in this issue . . . Behavior Provoking Questions: The Punishment Question   Helping First Responders Withstand Traumatic Experiences   Tryptamines & Phenethylamines---Say What?

 By John E Reid & Associates

The Behavior Analysis Interview is a structured interview, developed by John E. Reid and Associates, designed to elicit behavior symptoms indicative of truthfulness or deception. The core of the interview consists of asking a series of behavior provoking questions. These questions tend to elicit different responses from a suspect who is innocent of a crime than from a suspect who is guilty of a crime. Research has been conducted on these questions to develop models which define common characteristics of a truthful or deceptive response. This web tip will present a behavior provoking question called "The Punishment Question."

The punishment question is generically phrased, "What do you think should happen to the person who (did crime?)" It is important that the punishment question specifically address the issue under investigation. In a homicide case, for example, the suspect would be asked, "What do you think should happen to the person who killed Jeff Johnson?" If the issue under investigation was the theft of $2500 from a vault, the punishment question would be phrased, "What do you think should happen to the person who took that $2500?" If a claimant was being interviewed concerning a possible fraudulent auto theft claim, the question would be worded, "What do you think should happen to a person who would lie about having his car stolen?"

When an innocent suspect is asked to cast judgment against the person guilty of the crime he has little difficulty expressing a harsh punishment. After all, it is because of someone else's crime that the suspect is being questioned. Typical innocent responses to the punishment question include, "He should be prosecuted and sent to jail!"; "For killing that clerk I hope he gets life in prison!"; or, "He should be fired and probably prosecuted. Stealing $2500 is not petty theft!"

A key response to listen for from the innocent suspect to the punishment question is whether the suspect is talking about the guilty person as being someone else. Actual examples of this from verified innocent suspects we have interviewed include, "Well, I'd like to have a shot at him first!"; "After what he's put me through I hope they throw him in jail"; and, "To do that to a girl this guy's got to be really sick." A very religious suspect who was verified as innocent responded to the punishment question as follows: "It's against my beliefs to judge anyone harshly, but after you find out who did this I would like to sit down with him and do a little preaching because his soul needs saving."

Innocent suspects offer a personal opinion in their response to the punishment question. The suspect has been asked specifically what do you think should happen to the person who committed the crime. In all of the above examples, the response reflects a personal opinion.

In addition to the above verbal responses, the innocent suspect's response to the punishment question is often accompanied by characteristic nonverbal and paralinguistic cues. Nonverbally, the suspect will offer direct eye contact and perhaps lean forward in his chair. Because the question may stimulate an emotional response, the suspect may use illustrators (hands moving away from the body). Within the paralinguistic channel, innocent suspects offer longer, more thoughtful responses than deceptive suspects; after all, they are speculating about someone else's crime. Most typically, innocent suspects will ponder the punishment question before answering it because it is a reflective question and, therefore, a delay of thoughtful deliberation is not uncommon. The volume and strength of conviction, however, will remain steady throughout the suspect's response.

When a deceptive suspect is asked the punishment question he is being asked to judge himself. Applying the axiom that guilty suspects believe that their crime was somewhat justified, it is not surprising that one of the models defining the guilty suspect's response to the punishment question is to offer a lenient punishment. Examples of this include, "Well, I think probation may be appropriate"; "Maybe pay back the money"; "Perhaps some type of psychological treatment would be best"; or, "Since no one was really hurt, I think supervision would be sufficient."

Deceptive responses to the punishment question may fail to talk about the guilty person as being someone else. Often, the deceptive suspect may insert some sort of conditional language within his response so as to excuse his own situation. A suspect guilty of molesting a young boy responded to the punishment question, "Well, if a person has done this to dozens of children I think that has to be taken seriously." A suspect who eventually confessed to stealing $1000 answered the punishment question as follows: "I wouldn't take it to court unless they had actual physical evidence to show that the person took the money." A suspect who murdered his mother-in-law responded, "Gee, that's a tough one. What happened certainly wasn't good -- I mean it was terrible. Certainly the matter should go to court."

A deceptive suspect may evade a direct response to the punishment question and not offer a personal opinion. The most common form of evasion is for the suspect not to take any position at all, e.g., "I don't know. That will be up to a judge." Other evasive responses to the punishment question include, "I'm sure he will prosecuted and sent to prison" and, "It is company policy to fire anyone who steals." As these last two examples illustrate, when a suspect's response to the punishment question includes a harsh judgment it is important to determine if the suspect is offering his own personal judgment. If he does not, he is evading the question.

A deceptive suspect may engage in significant nonverbal behaviors when responding to the punishment question. He may avoid direct eye contact, cross or uncross his legs or engage in various grooming behaviors. Within paralinguistic evaluations, deceptive responses to the punishment question tend to be shorter and more guarded. The deceptive suspect may answer this question too quickly, without giving it adequate thought or attempt to disguise the anxiety the question caused by repeating the question before answering it (for the purpose of buying time to think up the best possible response.) Finally, the deceptive suspect may lose interest in his response where he begins his response at a normal volume and rate, but by the time he finishes the response, both his volume and rate decrease significantly. In this instance, even though the suspect may suggest a harsh punishment for the guilty person, he does not really believe his answer.

It is important to remember that the punishment question is one of many behavior provoking questions that should be asked during a properly conducted Behavior Analysis Interview. It would most certainly be improper to assess a suspect's guilt or innocence based on a response to a single behavior provoking question. For information on interpreting other behavior provoking questions, see our text The Investigator Anthology.
 

  

By Jan Heglund

Years of exposure to critical incidents and daily pressures to protect their communities can have an overwhelming effect on emergency responders. They begin to question themselves. “What is wrong with me? Am I the only person who feels like this? When will I begin feeling better about myself, my life, my job?”²

First responders service society. Citizens rest more easily knowing that they are there, they are skilled, and they solve problems. In short, emergency responders are professional caregivers. But, who cares for the caregivers? When they are suffering from depression, exhibiting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or, worst of all, contemplating suicide, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other emergency services personnel deserve care, attention, and healing. A facility in California has helped many of these dedicated first responders recover from the toxic effects of the professions they have felt compelled to enter.

Carrying the Weight

The West Coast Post-Trauma Retreat (WCPR) is a nonprofit residential program for emergency responders suffering from severe critical-incident stress. WCPR likens this experience to putting rocks in a backpack. As emergency responders progress through their careers, each incident, each experience goes into their backpacks as a rock. Over the years, they struggle to function wearing this heavy load, yet continue to add rock after rock. For many, this backpack eventually becomes impossible to carry. “To provide a safe and confidential environment for the promotion of healing and education to those dedicated to the first-responder profession” constitutes WCPR’s mission.³

In 2001, the program began and offered retreats three times a year. Over the past several years, the need for this type of initiative has been so successfully acknowledged that retreats now occur every month. The program consists of skilled and experienced clinical and peer staff specifically trained in trauma recovery. Licensed clinicians, chaplains, and peer support members from law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services volunteer their skills. All are heavily involved in other work regarding emergency responders but unhesitatingly admit that taking part in WCPR proves the most rewarding. Although the program cannot undo the critical incidents that have so adversely affected the clients, its goal is to help these professionals and retirees regain control over their lives and return to work with a new perspective on stress and coping, move on with their lives if that proves a more appropriate decision, or simply enjoy retirement. WCPR also provides assistance for spouses and significant others (the SOS program) because the lives of those who care about responders also are affected.

All retreats are held in a serene, private location. Clients arrive on Sunday afternoon and usually are scared, tired, and lost. Each is matched with a clinician who works individually with the client at different times in the process. The week is tightly scheduled with the days starting at 8 a.m. and going as late as 10 p.m. As the week progresses, so do the clients.

In addition to the clinical work, a large educational component, an in-house Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, a carefully selected number of videos, and chapel services are offered. A psychiatrist discusses medication and PTSD with the clients. The chaplain offers spiritual support and a pastoral presence for the clients, as well as for the team members because incidents discussed by the clients may act as triggers for these individuals. Although some clients list themselves as agnostic or unbelievers, it has been found, without exception, that they desire a spiritual component to the program.

Adjusting the Fit

How a first responder is affected by a critical incident often has to do with what that person brings to the event. What the program calls “department betrayal” is a constant issue. Responders often are upset at the way their agencies have treated them. Family histories, previous critical incidents, and inaccurate views of their own abilities or confidence levels affect what may be a very difficult situation for some responders and not for others. WCPR’s attempt to normalize feelings helps clients understand their reactions. For example, they spend one morning debriefing a significant family relationship with the hope of recognizing and understanding the association and its affect on their responses to critical incidents.

As the week continues, the process of walking the clients through, not around, their traumatic experiences and family histories can cause their pain and discomfort levels to rise. Staff members remind clients to “trust the process” and urge them to leave their secrets at the retreat; a place they quickly realize as perhaps the safest and most confidential they ever will find. When clients can do this, their relief is immediately noticeable.

The team’s cohesiveness is vital. During the week, members hold regular meetings to discuss the progress of the clients, the week in general, and the well-being of the team. To further bolster a sense of community between the staff and clients, they honor birthdays and special celebrations at dinner. Moreover, all team members are available at any time to assist clients who cannot sleep or need to talk.

Lightening the Load

On the last day, clients spend time together while the team conducts a debriefing of the week. Both of these closing activities prove paramount as everyone leaves to go back to their “world.” Each client is assigned a peer and a clinician who draft and check 90-day plans. Peers will contact the clients regularly to see how they are progressing on their plans.

At the graduation ceremony, clients receive certificates of completion, along with selected gifts and cards. A particularly moving part involves distributing two flat river rocks that each client received at the beginning of the week. At that time, staff members had urged clients to write on the rocks one or two words concerning which problems were causing them the most distress. After graduation, everyone walks down to a quiet, green area where, under a large pine tree, former clients have left hundreds of rocks. Current clients are encouraged to add their rocks as a symbol that they can leave their issues, now resolved, at the tree. Some are not ready to do so, but many have worked through their difficult situations and deposit their rocks under the tree.

The appearance of the clients from the first day of the retreat to the day of graduation demonstrates the effectiveness of the program. Laughter, friendship, and problems resolved rule the day.

Conclusion

The toxic effects of working as emergency responders can become overwhelming. These dedicated professionals deserve the opportunity to recover from these exposures and return to their duties and personal lives as whole, healthy individuals. One effort, the West Coast Post-Trauma Retreat, offers a therapeutic and educational residential program that can help law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other emergency services personnel deal with the rigors of their chosen professions. As one client so poignantly commented, “If those people hadn’t been there for me, I honestly don’t know what would have happened. I don’t think I would be here to talk about it.”⁴

September 2009 | FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin

By Trinka Porrata

Crime labs are encountering substances so unusual that they may not even have an authenticated sample.  As per the DEA Microgram in April 2007, the Tulsa Police Department Crime Lab, for example, received clear gelatin capsules labeled “Nortesten.”  That product supposedly contains norandrostenediol and norandrostenedione, but field tested positive as an amphetamine-like compound.  Analysis indicated that it was 2,5-dimethoxy-4-ethylphenethalamine (2C-E) but not confirmed due to the lack of a standard at that time.  The drug 2C-B has been around awhile, but now related drugs like 2C-E and 2C-I are popping up on occasion around the country.  Though 2C-E and 2C-I have been in existence for some time, there is little documented history of human use (abuse).  

There is a list of more than 175 of these phenethylamines and tryptamines and abusers gradually are working their way through the list of these various number/letter combination substances.  Many have a limited history of human usage and thus little information and few authenticated standards for the average crime lab or drug testing lab.  It seems we will be playing “catch up” for awhile yet!

MDMA is the best known phenethylamine.  No need to buy Alex “Papa Ecstasy” Shulgin’s books PIHKAL and TIHKAL because the info is pretty much repeated at www.erowid.org.  Erowid is a pro-drug website, but it’s a great resource, even used by many Poison Control Centers when researching unusual drug symptoms and names.  By the way, PIHKAL stands for “Phenethylamines I Have Known And Loved” and TIHKAL stands for “Tryptamines I Have Known And Loved.”  Dr. Shulgin created many of them (but he did not create MDMA, aka Ecstasy, despite his nickname) and this old-time chemist and his wife have tried them all.

In early 2009 “Sunshine” surfaced in Oregon and they had to search far and wide for a standard (Australia had encountered it too).  That turned out to be methylmethcathinone, chemically similar to methcathinone but described as having effects more like Ecstasy (MDMA). 

You may start hearing the term “Captagon” due to our increased contact with Middle Eastern countries.  Captagon is the defunct brand name for fenethylline (illegal in the US and no longer legally manufactured worldwide) which, when ingested, breaks down into amphetamine and theophylline (which has been used in the US for respiratory diseases).  This is reportedly the most popular drug in Saudi Arabia and that general region.  Captagon may become increasingly referenced and may surface sold as Ecstasy or may (like Ecstasy so often is) just be a mixture of other substances and sold as Captagon.

HOW TO PARTY & STILL TEST CLEAN FOR YOUR P.O.

Project GHB (www.projectghb.org)  has encountered a number of GHB-using subcultures around the country, groups of individuals who were on probation or any drug testing program for other drugs and realized that if they partied on GHB, they’d still test clean.  1—GHB is gone from the system in just four hours in blood and twelve in urine and 2—no one is testing for GHB anyway.  In fact, even those arrested for possession, sales or DUI on GHB typically are not tested for GHB while on probation or in court-mandated treatment centers; it just isn’t on the standard panels of drug tests.  Furthermore, there have even been numerous reported incidents (reported by the abusers themselves) where treatment centers naively allowed them to bring in their GHB.  One treatment facility looked at the water bottle the addict brought with him and realized it wasn’t water but had no clue and simply handed it to him with a shrug.  He and another GHB addict he met in the facility simply continued their GHB abuse (avoiding the horrific withdrawal from GHB for those addicted) throughout their court mandated stay and even introduced a male nurse at the facility to its “pleasures.”  The male nurse reportedly (according to the father of the young man who brought the bottle with him) ended up dead at home from a GHB overdose and the young man who introduced it to him committed suicide due to guilt. 

In Louisiana, a young man who accidentally overdosed on GHB (picked up his friend’s soda can that contained strong GHB instead of his own can of actual soda).  Realizing his error, he pleaded with his best friend not to let him die.  His friend dumped him at the drug dealer’s house to “sleep it off.”  When things went sideways he was dumped at the ER door.  He had stopped breathing, was resuscitated three times and his mother was told that he was brain dead and they should just pull the plug.  Fortunately her husband was out of town, forcing a delayed decision.  She turned to her church and all prayed for her son.  To the doctor’s amazement, he woke up, his brain surviving, but some lung damage.  The distressed mother demanded information from the group he hung out with and ultimately learned about the accidental can issue and learned that they were all in drug court for various drugs and figured out that GHB wouldn’t cause a dirty test. 

MY QUICK REFERENCE LIST

A great book for college courses re narcotics and a handy size for field officer reference is the newest edition of “Drug ID & Symptoms Guide,” by Law Tech Publishing.  Current drug issues including GHB, MDMA (Ecstasy), ketamine, salvia divinorum, DXM, current slang terms and photos of paraphernalia are all included in this updated edition.  http://www.lawtechpublishing.com/publication.asp?pid=98

A great reference book for Drug Recognition Experts, sexual assault detectives, field narcotics officers and prosecutors and medical professionals involved in those cases, is  

“Drug Information Handbook for the Law Enforcement Professional” by Copware. 

http://www.copware.com/products/drug_handbook.html  Temporarily unavailable from Copware, but if you contact me (Trinka@projectghb.org) I do have just a couple of copies left.

A must have for all sexual assault units is “Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault: A Forensic Handbook,” by Academic Press (now part of Elsevier), edited by Marc LeBeau and Ashraf Mozayani.  Best price may be Amazon.com. http://www.elsevierdirect.com/product.jsp?isbn=9780124402614

Need to know more about GHB addiction?  Losing cops or firefighters on your turf to this gym-based drug?  Encountering GHB addicts in your arrestees?  Be aware, a GHB-addicted arrestee can indeed die in custody from the severe withdrawal syndrome without a proper medical detox (ten to 14 days).  Then you need Project GHB’s new and unique book, “G’d Up 24/7:  The GHB Addiction Guide,” available through www.projectghb.org or via Law Tech Publishing.  http://www.lawtechpublishing.com/publication.asp?pid=106

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