Case Study – Carl, Susan or Julian
Case 1: Carl Jeffries
Carl Jeffries is a 37 year old male who has an IQ of 65. He has never lived independently and until recently, shared a house with his 70 year old mother. Mr Jeffries’ father left home when he was 8 years old and since then his mother has attempted two serious relationships, although both broke up due to his hostile reaction to his mother’s new partner. In terms of employment, three years ago, Mr Jeffries was made redundant from the factory where he had worked since the age of 18. Since then, he has had a series of part-time and temporary jobs but has not managed to sustain a prolonged period of employment. Since his initial redundancy, Mr Jeffries has found it difficult to control his level of alcohol consumption and is known to the police for several violent incidents. While none of these have resulted in a conviction for violence, he has received a conviction and a Band B fine for being drunk and disorderly in a public place. This caused further stress on the household because, while the fine should have been affordable, Mr Jeffries did not modify his behaviour and spending and his mother was forced to sell some of her possessions to raise money.
At approximately 11.15pm on the 19th August 2017, police were called to the house in Tweedsmuir Road in the Tremorfa area of Cardiff following a report of a disturbance from a neighbour. Upon arrival, they discovered Mr Jeffries sitting in an armchair in the living room. His mother’s body was lying on the floor in front of the fireplace. Traces of blood and hair were found on his person but these were not large amounts. He was found in a highly emotional state but denied all knowledge of what had happened. Witnesses report that Mr Jeffries was seen in a local store purchasing several cans of beer but he did not present as visibly drunk when police arrived. He was detained by police, taken to Cardiff Central Police Station and assessed as fit to be interviewed.
Guidance for this assessment
You need to address the psychological issues and how you would assist in dealing with them in the following stage:
Carl has been tried and convicted and you are the forensic psychologist assigned to assess this person, how would you proceed with the assessment? What risk assessment tools would be most appropriate and why? How would you address the treatment implications? Draw on relevant literature in support of your answer
based on the case study of “Carl”, produce a case study report from the perspective of a forensic psychologist treating carl.