Decoding Madness: A Forensic Psychologist Explores the Criminal Mind

by Richard Lettieri

Decoding Madness( A Forensic Psychologist Explores the Criminal Mind) <> Paperback <> RichardPh.D.Lettieri <> PrometheusBooks

Genres: True Crime, Psychology, Nonfiction, Crime, Audiobook, Mental Health

312 pages, Paperback

Published June 15, 2021

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review My criteria for a 10-star book is one that teaches me a lot I didn't know and is well-written and thoroughly enjoyable. This is all that except I didn't enjoy it more than 4 star worth. The author writes about people who have been charged with pretty heinous crimes who are sent for a psychological evaluation - to him. And he subjects them to endless psychological tests that I have never heard of, that will reveal all manner of things from sociability, impulsivity to propensity for violence and of course iq, bad home life, psychopathy and the rest (the rest is a lot more tests).

He gets to know the accused pretty well, and treats them as valuable human beings, not the absolute dregs some of them are. That includes serial killers who rape the bodies of the women they've just killed. He then testifies in court for or against, depending on who employed him. But the ending of the cases, the sentencing this isn't important to him or the book. But it was to me, these are stories to me, not 'cases', I'm not a professional, I'm a reader - books have stories.

And I think it was that more than anything that dropped it from a 10 star to a 5 star. I found the writing to be competent, dry and to the point although I should say the author's occasional introspection was very interesting. If the author writes any more books, I would read them.
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Notes on reading In no other forensic/psychologist book had I heard of the battery of psychological tests, varying from the well-known Rorshach test to the lesser known Hare checklist for psychopathy to the totally unknown Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and many, many more. What kind of worried me was that should any of us find ourselves quite innocently accused of something that required us to take these tests we would almost certainly check somet things that the psychologist might make much of! It's a bit like those terrible lie detector tests. The only people more or less guaranteed to pass them are not the innocent, but psychopaths who don't have an emotional/body reaction to the questions.

Lie detector tests on which the police in the US rely so heavily should be banned. Even not wanting to take one is considered a sign of guilt by the police. The American Psychological Association APA.com, says, "Most psychologists agree that there is little evidence that polygraph tests can accurately detect lies." On other sites, it is claimed that they are between 83% and 90% accurate. That's pretty terrible odds if you are the innocent accused! Still the APA does say that counter measures may well be effective. Unless you are a psychopath, arm yourself!
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Although interesting, the book is very dry and so much mundane detail that might not be mundane to a forensic pyschologist but is to me, makes it hard to really get into.

[Patrick Probably DNF · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's how to make this a five-star book: 1. Change the title from "Decoding Madness" to "Mens Rea" then explain what that term means (see link below). 2. Eliminate the needless structure found in the table of contents; all these cases read the same regardless of where/when they appear. 3. Incorporate the Appendix content into the main narrative; this section outlines the numerous and fascinating psychological tests used to determine mental illness and/or criminal culpability. 4. Include a caution that the writing is necessarily dry and textbook-like due to its grave subject matter. 5. Give me credit for all this brilliant advice.

https://legal-dictionary.thefreedicti...

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 STARS

Forensic psychology/psychiatry is the art of evaluating criminals for the purposes of trial. Some work in the private sector for defendants, some work in forensic units in jails or hospital, some do both.

Richard Lettierti is hired by prosecutors (the state) and defendants which tells me he has respect in his field and in the courts. Forensic Psychologists who only work for (usually wealthy) defendants and nearly always find their clients as not guilty by reasons or insanity are sometimes called professional whores, which may or may not be fair. These psychologists *might* truly believe that neurology and psychology play a factor in all crimes, but if that’s true, why not work with legal aid and clients who can’t afford to pay hundreds of dollars per hour?

Lettierti outlines with examples several types of patients. Those who are truly mentally incapable of understanding the difference between right and wrong, like the schizophrenic who killed the mother he loved because the voices told him she was going to send him to hell. While the individual chose to be noncompliant with his meds, a decision he made at the peak of his mental stability, he was never in a state without paranoia, and with major mental illnesses, med noncompliance is quite common.

Lettierti also discusses patients whose histories and mental illnesses mitigated their culpability in their crimes, resulting of pleas for lesser offenses. He illustrates how sociopathy and psychopathy are present with intelligent, yet manipulative, people who seek to control the system by feigning mental illnesses.

Part of forensic evaluations includes psychometrics, testing aimed at assessing types of mental illnesses as well as patients who try to game the system by answering in ways they think will get them the results they would like.

DECODING MADNESS is a great introduction to forensic psychology for lay people.

[Alice Wardle · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Decoding Madness: A Forensic Psychologist Explores the Criminal Mind' by Richard Lettieri is a book about mens rea, which is the mental state of a criminal at the time of the committed crime. Where is the boundary between sanity and insanity? How 'mad' do you have to be in order for the court to abscond a hard prison sentence and instead send you to a hospital? How does your biological, psychological, and social makeup contribute to criminal behaviour?

All of the above questions are explored in this book. The case studies used by Lettieri are fascinating, and he details his relationship and feelings towards each case, as well as initial impressions and analysis of the person's upbringing, social environment, and possibility of abnormal thinking patterns.

A lot of people are fascinated by criminal psychology, because they want to learn about psychopaths and serial killers. I find this to be very interesting, but it doesn't provoke my curiosity. It doesn't shock me that psychopaths, who feel little to no empathy, seem not to care if they hurt their spouse or children. Don't get me wrong, it is interesting and horrifying that a human would do such a thing, but it's not surprising that someone with little empathy would hurt someone (unless there is no motive, and sadism is a motive). What is more interesting is when the lovely woman next door is murdered by her seemingly sweet husband. What happens to someone's thinking patterns when they are so extremely angry that they hurt the person they love? That's interesting.

For me, this book lacks intrinsic detail. The blurb claimed that Lettieri uses psychoanalysis to explore his clients' psyche, but there is little theory discussed. Freud is mentioned at some point, and so is Jung, but it felt like everything lacked structure. The Dark Triad, which is composed of psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism, wasn't mentioned until the Conclusion! This is a basic model of evil traits that would have been more suitable in the introduction. Also, the concept of the daimonic was introduced in the Introduction like it was underlying many of the case studies within the book; however, I recall the next time it being mentioned was in the conclusion. It was well-written and a good and interesting read, but it didn't provide as much detail as I would have liked about the 'decoding' of 'madness'.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decoding Madness is a fascinating exploration of mens rea and the complex social and moral questions surrounding mental health and crime. The author approaches each case study with depth and empathy, avoiding the cold detachment often found in works on this topic. Instead, the individuals profiled feel fully human, not just textbook examples of abnormal psychology.

While the book is highly accessible and likely tailored for a broad audience, I found myself wishing each chapter delved deeper into the cases—the narrative hints at richer details left unexplored. Even so, this was an engaging and thought-provoking read, and I’d gladly pick up more from this author should he continue writing. Highly recommended for anyone interested in forensic psychology!

[Virginia Peters-Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and accessible, but a bit repetitive about the tests and measures given to each person.

[Abby Nakajima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastically written with a deep and educated insight on people’s psyche

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting hearing how people who kill have different ways pandemic of thinking.

[Mackenzie Mccoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wild read. Some difficult parts related to the crimes. Very enlightening.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

Immediately put it down after seeing the author terminated an inmate interview early after having his own emotional reaction. And don’t get me started on him referring to the patients he treats as “his”. Barf.