GenoPro: A practical solution for lawyers
GenoPro offers a solution for gathering forensic information on your court
cases in an accessible format. As a result of using GenoPro, you will have a
better understanding of the context and circumstances present in your
judicial proceeding.
GenoPro allows you to create a graphic database for all the information you
collect from your client. This graphic database is known as a forensic
genogram. Forensic genograms are ideal assessment and intervention tools
that can routinely accompany the court letter providing the judge,
prosecutor and defense with additional knowledge at a glance.
Family
Genograms created with GenoPro provide a visual display of the family and the
complexities of family relationships. They provide a quick visual reference
of various categories of family information that can influence the physical
and emotional health of your client: family structure, pattern repetition in
families, family relationships, and family balance and imbalance. For
example, a genogram may often reveal an upbringing of abuse, of ineffective
communication patterns and of substance use. While an average family will
have one or two members with maladaptive functioning, forensic families
possess numerous dysfunctions.
Displaying family patterns in a genogram can allow for further understanding
of events and factors in the individual lives of offenders that have
resulted in their current situations before the courts. Highlighting a
family history plagued with incarceration and violence may also encourage
the client to be particularly aware of these issues in their own lives.
Offenders will appreciate seeing the patterns in their lives as a beginning
to their understanding of their personal circumstances.
If you practice criminal law, you should be interested in the U.S. Supreme
Court's eventual ruling in Rompilla v. Beard concerning ineffective
assistance of counsel which was argued before the Court recently. In this
capital case, the petitioner claimed ineffective assistance of counsel
because his attorneys failed to review court files documenting his history
of alcoholism and poverty, his low IQ and troubled childhood. The petitioner
argued that had this information been presented at trial, he would have
avoided a death sentence. By creating a forensic genogram with information
gathered from court files and interviews with the client and his/her the
family, criminal lawyers can easily avoid such a grave situation.
Social relationships
With GenoPro, you can also go beyond the family unit by displaying the social
relationships in which your client is involved. You can illustrate the
places and groups they belong to such as schools, youth facilities, gangs or
associations. For example, a young gang member with no family support will
need stronger intervention and support than a first-time offender who lives
with a somewhat dysfunctional family.
A practical solution
Forensic genograms can be used as a graphic representation of a personal
history narrative. They can lead a defense lawyer to determine a motive
behind a crime, or rather provide evidence that a client had no direct
involvement in a case. Most of all, genograms can be used as an intervention
tool to implement proactive assessments, screening, and proper education and
rehabilitation within the justice system. GenoPro is a practical solution
for lawyers who are looking for ideas on legal strategies and who seek to
act in the best interest of their client.
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