Reference no: EM13828753

1. According to the research, what are the prospects of successfully rehabilitating a psychopath?

2. It seems like many government entities simply copy what other cities/counties/states do with respect to developing laws or policy. Often what works in one place does not work in another. Communities are different in character and applying a "cookie cutter approach" is not always the best choice.

3. Why do you think that communities often simply copy from other communities rather than reviewing trends, reviewing various theories and working toward a solutinon that is good for their respective community?

4. I see the use of laws or policies from other cities/counties/states as an overview or guide is a great way to maintain semblance when enforcing standards. These policies and laws provide structure and help protect cities/counties/states from liability in court, prevent negative occurrences, and provide guidelines for government standards. It also gives consistency to disciplinary procedures, reduces unfair treatment of employees and public, they give guidance to/in local planning and planning in/for disaster situations. A few key dimensions, however, are common to most all organizations, regardless of size and structure.

Using a "canned or cookie cutter approach" and not refining it is either a lazy approach or could be contributed to a lack of knowledge, poor management and leadership. It takes time and finances to research, write and implement clear laws and policies. They are not just a one-time covers it all process. They have to be constantly reviewed and revised to be effective and to keep current with the ever changing government standards, and growth in communities. Cities/counties/states should adopt their own comprehensive policies and procedures which establish the outline but are unique to their needs and project for future demands, potential problems, and availability of resources.

Laws and policies place restrictions on entities so rapid or spontaneous decisions and processes cannot occur to place those cities/counties/states in immediate jeopardy. Placing a city/county/state entity into a "one-size-fits-all" approach, limits direction, flexibility, imagination, innovatio, the ability to make informed decisions and possible noncompliance or the inability to sustain what works for another. Policies give the basic framework to follow, it is the individuals who use of a variety of skill level and knowledge, tailored to the needs of the entity and community that make the policies conductive and help in the areas of greatest need.

By adopting and implementing another cities/counties/states policy they are insinuating that all circumstances are the same and have the same resources available. Adopting what other government entities do, using a "canned" or "cookie cutter approach" could be an acceptable temporary start, similar to a template, just to have something in-place so to speak or to give a baseline. It could also be used to follow a trend or achieve a solution. These laws and policies should not be permanent until they have been reviewed and revised to fit the entity and community in which it is overseeing. There are no two communities exactly alike. By reviewing trends, instilling stability, refining polices and reducing duplicate efforts cities/counties/states can provide more consistent policy enforcement and accountability.

5. I believe that the reason that communities copy from other communities is because we are an individualistic nation. We like to take any idea and use it for our own individual needs and not really look at what solution would be good for everyone. As Hudson(2013) states "The American radical-individulist culture encourages most Americans to think primarily in terms of their individual self interest, rather than the public interest." Again when people think of what is best for them and leave out others this is why a solution for the community never is reached. As Sampson and Raudenbush (1999) state Personal ties and friendship are not sufficient; the private world of strong kinship ties may actually interfere with public trust and the expetation of collective responsibility for getting things done" And we wonder why our communities are going to shambles and why crime is rising.

6. According to the research the prospects of rehabilitating a psychopath is bleak. Psychoanalytic, personality trait, an pyschopathic personality theories are similar to biological theories in that they also concentrate on the cause of crime arising from withing the individual, but the causes are not seen as inherent or biologically predetermided. Although, biological predipsotions are recognized, the chief causes are dysfunctional, abnormal emotional adjustment or deviant personality traits or disorders formed in early socializtion and childhood development. Psychological counseling has been incorporated as the principal technique in serveral classic projects and in many criminal and juvenile justice programs, but it does not yet appear to be a very efficient way of changing or preventing criminal and deliquent behavior (Akers&Sellers). In a nutshell, all research and tests performed over the last century have failed to prove that rehabilitation and therapy can successfully change the recidivism amongst psychopaths. It may help them in the short term, but long term most all psychopaths will commit horrible crimes as they are not capable of feeling guilty or becoming attached emotionally to anything or anyone. They are considered "social predators" who, however are capable of charming the socks off of anyone and manipulating them to extreme for their own benefit are a danger to society. Anyone who crosses their paths may suffer from emotional damage since that's what psychopaths are best at creating as they "don't care" they're selfish. The readings in Akers&Sellers repeatedly state in general that none of the group research done anywhere has proven to rehabilitate any pyschopath.

7. Before you can think about rehabilitating a diagnosed psychopath, you have to delve into what psychopathy actually is. Psychopathy is a specific form of psychological personality disorder. This disorder has some pretty frightening facts; psychopaths are marked with a lack of empathy, difficulty controlling impulses, and are masters of manipulative actions. Psychopaths aren't always murderous and devious individuals, most can actually be quite charming with a great ability to focus their manipulative ways on unsuspecting individuals.

Now you have to ask yourself, how can someone that has a complete lack of empathy and uncontrollable impulses be cured? Most psychopaths participate in their behaviors purely for self-gratification and enjoyment. Rehabilitating diagnosed psychopaths is a very unsuccessful challenge because how can you rehabilitate the way that these individuals care about their victims? How can you make someone that has committed a heinous crime feel empathetic for his or her victims? The answer is simple; you can't rehabilitate something that is at the very core of this person. Since psychopaths have such a complete emotional deficit they are limited to a certain range of emotions. Trying to cure someone of being emotionless is impossible because you can't force somebody to care.