Karen Franklin

Karen Franklin
Born
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Alma materSFSU BA 1982,
CSPP (PhD)
U. Wash Postdoctoral fellowship
AwardsDistinguished Scientific Achievement (2012)[1][2]
Monette/Horwitz Award (2001)[3]
Guggenheim Foundation (1996)
Scientific career
FieldsForensic psychology
InstitutionsCalifornia School of Professional Psychology
Alliant International University
ThesisAntigay Behaviors Among Young Adults (2000)
Doctoral advisorGregory Herek
Websitekarenfranklin.com

Karen Franklin is an American forensic psychologist. For her doctoral dissertation, she conducted research on anti-gay violence.[4][5][6][7] She has also published commentaries about sex crimes, primarily expressing her opposition to the use of the hebephilia and other diagnoses in sexually violent predator regulations. She received the 2012 Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award in Psychology[2] and the Monette-Horwitz Trust Award in 2001.[3]

Career

In 1982, Franklin received a BA in journalism from San Francisco State University, and at one point she worked as a legal affairs news reporter.[8] She received her PhD in 1997 from the California School of Professional Psychology.[8] She is an instructor of clinical psychology at Alliant International University, and serves as chair of the Ethics & Professional Affairs Committee of the Alameda County Psychological Association.[8]

Franklin formerly worked as a criminal investigator for death penalty cases, which sparked her interest in forensic psychology.[9] In her forensic psychology practice, she conducts competency evaluations, risk assessment, and mental state exams for criminal defendants, particularly sex offenders as well as defendants facing possible execution.[10] Franklin has served as an expert witness in criminal trials.[11] She was a guest expert on National Public Radio's documentary program All Things Considered, and the Public Broadcasting Service's in-depth documentary program Frontline.[6][12][13]

Research

Franklin's research focused the psychological basis for anti-gay hate crimes,[12][13][14][15] hebephilia,[16][17] and the interpersonal dynamics of gang rape.[18] In addition, she published articles on subjects such as ethics in forensics issues,[6][19] whether child molesters could outsmart tests,[20] criminal justice decisions,[6] false confessions,[21] the nature of psychopathy,[22][23] and other topics in forensic psychology. Her analysis of hate crimes identified four main motives: ideology, thrill seeking, peer dynamics and perceived self-defense;[24][25] she elaborated that "offenders perceive that they have societal permission to engage in violence against homosexuals."[14] She presented her paper Psychosocial Motivations of Hate Crimes Perpetrators to a congressional hearing in 1998.[26] She asserted that laws to punish people who commit hate crimes may not be the best way to prevent such crimes; she argued that many criminals don't curtail their violence based on their estimate of possible future punishment.[27] She argued in 2015 that the objectification of women can desensitize viewers to the humanity of women, but that such objectification had little direct impact on group violence.[18] She argued that group-perpetrated violence can serve a variety of purposes for men who feel disempowered, by promoting group adhesion and camaraderie, as well as giving the members a chance to "demonstrate and celebrate their masculinity."[18]

Franklin has also criticized the usefulness of the concept of psychopathy. In 2011, she wrote, "By foregrounding intrinsic evil, psychopathy marginalizes social problems and excuses institutional failures at rehabilitation"; she also calls diagnoses of psychopathy "essentially subjective."[28]

Franklin questioned whether childhood behaviors such as a history of abusing animals, or setting fires, or bedwetting, sometimes called the homicidal triad, were good predictors of future psychopathic behavior; she claimed that they were less effective than commonly thought.[29]

Franklin's forensic research has been published in Behavioral Sciences and the Law,[30] American Behavioral Scientist,[31][32] Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice,[33] Sexuality Research and Social Policy, the Journal of Interpersonal Violence,[34] and others, as well as in popular magazines such as Psychology Today.[35]

References

  1. ^ Note: in psychology
  2. ^ a b Miranda A.H Horvath, Jessica Woodhams, (editors), 2013, Routledge Publishers, Handbook on the Study of Multiple Perpetrator Rape: A multidisciplinary response to an international problem, Karen Franklin, Accessed July 27, 2014, (see page ix:) "She received the 2012 Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award in Psychology...."
  3. ^ a b 2001 awards, Monette Horwitz Trust, 2001 Awards, Accessed July 27, 2014
  4. ^ James Brooke, October 14, 1998, The New York Times, Homophobia Often Found In Schools, Data Show, Accessed July 26, 2014, "...The study was conducted this year by Karen Franklin, a forensic psychologist... at the University of Washington..."
  5. ^ Psychology Today, Experts, Accessed July 26, 2014, "..Karen Franklin, Ph.D., is a forensic psychologist in Northern California and an adjunct professor at Alliant International University. She is a former criminal investigator and legal affairs reporter. ..."
  6. ^ a b c d May 26, 2011, NPR, All Things Considered, Expert Panel: Weighing The Value Of A Test For Psychopaths: On All Things Considered this week, NPR's Alix Spiegel explores the controversial PCL-R test, designed to evaluate psychopaths, and its great influence over one inmate's parole fate. Here, a panel of experts debates the test's role in the criminal justice system., Accessed July 26, 2014, "..Karen Franklin is a clinical and forensic psychologist in the San Francisco Bay Area ..."
  7. ^ Jeffrey Kaye (August 25, 2011). "APA "Casebook" On Psychologist Ethics, Interrogations Fails To Convince". The Public Record. Retrieved August 31, 2015. ...But according to forensic psychologist Karen Franklin, "These guidelines are not enforceable. And, like all such professional guidelines, they will be subject to diverse interpretations."...
  8. ^ a b c "Karen Franklin". Alliant International University. 2015. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  9. ^ Brown R, Davenport J (2011). Forensic Science: Advanced Investigations. South-Western Educational Pub. ISBN 978-0538450898.
  10. ^ 2014, The Guardian, Karen Franklin, Accessed July 26, 2014, "...Karen Franklin is an award-winning researcher, professor and forensic psychologist in the San Francisco Bay area ... evaluation of criminal defendants.."
  11. ^ Joel Stashenko (May 4, 2015). "Diagnosis at Issue in Sex Offender's Civil Confinement Case". New York Law Journal. Retrieved August 31, 2015. ...Another of Harris' experts, clinical psychologist Karen Franklin, said that by the very nature of the diagnosis as "unspecified" meant it lacked the "uniformity, validity or reliability" needed to be accepted generally in the medical community...
  12. ^ a b Frontline (PBS),Interviews, Accessed July 26, 2014, "...forensic psychologist, Karen Franklin's dual interests in psychology and the law brought her to question the roots of anti-gay hate crimes... badly needed empirical data on the nature and extent of negative reactions to gays..."
  13. ^ a b Karen Franklin, Frontline (PBS), Inside the mind of people who hate gays, Accessed July 26, 2014, "...Bias-related violence against homosexuals is believed to be widespread in the United States, with perpetrators typically described by victims as young men in groups .."
  14. ^ a b John Ireland (May 9, 2007). "Defining Hate in the United States: Despite widespread public support, hate crime law across the country remains inconsistent and the crimes often go unpunished". In These Times. Retrieved August 31, 2015. ...Karen Franklin, a forensic psychology fellow ...offenders perceive that they have societal permission to engage in violence against homosexuals."...
  15. ^ Sam Fulwood III (October 14, 1998). "Dissent Blocks Tougher Hate Crime Laws -- Congress: Questions abound over whether efforts to punish such wrongdoing more strictly are justified, fair--or even helpful". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 1, 2015. ...Dr. Karen Franklin... a widely recognized expert on hate crimes, said she does not like the term "hate crimes" because "it assumes a motivation that I don't think is present in many, many occasions. It assumes hate, which I don't think is evident."...
  16. ^ Hannah Osborne (July 17, 2014), International Business Times, Hebephilia: No, It's Not Normal for Men to Have Sex with Pubescent Girls, Accessed July 26, 2014, "..One of his biggest critics, Karen Franklin, claimed hebephilia is normal for men because in terms of evolution and reproduction, it is beneficial to be attracted to a girl when she becomes fertile: ..."
  17. ^ James M. Cantor, Research Gate,The Errors of Karen Franklin's Pretextuality., Accessed July 26, 2014, "..in her recent article, Hebephilia: Quintessence of Diagnostic Pretextuality (published in Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 2010), Karen Franklin expands on her previous argument that psychologists and psychiatrists should not diagnose..."
  18. ^ a b c G.S. Mudur and Ananya Sengupta (2015). "Rape spotlight on item numbers". Telegraph India. Archived from the original on September 7, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2015. ..."The objectification of women ...said Karen Franklin ... there is little evidence that such depictions have a direct impact on rates of sexual violence.... Group-perpetrated violence, according to Franklin, can serve many purposes for disempowered men ...
  19. ^ May 31, 2014, Marvin W. Acklin, Ph.D., Hawaii Forensic Psychology, PROFESSIONAL ETHICS,"PARTISAN ALLEGIANCE," AND EXPERT WITNESS LIABILITY Archived February 3, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, Accessed July 26, 2014, "..Franklin ... experts have an ethical duty in the quality of their forensic work, to know ... relevant literature and controversies, acknowledge scientific limitations, and understand...."
  20. ^ Maurice Chammah (July 9, 2015). "The Sex-Offender Test: Can the Abel Assessment tell if you're a potential child-molester?". The Marshall Project. Retrieved August 31, 2015. ...Karen Franklin... online forum in which predatory and unapologetic sex offenders traded notes on how to fool the test of visual reaction time...
  21. ^ Douglas L. Keene, Rita R. Handrich, November 28, 2012, The Jury Expert, "Only the Guilty Would Confess to Crimes" : Understanding the Mystery of False Confessions, Accessed July 26, 2014, "...Karen Franklin, PhD is an award-winning forensic psychologist .."
  22. ^ Rob Kall (July 19, 2015). "Transcript: Interview M.E. Thomas Author, Confessions of a Sociopath". OpEdNews. Retrieved August 31, 2015. ... forensic psychologist, Karen Franklin... "The psychopath is irredeemable. A dangerous outsider who must be contained or banished, circular in its reasoning, psychopathy is never, none the less a warring in its simplicity"....
  23. ^ Rob Kall (June 27, 2013). "Interview with a Sociopath". OpEdNews. Retrieved August 31, 2015. ... Karen Franklin, a researcher in forensic psychology, ... The psychopath is irredeemable, a dangerous outsider who must be contained or banished...
  24. ^ Elizabeth P. Cramer (June 2015). "Hate Crime Laws and Sexual Orientation". The Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare. Retrieved September 1, 2015. (see page 17)...Volume 26, Issue 3, September... based on work by Karen Franklin...
  25. ^ Karen Franklin, American Psychological Association, Prevalence of Antigay Aggression among a College Sample, Retrieved September 1, 2015, "..Four distinct motivations were found in bias crimes against sexual minorities. These are Self-Defense, Ideology, Thrill Seeking, and Peer Dynamics...."
  26. ^ "HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT OF 1997 -- HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, ONE HUNDRED FIFTH CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION". U.S. Government Printing Office. July 22, 1998. Retrieved September 1, 2015. ON H.R. 3081....Serial No. 131...(see page 184) ... Franklin, K. (1997, November). Psychosocial motivations of hate crimes perpetrators: Implications for prevention and-policy. Paper presented at the American Psychological Associations Congressional Briefing on Hate Crimes, Washington, DC ....
  27. ^ Dan Quinn (June 10, 1997). "the crime that's not necessarily a crime". Here Publishing; The Advocate. Retrieved September 1, 2015. ...No. 735, ISSN 0001-8996, page 51...Karen Franklin ... in the real world, criminals don't calculate their moves based on the specific punishment they will suffer if caught...
  28. ^ Karen Franklin (May 26, 2011). "Masking Bias With Science". WBUR. Retrieved November 19, 2019. By foregrounding intrinsic evil, psychopathy marginalizes social problems and excuses institutional failures at rehabilitation... Although modern psychopathy is more nuanced than its 19th century ancestor, diagnosing it remains an essentially subjective task.
  29. ^ Dean Haycock (March 4, 2014). Murderous Minds: Exploring the Psychopathic Brain: Neurological Imaging and the Manifestation of Evil. Open Road Media. ISBN 9781480447981. Retrieved August 31, 2015. ...According to forensic psychologist Karen Franklin..
  30. ^ Franklin Karen (2010). "Hebephilia: Quintessence of diagnostic pretextuality". Behavioral Sciences. 28 (6): 751–768. doi:10.1002/bsl.934. PMID 21110392.
  31. ^ Franklin K (2002). "Good Intentions: The Enforcement of Hate Crime Penalty-Enhancement Statutes". American Behavioral Scientist. 46: 154–172. doi:10.1177/0002764202046001010. S2CID 144220013.
  32. ^ Franklin Karen (2004). "Enacting masculinity: Antigay violence and group rape as participatory theater". Sexuality Research and Social Policy. 1 (2): 25–40. doi:10.1525/srsp.2004.1.2.25. S2CID 143439942..
  33. ^ Franklin Karen (2008). "Malingering as a Dichotomous Variable: Case Report on an Insanity Defendant". Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice. 8: 95–107. doi:10.1080/15228930801949241. S2CID 143143763.
  34. ^ Franklin K (2000). "Antigay Behaviors Among Young Adults: Prevalence, Patterns, and Motivators in a Noncriminal Population". Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 15: 339–362. doi:10.1177/088626000015004001. S2CID 146242009.
  35. ^ Karen Franklin (November 7, 2010). "Rape victim should cheer rapist, court says". Psychology Today. Retrieved August 31, 2015.