Summary Of Mind Of A Rampage Killer

The NOVA Episode “Mind of a Rampage Killer” was a very interesting and informing video to watch. It brought up many new ways that scientist are now using to try to pin point mental illness and better ways to help people recover. My opinion on how some of these technologies should be used in the criminal justice system is that they shouldn’t be used without proper guidelines.
A lot of this new information can help identify who could be a prospective killer, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they will become one. Law enforcement cannot just make someone take one of these tests and if they so happen meet all the criteria’s of a possible “rampaging killer” lock them up. The person may be meeting all the criteria’s but they have not done anything

wrong yet. Dr. Paul Frick from the University of New Orleans said “The analogy I use is (it is) like a hurricane. We’re kind of good at predicting what conditions make hurricanes most likely to develop: low pressure, the warmth of the water, wind shear, things like that. We’re not always perfectly correct. You might have the perfect conditions, and somehow the hurricanes don’t develop, and it is the same thing with violence. We Know the factors that can put a child are risk for acting aggressive and violently. And the Kids who typically do these rampages show many of the same factors. The thing we’re not too good at is determining ‘When does the perfect confluence of influences lead to a Category 5 hurricane (Rampage)?”
I do however believe that they should be used to identify the violent tendencies of a criminal suspect. This should not necessarily be the key factor to use when charging someone with murder, but should be able to help narrow down a large suspect pool, if there is one in a large case.
The only other way that I believe that this technology or techniques should be involved in the criminal justice system is in the court of law. It should not necessarily be the key factor for the prosecution, but should be used to show the mental state of the suspect during the case. It should also not necessarily let someone walk free just because “Oh they couldn’t help it. It is due to how they are weird”. These people need to be held accountable for their actions, but at the same time they should receive help so that they may be able to live a life without being a possible threat to society not just because he is behind bars.
I also believe that there should be more institutions like The Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center where they help the juveniles by providing quality mental health treatment and patient care in a safe setting. Like stated in the video “the place runs on a mix of punishment and positive reinforcement”, which I believe to be very important especially with teens who feel that they have no control on their life and that the only way to have some control is to act out violently. This allows them to have some control where it shows them if you do well at something, like Ken who made honor roll in school; they would be rewarded, as Ken was with McDonald’s with making honor roll. Much like know that they can change and that if that want to have a better life that they can receive it and that there are people there who are willing to help.