relinquish our second amendment, and our right to firearms and self-defense.
May 15, 2022
A very slow read for me because it’s so intense, but fascinating
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews