ViolentKids.com
Title
Violent Kids Information Site
Description
Many times, people ask me if I have an exciting job as a "criminal profiler" or if I dissect dead people. The answer to both questions is "No!" I am a forensic psychologist in Knoxville, Tennessee who specializes in kids (and adults) who are violent. The American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) defines the field of forensic psychology as "The application of the science and profession of law to questions and issues relating to psychology and the legal system." Ok, so my job is exciting (at least I think so) but I deal with live people who have very severe problems with anger and feelings of aggression. I mostly do psychological evaluations that involve assessing individuals to see if they are competent to stand trial, or are dangerous to others; or to make
treatment recommendations. My typical day might consist of a parent, organization or court asking me to evaluate a child who has assaulted others, brought a gun to school or made homicidal threats. Or I might be asked to examine mitigating factors for someone who has committed a violent act. Occasionally, I might see someone for therapy who has been having homicidal thoughts. I try not to work with more than a few clients a week because of the stress, and I spend a great deal of time on each case. This is my day job.
My other main interest is in helping lay people in society understand more about the psychological and environmental conditions that might make the violent tendencies in kids worse. Anyone who works with children or has them knows that there is some genetic component to how aggressive or non-aggressive kids can be. But genetics does not explain the whole story of why certain kids become violent. I am interested in the societal systems and the environment that interact with certain disturbed kids to produce a killer. I have seen first-hand in my work what happens when the various societal systems we have in place fail to protect society. These systems include mental health facilities, criminal justice and educational systems, and the changing attitudes of our communities in dealing with kids who are aggressive. My reason for making the documentary, Six, was to explore one case study of six young murderers as a way to help the public understand not only the world of violent youth but the systems that failed to take notice of the warning signs until it was too late. I bankrolled the documentary myself because I believed it was important to tell the story of the Lillelid murder in a way that graphically demonstrates the failures of the various systems and institutions we rely on to deal with those troubled teens- failures that led to the death of innocents. It is only by understanding these systems that we can work towards solutions in the area of juvenile violence.
Contact
Administrative:
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- Knoxville Tennessee
- United States 37902
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- 8888888888
Registrant:
- S.P.S.
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- Knoxville Tennessee
- United States 37919
