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Measuring evil: it's a science
5.11.01 AP objectivity & skepticism ¹ ª º ¶ ² ³ ª ß ç º ð å µ £ +n ¿ ë ƒ New Orleans "Evil" is not a word most psychiatrists like. But some are trying to find a way to measure it. During a symposium Thursday at the American Psychiatric Association convention, Dr. Michael Welner, a forensic psychiatrist, asked more than 120 psychiatrists to help create a depravity scale which could be used by the courts to judge criminals. Every day, judges ask juries to decide whether crimes are heinous, atrocious, cruel, outrageous, wanton, vile or inhuman, aggravating factors which can increase sentences and even lead to the death penalty in some states. But there are no universal standards to define such terms, Welner told the overflow audience. The interpretations often depend on judges' & jurors' emotions & biases, and politics or media attention can influence a prosecutor to seek the death penalty, he said. In his effort to create a scale to measure depravity in defendants, Welner, who has testified as both a prosecution & defense witness, created a list of 26 indications of intent, actions and attitudes which could be used to rate crimes. Among the intents are whether the person meant to cause emotional trauma, cause permanent disfigurement, or terrorize or target the helpless. Actions include whether an attack was unrelenting or the attacker prolonged the victim's suffering. Attitudes include blaming the victim, having disrespect for the victim or taking satisfaction in the crime. Welner is asking judges |