Title: Getting Inside a Criminal's Mind
Author: Kate O'Brien
Category: Cool Science (Day in Science project)


Each individual in a society is ruled by standardisation. Why conform to the norm when one can stand apart? Individuality sets the scene, creates the characters and tells the story. She must sift through the lies to find the truth, uncover the problem and discover reality. She is a forensic psychologist, helping those in need, investigating the truth and informing the rest of society about individuality.

Kate O'Brien and Dr Anita Duffy (r)

Dr. Anita Duffy works in a private practice and spends her days interviewing and assessing people who have been involved in a large variety of different crimes. It is her job to uncover the truth about these individuals and provide us with an insight into their behaviour. She is not looking for excuses or providing justification for wrongs; she is simply looking for insight into the truth about people, their pasts, themselves and their actions.

Usually, Anita is employed by her clients’ solicitors, and very rarely by the prosecution. She interviews each person either in a correctional facility or in her office, and conducts some basic assessments of their personality and abilities. It is hard to believe that in a very short period she can gain enough insight to assess an individual’s character. However, she insists that her job is made easier by the fact that most people are generally willing to offer information about themselves. Anita believes that this is because most people are grateful to have the chance to explain their actions and be listened to.

After a session with a client, reports are compiled and passed onto the client’s solicitor. Solicitors often use Anita’s analysis of their client to make their own arguments about the defendant. In contrast, Anita has heard a few stories of her reports being “shoved in the bottom drawer and never seeing the light of day again” as a result of her saying uncomplimentary (yet true) comments about clients. However, solicitors and their clients are generally happy with any insight she can provide.

When asked about interesting or bizarre cases, Anita retorts there are too many to tell. She asserts that they are all interesting in their own way as everyone has a different past making us all unique individuals. Anita’s clients are people who have committed various offences from shoplifting, fraud and assault to murder. She admits that many are similar stories, involving different forms, featuring other people.

It is not always easy to push personal beliefs and prejudices aside. Anita simply smiles and says, “I try to keep an open mind. That person is the person of focus and you can see that they have had a really terrible life that led them to do whatever they have done. To try to understand how that came about is really the issue.” Anita also believes that her reports are extremely useful in assessing the best way to assist a client.

Anita herself does not provide any private therapy or treatment. This is the job of other people more qualified and specialised in that arena. After the truth has been sought from the client, she recommends the best avenue of treatment for these people. Anita admits that sometimes her job can be very difficult as time is the essence and resources are limited. Money is an issue with free facilities often not specific or effective enough in serving each individual. Until more resources can be made available for those in need, Anita’s work appears to be an uphill battle.

Nevertheless, do not mention this to Anita; she is as passionate about her job today as she was when she started twenty years ago. You can hear it in her voice and see it in her enthusiasm to help those she can. Anita is quick to answer when asked whether she ever finds her job monotonous. “No, everyone’s different,” she assures me. She admits that she often gets worried about people whom she sees making the same mistakes again and again; however she is never discouraged. “They’re all individuals. They’ve all had different lives, experienced different paths and they’ve got different personalities. It’s always interesting…”

Could you set aside all that you believe to help another? Think you are passionate enough to do this? If so, then perhaps you are another special one…

Originally published in
A day in the Life Sciences in Australia