Curriculum

Module 1: Psychopathology and Forensic Diagnostics

This module offers a deeper knowledge of recognizing and naming psychopathological symptoms. The specific content includes, inter alia, the correct classification of psychopathological symptoms when making a diagnosis, as well as the relevance and procedures of psychopharmacological treatments. The focus is on disorders in adults, but specific disorders in children and adolescents are also discussed. The module touches upon typical psychiatric disorders, psychiatric emergencies and special characteristics of psychopharmacological treatment concerning the prison population in contrast to general psychiatry.

Module 2: Risk Assessment and Threat Management

The module introduces core concepts of assessing risk of recidivism in violent and sex offenders. The advantages and disadvantages of different approaches are compared and the use of different risk assessment instruments applied to specific cases. A particular focus is on the validity of risk assessment in general and risk assessment instruments in particular. The seminar also deals with strategies in the management of threat situations and crises.

Module 3: Criminal law report, focal risk assessment and indication

The seminars deal with questions of preparation of criminal expertise, focal risk assessment and indication as well as the preparation of prognosis and culpability opinions in the context of criminal proceedings. The role of the expert witness is presented and the concrete procedure for answering the questions of recidivism risk and culpability is taught.

Module 4: Offender Treatment

Students learn the different principles of crime-preventative interventions for offenders. They also gain insight into the various basic techniques of the different treatment modules and discuss crime-related subject areas in more detail. In addition to the basic techniques, students learn about specific forms of therapeutic interventions for distinct indications (e.g. personality disorders, schizophrenia, paraphilias, addiction).