BW

For this week's assignment, I chose John Gacy's case. John Gacy was born in 1942 into a middle-class family. He was the middle child and the only boy. While growing up, his dad was verbally abusive towards him and always made him feel that he was not good at anything. Even though John Gacy was well-liked at school, he often lied to appear more accomplished, likely as a way to cope with his father's constant belittling (Philbin, 2009)

After graduating from high school, he went to college and got his business degree. He then started working for a shoe store, where he met his first wife. After marrying his first wife, he moved to Iowa, where they had a daughter and a son. In the small town, rumors started circulating that he was having sex with some of the teenagers who worked for him at the store he was managing. His first victim went to the police and filed a report stating that John Wayne Gacy made him do some sexual acts. After this, Gacy was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison (Philbin, 2009).

While in prison, John Gacy's wife asked for a divorce. Once he was released on parole, he moved to Chicago and lived with his mother for some time until he was able to buy a house. He later married his second wife, but that was a short marriage, as she stated that he was very violent at times (Philbin, 2009)

He became a contractor and also, he would dress as a clown to animate kids parties. Neighbors started complaining about a foul odor coming from his house. Due to this investigation, the police searched his house and found at least 32 bodies buried in the crawlspace. During the investigation, police found that Gacy would invite young boys, give them drugs, have sex, torture them and then killed them. He was arrested and charged with 32 murders between the years of 1972 and 1978. Forensic psychology played a crucial part in his case, as John Gacy was trying to claim that he was insane. However, the forensic psychology evaluation, including the PCL-R conducted by Dr. Robert Reifman found him competent and legally sane to stand trial. Later on, the jury found him guilty, and he was sentenced to the death penalty (Philbin, 2009)

Explain characteristics of the assessment that make it effective for this case.

The PCL-R stands for Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, and it is clinically used to assess psychopathy especially in prisons, courts, etc. The PCL-R evaluates a broad range of traits associated with psychopathy. This approach provided a clear picture of Gacy's personality and behavioral traits which was utterly important in understanding his criminal behavior.

Explain the implications regarding the selection of the assessment instrument and its impact on the outcome of the case

The PCL-R measures psychopathic traits, which are known to be linked to violent behavior. This was crucial in evaluating Gacy's case who exhibited manipulative behavior, and antisocial personality behavior as well.

Respond to of your colleagues’ posts by explaining why you agree or disagree with their forensic risk assessment instrument choice and defend your explanation with at least one scholarly resource.

Note: Your responses to colleagues should be substantial (250 words minimum), supported with scholarly evidence from your research and/or the Learning Resources, and properly cited using APA style.