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Towards a new methodology for making sense of case material: an illustrative case involving attempted multiple murder
Author(s) -
GRESSWELL DAVID M.,
HOLLIN CLIVE R.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
criminal behaviour and mental health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1471-2857
pISSN - 0957-9664
DOI - 10.1002/cbm.1992.2.4.329
Subject(s) - plan (archaeology) , psychology , psychological intervention , management science , computer science , risk analysis (engineering) , medicine , psychiatry , engineering , history , archaeology
Functional analysis provides a method of understanding behaviour in terms of its consequences for the individual concerned. The suggestion is made here that the application of this method to past behaviour will be useful to both practitioners and researchers. It offers benefits in terms of organising case material, understanding the aetiology of the behaviour, planning interventions and predicting dangerousness. It should be noted, however, that this is not an exercise in developing causal models of specific offences. In this paper multiple sequential functional analysis methodology is described and the problems of applying it retrospectively to criminal behaviours discussed. The methodology is illustrated with the case of a man who formulated a plan to kill 20 people and was convicted of two counts of attempted murder.