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Public Affairs Discussion Group
"The Evaluation of Sexual Predators for
the Courts―Are They
Really Dangerous, and Can We Predict If They Will
Reoffend?"
March 23, 2007
Crawford Hall, Room 9 - The Inamori Center
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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Michael Aronoff, Ph.D. -
Chief of Psychology for the Cuyahoga County Court of
Common Pleas Court Psychiatric Clinic
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Dear Colleagues:
Sometimes we don't ask enough of our justice system,
and sometimes we may ask too much.
It is hard enough to do justice based on what people
have already done: to determine their actions and
guilt and appropriate punishment. Our system does
not always do well at those tasks. Yet the courts
are often asked to do more: to predict what people
will do in the future.
That's expected in part because the public expects
the justice system to protect the public, not simply
to exact justice. And controversy about protection
tends to be related to the fears that are being
promoted at any given time. In our current society
one of the most publicized fears, visible and
audible across the media, is of "sexual predators."
Many questions could be asked about the reasons for
that fixation. But at this week's Friday lunch we
will ask a more basic question: how well do the
courts respond to the concern? Indeed, how well
could they respond to this fear?
In order to protect the public against "sexual
predators," the courts must be able to identify
those people and predict their future behavior. In
making these decisions, the legal system relies in
part on expert evaluation by psychologists. But how
well can psychologists evaluate whether an
individual is a dangerous sexual predator, and the
likelihood that person will offend again?
Michael Aronoff Ph.D. is a clinical
psychologist who must address this question daily,
because he is Chief of Psychology for the Cuyahoga
County Court of Common Pleas Court Psychiatric
Clinic. He has worked as a forensic psychologist for
the past 13 years, and will bring his perspective to
the Friday Public Affairs Lunch Discussion this
week, on March 23. We will gather from 12:30
― 1:30 p.m. in Room 9 of
Crawford Hall. That's on the lower level of
Crawford, inside the Inamori Center, next to Access
Services. Cookies and hot beverages are provided by
the Office of University Communications and kind
donors. Please join us for what should be a
fascinating discussion of both the human mind and
the challenges of government.
Best regards,
Joe White
Spring Semester
Schedule
Beginning on February 2, the Friday Lunch will
move back to Crawford Hall, in ROOM 9. Room 9 is within
the Inamori Center, on the basement level of Crawford.
It is very kind of Bill Deal, Director of the Inamori
Center, to make this room available on a regular basis.
Thank you, Bill!
Room 9 seats 35, with a central table and also chairs
along the wall. It should be a better setup than
Guilford. If we expect a large crowd, we may be able to
open a partition and join up with Room 11.
There will, however, be a class in the room until 12:20.
Therefore it will not be possible to get there much
before the lunch begins. On the other hand, people who
are a bit early should be able to hang out in the
Tomlinson food court. I believe the underground passage
from Tomlinson to Crawford will be restored when
construction is finished.
Coffee will be provided from the SAGES Cafe'. Which
should mean very good coffee.
The tentative schedule of speakers, so far:
January 26: Phil (Perkins Professor of
Physics-Case Western Reserve University) and Sarah
Taylor, Wind Power and All of It's Aspects -
Environmental, Energy, Economic, Aesthetic, and
Maybe More.
February 2: Ken Grundy, Marcus Hanna Professor
Emeritus of Political Science, on subject to be
determined
February 9: Paul Schroeder, Visiting Lecturer in
Political Science and from Families of the Fallen for
Change, on what to do in Iraq
February 16: Mark Turner, Professor of Cognitive
Science, on cognition and politics
February 23: Mel Goldstein, Professor of
Anthropology, on why the Chinese are winning in Tibet
March 2: Susan Helper, Professor of Economics, on
strategies for American workers within the current
global competition.
March 9: Baiju Shah, President, Bioenterprise
Corporation, on the new economic prospects in Cleveland.
March 16: Break
March 23: Mike Aronoff of Cuyahoga County on the
evaluation of sexual predators for the courts―are they
really dangerous, and can we predict if they will reoffend?
March 30: Barbara Morrison, Assistant Professor
of Nursing, on how current patterns of care for Moms and
newborns deny them the peace and quiet and bonding they
need.
April 6:
Horst von Recum, Assistant Professor of Biomedical
Engineering; Insoo Hyun, Assistant Professor of
Bioethics; and Greg Eastwood, Interim President of Case
Western Reserve University on Stem Cell Research.
April 13: Marixa Lasso, Assistant Professor of
History: Drugs, War, and Coffee in Colombia
April 20: Mark Joseph, Assistant Professor,
Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences: Mixed-Income
Development as an Approach to Addressing Urban Poverty
April 27: Christine Cano, Associate Professor of
French, on the French elections (this date falls between
the first round and the runoff election)
Parking: For
those people who seek to make special arrangements about
parking, the contact person now will be Fay Alexander.
Her phone number is 368-4440, and her e-mail is
fabrienne.alexander@case.edu.
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