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Dr. Welner has also conducted original research on false confessions, and he has testified in nationally referenced court decisions involving false confession questions. These cases have included Tyrell Edmonds (Mississippi)<ref> http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=17660306021257421855&hl=en&as_sdt=20000000002&as_vis=1 </ref>, Patrick Free (New Jersey)<ref> http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=4879614008851119497&q=Patrick+Free&hl=en&as_sdt=20000000002 </ref>, [[Linda S. Stein|Natavia Lowery]](New York)<ref> http://www.nylj.com/nylawyer/adgifs/decisions/011210carruthers.pdf </ref> and [[Romeo Phillion]] (before the [[Ontario Supreme Court]] in Canada)<ref> http://www.aidwyc.org/news/article.204199-Science_cant_detect_false_confession_court_told </ref>.
Dr. Welner has also conducted original research on false confessions, and he has testified in nationally referenced court decisions involving false confession questions. These cases have included Tyrell Edmonds (Mississippi)<ref> http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=17660306021257421855&hl=en&as_sdt=20000000002&as_vis=1 </ref>, Patrick Free (New Jersey)<ref> http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=4879614008851119497&q=Patrick+Free&hl=en&as_sdt=20000000002 </ref>, [[Linda S. Stein|Natavia Lowery]](New York)<ref> http://www.nylj.com/nylawyer/adgifs/decisions/011210carruthers.pdf </ref> and [[Romeo Phillion]] (before the [[Ontario Supreme Court]] in Canada)<ref> http://www.aidwyc.org/news/article.204199-Science_cant_detect_false_confession_court_told </ref>.

Welner has encountered some criticism regarding his fees over the years, as with the $400,000 he was paid in the Brian David Mitchell case. <ref> http://www.thestreet.com/story/10623291/1/defense-discounts-competency-report-in-smart-case.html </ref> W. Christopher Conrad, a former homicide prosecutor, who has not retained Dr. Welner, said: "I don't think it's appropriate, I don't think it's needed. I don't think it's a good use of taxpayers' money."<ref> http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_3490.html </ref> During the high-profile competency hearing of Brian David Mitchell, defense counsel described Welner's contributions as "advocacy,not an objective evaluation of fact" <ref>http://www.thestreet.com/story/10623291/defense-discounts-competency-report-in-smart-case.html </ref>. However, U.S. Attorney Brett Tolman, part of the prosecution team that retained Welner on the Mitchell case, referred to his testimony as "worth every penny"<ref>http://www.allbusiness.com/government/government-bodies-offices-regional-local/13628152-1.html</ref>. Deciding in favor of the prosecution, Judge Kimball, in his opinion on competency, noted that Dr. Welner's preparation, testimony and report reflected, "best practices in forensic psychiatry and psychology (pg 14)" <ref> https://ecf.utd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2008cr0125-168 </ref>.


In 2001, Welner published pioneering research on the typology of drug-facilitated [[rape|rapists]]. The typology has since been cited and used by law enforcement and mental health professionals for distinguishing different perpetrators, their personalities, and their psychological makeup <ref>http://books.google.com/books?id=iV398oA5DdsC&pg=PR20&lpg=PR20&dq=hazelwood+rape+welner&source=bl&ots=P1YsblTxdH&sig=YfkyWe4hsKFra7rhGccrjz_UWOU&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPR23,M1</ref>.
In 2001, Welner published pioneering research on the typology of drug-facilitated [[rape|rapists]]. The typology has since been cited and used by law enforcement and mental health professionals for distinguishing different perpetrators, their personalities, and their psychological makeup <ref>http://books.google.com/books?id=iV398oA5DdsC&pg=PR20&lpg=PR20&dq=hazelwood+rape+welner&source=bl&ots=P1YsblTxdH&sig=YfkyWe4hsKFra7rhGccrjz_UWOU&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPR23,M1</ref>.
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In 1992 and 1993, he was one of the [[Ross Perot|Perot]] movement’s most visible national spokespeople as a particularly vocal advocate of government (lobbying) reform, a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and as a withering critic of the NAFTA. During the 1992 election campaign, Dr. Welner debated candidates’ representatives such as Alphonse D’Amato and Charles Schumer on behalf of Ross Perot’s presidential effort. Dr. Welner has not been politically affiliated for many years since, though he has written on a range of public policy issues and continues to be heavily influenced by living through the collapse of Pittsburgh in the deindustrialization of the 1970s <ref> http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1183&context=plr </ref>.
In 1992 and 1993, he was one of the [[Ross Perot|Perot]] movement’s most visible national spokespeople as a particularly vocal advocate of government (lobbying) reform, a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and as a withering critic of the NAFTA. During the 1992 election campaign, Dr. Welner debated candidates’ representatives such as Alphonse D’Amato and Charles Schumer on behalf of Ross Perot’s presidential effort. Dr. Welner has not been politically affiliated for many years since, though he has written on a range of public policy issues and continues to be heavily influenced by living through the collapse of Pittsburgh in the deindustrialization of the 1970s <ref> http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1183&context=plr </ref>.

== Consulting and Testimony in Guantanamo ==

Dr. Welner first became involved in the [[Omar Khadr]] matter in April, 2010. He reports in his November 5th. 2010 posting to the New England Review that he "consulted to government prosecutors on numerous issues, and the case witnessed a number of pivotal achievements that led to its eventual resolution." Welner said that his involvement "resulted in the first decision of a military court to compel an examination by a prosecution mental health expert in a disputed confession matter" and that the information that he yielded "ultimately had a major impact at the suppression hearing, and the August 2010 opinion by Judge Parrish in which he refused to suppress Khadr's statements" to U.S. interrogators when Khadr was 15.<ref>http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_category.cfm/cat_id/632</ref> Khadr's defense team had based their argument for suppression on Khadr's age and allegations of torture and duress(threat of gang rape).

In October, 2010, Welner was called as a Pentagon paid expert<ref>http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/10/30/1899704_p2/guantanamo-jury-deliberating-child.html</ref> to testify at [[Omar Khadr]]'s sentencing hearing in [[Guantanamo Bay]]. Welner testified he had spent eight hours examing Khadr, and 500-600 hours preparing his testimony.
Welner called Khadr a ''"Jihadi rock star"'' and said he is "highly dangerous". Welner told the sentencing panel that: "He(Khadr) murdered,he has been part of Al Qaeda . . . and we’re still at war."<ref name=MiamiHerald2010-10-28>
{{cite news
| url = http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/10/28/1895508/defense-paints-different-khadr.html
| title = Defense paints different Khadr for military jury
| publisher = [[Miami Herald]]
| author = [[Carol Rosenberg]]
| date = 2010-10-28
| archivedate = 2010-10-29
| archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.miamiherald.com%2F2010%2F10%2F28%2F1895508%2Fdefense-paints-different-khadr.html&date=2010-10-29
| dead = no
| quote = Tuesday, Dr. Michael Welner said Khadr read only Harry Potter and the Quran, and memorized Islam's holy book while `marinating inside a radical Islamic community' inside the prison camps here.
}}</ref><ref name=NewYorker2010-10-28>
{{cite news
| url = http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/closeread/2010/10/draco-in-guantanamo.html
| title = Draco in Guantánamo
| publisher = [[New Yorker magazine]]
| author = [[Amy Davidson (journalist)|Amy Davidson]]
| date = 2010-10-28
| archivedate = 2010-10-29
| archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newyorker.com%2Fonline%2Fblogs%2Fcloseread%2F2010%2F10%2Fdraco-in-guantanamo.html&date=2010-10-29
| dead = no
| quote = Yesterday, as [[Carol Rosenberg]] reported at the [[Miami Herald]], the defense got him 'to pull from his notes more of Guantánamo’s youngest captive’s reading list,' which included: [[Nelson Mandela]]’s ''[[Long Walk to Freedom|[Long] Walk to Freedom]]'', [[Barack Obama]]’s ''[[Dreams of My Father]]'', [[Ishmael Beah]]’s ''[[A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier]]'', [[Stephenie Meyer]]’s [[Twilight series]] plus unnamed thrillers by [[John Grisham]] and steamy novels by [[Danielle Steel]].
}}</ref> However, Welner said that none of his professional colleagues had reviewed his opinion about Khadr to ensure a lack of bias.<ref>http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/psychologist-critical-of-muslim-inbreeding-informed-experts-opinion-on-khadr-105873943.html</ref>

Welner characterized Khadr as an unredeemable jihadist who had spent his time at Guantanamo reading the ''[[Koran]]'' but wasn't interested in western literature; however, under cross examination, Welner was asked to examine his notes, and acknowledged that Khadr had a long and varied reading list of western literature from the [[Guantanamo_Bay_detainment_camp_library|prison's library]], including Nelson Mandela's Walk to Freedom, Barack Obama's Dreams of My Father, Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series plus unnamed thrillers by John Grisham and steamy novels by Danielle Steel.<ref name=NewYorker2010-10-28/> Dr. Welner was sharply criticized for using clinical data derived from Dr. Nicolai Sennels. Evidence submitted showed that Sennels has written that "Massive inbreeding within the Muslim culture during the last 1,400 years may have done catastrophic damage to their gene pool." and described the Qur’an as "a criminal book that forces people to do criminal things." Welner called "political" Sennels assertion that Musims can not integrate into western societies.<ref>http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/psychologist-critical-of-muslim-inbreeding-informed-experts-opinion-on-khadr-105873943.html</ref> When Air Force Maj. Mathew Schwartz, Khadr’s lawyer, challenged Welner's credibility, saying Welner had delivered "hours and hours of hearsay-filled testimony", Welner seemed to become increasingly agitated.<ref>http://www.thestar.com/specialsections/omarkhadr/article/881764--khadr-opinion-based-on-muslim-inbreeding-writings?bn=1</ref> In Khadr, Dr. Welner presented the first testimony in an American Court on risk assessment that adapted a methodology for radical Jihadism <ref> Welner: Risk Assessment of Radical Jihadism Emerges With Khadr Jury Ruling http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_days.cfm/d/5/m/11/y/2010 </ref>. Dr. Welner’s testimony was admitted without objection from the defense, and his qualifications to render such an opinion were undisputed <ref> http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/ezra_levant/2010/11/01/15911951.html </ref>. The facts underlying Dr. Welner’s opinion that Khadr had shallow remorse, needed deradicalization, and was still resentful and blaming of everyone but himself were never rebutted <ref> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39876819/ns/us_news-security/ </ref> <ref> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/americas/khadr-a-rock-star-in-guantanamo-psychiatrist-testifies/article1773124/ </ref>, nor were Dr. Welner’s assertions about the demonstrated underestimation of future risk in ex-Guantanamo detainees and his explanations for that underestimation <ref> Welner: Risk Assessment of Radical Jihadism Emerges With Khadr Jury Ruling http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_days.cfm/d/5/m/11/y/2010 </ref>. The seated jury, which comprised of a group in which all of the prosecutors challenges had been rejected, was asked by the prosecution to sentence Khadr to no less than 25 years; the defense asked for his release and implored the jury to disregard Dr. Welner's testimony <ref> http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/ezra_levant/2010/11/01/15911951.html </ref> <ref> http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/Khadr+given+symbolic+years/3755138/story.html </ref>. The jury recommended 40 years in the sentencing hearing for Khadr <ref> http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/Khadr+given+symbolic+years/3755138/story.html </ref> <ref> Welner: Risk Assessment of Radical Jihadism Emerges With Khadr Jury Ruling http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_days.cfm/d/5/m/11/y/2010 </ref>.
<ref> Khadr a ‘rock star’ in Guantanamo, psychiatrist testifies. Paul Koring, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/khadr-confirms-he-was-al-qaeda-member-prepares-for-sentencing/article1773124/ </ref> But some dismissed Welner's testimony as just a "ruthlessly clever" headline generating component of a show trial designed to be a world-wide public relations project.<ref>http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/883469</ref> [[Alex Neve]], Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada <ref> http://www.rabble.ca/whatsup/alex-neve-secretary-general-amnesty-international-canada-lecture-university-lethbridge </ref>, commented on Welner's opinions stating, "I’ve rarely heard anything so over the top and outrageous. Clearly, this is a psychiatrist who has some strong ideological views"<ref>http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/national/article/98141--doc-brands-omar-khadr-highly-dangerous-cites-strong-ties-to-radical-family</ref><ref>http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/mobile/judge-polls-jurors-on-knowledge-of-omar-khadr-case-prior-to-sentencing-hearing-105766943.html</ref>. [[Presiding Officer (Guantanamo Military Commissions)|The Presiding Officer]]. Colonel [[Patrick Parrish]], dismissed the torture claims of Khadr, <ref> http://www.capitolhillblue.com/node/34090 </ref> <ref> http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Torture+Omar+Khadr/3743991/story.html </ref> <ref> http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Timeline+long+journey+Omar+Khadr/3755329/story.html </ref> <ref> http://www.thestar.com/news/world/afghanistan/article/845267--stephen-xenakis-omar-khadr-s-unlikely-defender </ref>, stating in his opinion at the Suppression Hearing, "there is no credible evidence the accused was ever tortured as that term is defined under M.C.R.E. 304(b)(3), even using a liberal interpretation considering the accused's age (p8)" <ref> Supression Denied Judges Ruling, http://media.miamiherald.com/smedia/2010/08/20/14/suppressiondeniedD94-D111.source.prod_affiliate.56.pdf </ref> <ref> http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_category.cfm/cat_id/632 </ref>. Dr. Welner’s testimony in the Khadr sentencing hearing was described in one article as "powerful, sweeping testimony", <ref> Khadr a ‘rock star’ in Guantanamo, psychiatrist testifies. Paul Koring, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/khadr-confirms-he-was-al-qaeda-member-prepares-for-sentencing/article1773124/ </ref> and in another as "over the top remarks."<ref>http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/888304--mallick-we-all-have-a-depravity-scale-in-our-heads</ref>. The jury ultimately recommended a 40-year sentence for Khadr but the court ordered him to serve 8 years in accordance with a sealed plea agreement.<ref> http://www.nationalpost.com/news/Khadr+handed+year+sentence/3755138/story.html </ref>.


== Selected presentations ==
== Selected presentations ==

Revision as of 21:26, 17 November 2010

Michael Welner, M.D.
Born (1964-09-24) September 24, 1964 (age 59)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
EducationM.D., University of Miami School of Medicine; B.S., University of Miami
Years active1988 - present
Known forThe Depravity Scale
RelativesOrli Hacker Welner (wife)
Medical career
ProfessionPsychiatrist
InstitutionsNYU School of Medicine; Duquesne University School of Law
Sub-specialtiesForensic psychiatry
ResearchCriminal and deviant behavior
AwardsAmerican Psychiatric Association Award of Excellence (1997)

Michael Mark Welner, M.D., (born September 24, 1964, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is one of America's top forensic psychiatrists, [1] [2] [3] [4] and responsible for a number of forensic psychiatry publications.[5] [6] [7]. He is Chairman of The Forensic Panel, has pioneered several advances in forensic science, and has consulted as lead forensic psychiatry examiner on some of the most complex cases in America in recent years.

Personal background

Welner is the youngest of four children born to Nick and Barbara (Safier) Welner. His father was a civil engineer, educated in England. His mother, who left school as a wartime refugee, entered college in Britain unable to speak English and finished a valedictorian; she became a nurse specializing in gerontology. Both his parents were born in Poland, where their entire families perished in the Holocaust.

In recent years, Dr. Welner lost both of his sisters in accidental deaths. His older sister, Sandra Welner, M.D., was a Maryland-based gynecologist. After a neurologically disabling injury in 1987, she became internationally renowned for her medical research, inventions, and advocacy for the medical care of the disabled.[8] She inspired a successful legal challenge to change United States currency to accommodate the visually impaired.[9] Sandra Welner died on October 20, 2001, at the age of 42.

Dr. Michael Welner is married to Orli Hacker Welner, a corporate finance attorney.

Training

Welner graduated early from high school at age 15 [10][11]. He then attended the University of Miami, where he earned a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry, before moving to the University of Miami School of Medicine for his medical degree. From 1988-1992, Dr. Welner undertook his residency in psychiatry at Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan. In 1991, he was admitted to the forensic psychiatry fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, mentored by Robert Sadoff, M.D., Welner completed a forensic psychiatry fellowship simultaneously with a psychiatry residency training at the Beth Israel program [12] [13][14].

Professional career

Upon completion of his residency in 1992, Dr. Welner assumed a patient load in an existing private practice of psychopharmacology, specializing in violence and patients who did not respond to other treatment [15][16][17]. At the same time, he also served as an attending physician on the corrections psychiatry unit at Bellevue Hospital in New York City [18]. Welner has maintained a clinical practice since 1992, and he is Board Certified in Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry, Psychopharmacology, and Disaster Medicine [19].

Dr. Welner's casework has spanned the range of criminal, civil, employment, and securities law, often focusing on cutting-edge issues or highly complex litigation (including class-action litigation)[20]. He also has been consulted by attorneys and judges on a number of high-profile cases. A "workaholic", Dr. Welner's forensic interviews have been known to span 12 to 15 hours or more [21]. His 1996 evaluation of William Tager was the first to confirm, through evidence, that Tager was responsible for attacking newsman Dan Rather in a confrontation immortalized by the R.E.M. song "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?". Subsequent to his work on Tager, Welner became known within legal circles for his influential role in a number of high-profile cases. These included: billionairess Doris Duke[22], murder victim Matthew Shepard[23], the Church of Scientology, post-9/11 civil litigation, the retardation controversy of Johnny Paul Penry, dermatologist Richard Sharpe[24], NBA basketball player Jayson Williams, Andrea Yates[25] , wrestler Chris Benoit, the kidnapper of Elizabeth Smart[26], Omar Khadr[27][28][29], and the contested will of Nina Wang in Hong Kong.

In Khadr, Dr. Welner presented the first testimony in an American Court on risk assessment that adapted a methodology for radical Jihadism [30]. Dr. Welner’s testimony was admitted without objection from the defense, and his qualifications to render such an opinion were undisputed [31]. The facts underlying Dr. Welner’s opinion that Khadr had shallow remorse, needed deradicalization, and was still resentful and blaming of everyone but himself were never rebutted [32] [33], nor were Dr. Welner’s assertions about the demonstrated underestimation of future risk in ex-Guantanamo detainees and his explanations for that underestimation [34]. The seated jury, which comprised of a group in which all of the prosecutors challenges had been rejected, was asked by the prosecution to sentence Khadr to no less than 25 years; the defense asked for his release and implored the jury to disregard Dr. Welner's testimony [35] [36]. The jury recommended 40 years in the sentencing hearing for Khadr [37] [38].

Welner has consulted courts on a number of mass shooting cases and has interviewed Byran Uyesugi, Ronald Taylor, Richard Baumhammers, and Ronald Crumpley, all of whom survived their rampages. Welner was one of only four psychiatrists in America invited to a 2006 FBI working group updating current understandings of serial killers. His casework has also involved a number of well-known medication and drug-induced crimes, including those of Errol Beumel (Indiana)[39] and Bryan Johnston (Massachusetts) [40] [41].

A chief mental health consultant to both defense and prosecution in a number of death penalty cases around the United States, Dr. Welner was the principal prosecution mental health witness in all three of the only successful federal death penalty verdicts in the Northeast United States in decades: Gary Sampson (Massachusetts) [42], Donald Fell (Vermont)[43], and Ronell Wilson (New York)[44].

Dr. Welner has also conducted original research on false confessions, and he has testified in nationally referenced court decisions involving false confession questions. These cases have included Tyrell Edmonds (Mississippi)[45], Patrick Free (New Jersey)[46], Natavia Lowery(New York)[47] and Romeo Phillion (before the Ontario Supreme Court in Canada)[48].

In 2001, Welner published pioneering research on the typology of drug-facilitated rapists. The typology has since been cited and used by law enforcement and mental health professionals for distinguishing different perpetrators, their personalities, and their psychological makeup [49].

Dr. Welner was invited to present testimony before the Pennsylvania and Texas State Senate Judiciary Committees on mental retardation and the death penalty. His testimony[50] proved decisive, as hotly contested legislation ultimately gained strong bipartisan support for Dr. Welner's position. He is also a strong critic of video game violence, having testified for the New York State Assembly in support of related legislation.

Dr. Welner is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh, PA. In 1997, he was one of sixty-one members of the American Psychiatric Association to receive its award for excellence in medical student education[51]. Welner has lectured on numerous forensic and clinical issues as an invited speaker of, among others, the American Bar Association, American College of Legal Medicine, American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology, International Bar Association, and various medical center Grand Rounds at venues around the world. His lecture topics also have included disaster medicine, domestic violence, competency to invest and testamentary capacity, fitness for employment, and the psychology of terrorism [52].

The Forensic Echo

In 1996, Dr. Welner created The Forensic Echo, the first practitioner-driven magazine devoted to the frontier interface of psychiatry, law, and public policy [53]. Among other original features, The Forensic Echo introduced case digest coverage, a practice that was soon followed by other academic journals in forensic psychiatry. The Forensic Echo continued publication for five years before retiring to its current online archive form, where it continues as a resource on unique complexities of psychiatry, forensic science, and law [54].

The Forensic Panel

In 1998, Dr. Welner developed the first system for peer-review [55] [56] of forensic consultation in the United States[57]. The Forensic Panel, which he chairs, now features approximately 30 members in psychiatry, psychology, neuroradiology, emergency and critical care medicine, nursing, toxicology, and pathology. The peer-review system optimized by The Forensic Panel aims at maximizing evidence-driven diligence, safeguards objectivity, and promotes adherence to updated standards within forensic sciences[58]. The Forensic Panel's peer-review has since established a reputation for enhancing the settlement of cases without testimony needed, and it is recognized by virtue of its case list and roster of specialists [59] as one of the most respected forensic practices in the world.

The Depravity Scale

Dr. Welner has pioneered [60] [61] a multilayered effort to achieve scientific-legal standardization of evil crimes and everyday evil acts. The Depravity Scale research, as it is known, is research which incorporates forensic science, law, and public input; it constitutes criminal sentencing research which incorporates public opinion.[62] Through the Depravity Scale research, Dr. Welner has used public web-based surveys to weave public consensus into an evidence-driven Depravity Standard for distinguishing heinous crimes that warrant more severe punishment from those that do not [63][64].

Dr. Welner has also devised the WIEEO (Welner Inventory of the Everyday Extreme and Outrageous), a standard for application in clinical psychotherapy to distinguish everyday evil and intent that warrant clinical attention. "Most people's lapses into bad behavior don't qualify as evil, he believes. A normal person might exhibit some of Welner's criteria — ‘choices not to remedy another's suffering,’ for example. But it would be evil only in an extreme case, such as choosing not to help someone who had just been sexually assaulted"[65].

Media appearances and lectures

For a number of years, Dr. Welner has been consulted for network news coverage of forensic issues.[66] He openly doubted the veracity of John Mark Karr's 2006 confession to killing JonBenét Ramsey and theorized as to why Karr confessed.[67] Within days of 9/11, he was the first mental health professional to write of al-Qaeda as a movement reflecting the methodology of traditional destructive cults, rather than an outgrowth of poverty or the disaffected [68].

In the aftermath of the Ft. Hood tragedy, Dr. Welner said that the shooting was ideological in origin, based upon the shooter’s high functioning background.[69] In a nationally televised appearance on CBS Morning News, Dr. Welner explained why a trauma care worker would not be expected to be homicidal to patients – unless his ideology trumped his Hippocratic oath.[70] His published work on the psychology of terrorism has been referenced and reprinted. Dr. Welner’s expertise in disaster medicine and other cross cultural issues has supplemented his forensic focus.

Dr. Welner joined ABC News as a Special Consultant in 2007. Welner drew considerable notoriety in April 2007 when his widely quoted remarks on Good Morning America, following the Virginia Tech rampage, sparked a backlash that prompted networks to remove the killer's video confession and digital photographs from their news pages [71] [72].

For his 2008 television program highlighting the Depravity Scale research, "Inside the Criminal Mind", Welner interviewed serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin. In this interview, Franklin admitted to shootings for which he had not acknowledged responsibility in over 28 years of custody [73].

In 1992 and 1993, he was one of the Perot movement’s most visible national spokespeople as a particularly vocal advocate of government (lobbying) reform, a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and as a withering critic of the NAFTA. During the 1992 election campaign, Dr. Welner debated candidates’ representatives such as Alphonse D’Amato and Charles Schumer on behalf of Ross Perot’s presidential effort. Dr. Welner has not been politically affiliated for many years since, though he has written on a range of public policy issues and continues to be heavily influenced by living through the collapse of Pittsburgh in the deindustrialization of the 1970s [74].

Selected presentations

  • Current & Unresolved Ethical Challenges Confronting Forensic Psychiatry, International Academy of Forensic Sciences, Annual Meeting, July 2008.
  • Lessons in Psychiatric Resilience from Foreign Disasters, Preserving Evidence, Saving Lines, Pittsburgh, PA, March 2007.
  • Antidepressant (SSRI) Defenses: Guidelines for Assessment, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, February 2007.
  • Forensic Psychiatric Peer-Review in Action: Capital Mitigation, And Justice for All, Pittsburgh, PA, April 2006.
  • Interdisciplinary Forensic Peer-Review in Action: Death Investigation, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, February 2006.
  • Forensic Interviewing and Police Interrogation: Learning from the Other, Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, PA, March 2005.
  • Psychopathy, Media, and the Psychology at the Root of Terror, Grand Rounds, Cooper Hospital, Camden, NJ, November 2004.
  • The Insanity Defendant: Answers in the Unexplained, Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, PA, October 2004.
  • Death Investigation and Medical Malpractice, Distinguished Lecturer in Legal Medicine, American College of Legal Medicine, Las Vegas, NV, March 2004.
  • False Confessions & DNA Exonerations: Research, and Realities, Nebraska Institute of Forensic Sciences, Lincoln, Nebraska, June 2003.
  • Evil Beyond Crime: Civil Assessment and the Clinical Reckoning of Evil, American Psychiatric Association, Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, May 2003.
  • Sorting Out the Female Defendant: Clinical & Forensic Considerations, Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center, Grand Rounds, New York, NY, March 2003.
  • Americans with Disabilities Act and September 11, Association of the Bar of the City of New York, New York, NY, January 2002.
  • The Depravity Scale: Development and Potential, American Psychiatric Association, Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, May 2001.
  • Ethnic Rage: Guidelines for Forensic Assessment, American Psychiatric Association, Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, May 2001.

Selected bibliography

  • Forensic Psychiatry. Welner, M. In: Wecht C., (ed) Forensic Sciences. Matthew Bender. New York. (in print)
  • Classifying Crimes by Severity: From Aggravators to Depravity, Welner M. In: Douglass J, Ressler R, Burgess A, FBI Crime Classification Manual. Jossey-Bass 2007 pp 55–72.
  • Psychopathy, Media, and the Psychology at the Root of Terrorism Welner, M. In: Biological and Chemical Warfare Lawyers and Judges Publishing Tucson Az. 2004 pp 385–421.
  • Motives in Crime. Welner, M. In: Dominick J et al. Crime Scene Investigation Elwin Street London. 2004 pp 126–135.
  • Psychotropic Medications and Crime. Welner, M. In: Mozayani A, Raymon L (ed) Handbook of Drug Interactions: A Clinical and Forensic Guide. Haworth Press. London. 2003. pp 631–645.
  • Antipsychotics Drugs and Interactions: Implications for Criminal and Civil Forensics. Welner, M. In: Mozayani A, Raymon L (ed) Handbook of Drug Interactions: A Clinical and Forensic Guide. Haworth Press. London. 2003. pp 187– 215.
  • The Perpetrators and Their Modus Operandi. Welner, M. In: LeBeau M, Mozayani A (ed) Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault. Academic Press. London. 2001 pp 39–74.
  • The Cult of Al-Qaeda. (brainwashing and Islamic fundamentalism) Welner, M. The Forensic Panel Letter. The Forensic Echo. October 16, 2001.
  • Risk and the Power of Manson (power, charisma, and dangerousness) Welner, M. 4(2) The Forensic Panel Letter. www.forensicpanel.com, January 2000.
  • Calming the Enemy of the State (law enforcement psychiatry collaboration) Welner, M. 3(1) The Forensic Echo. 1 December 1998.
  • Neonaticide: Immaculate Misconception? Welner, M., Delfs, L.; 1(12) The Forensic Echo. 4–10 November 1997.
  • Vincent Gigante's Next Move (competency assessment) Welner, M., Delfs, L.; 1(10) The Forensic Echo. 4–14 September 1997.

References

  1. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/identify-deal-stalker-forensic-psychiatrist-michael-welner/story?id=9801963
  2. ^ http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/08/06/earlyshow/main5219862.shtml
  3. ^ http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/06/earlyshow/main5550090.shtml
  4. ^ Psychiatry, the Law, and Depravity: Profile of Michael Welner, M.D., trutv.com, 22 December 2008
  5. ^ http://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/dr-michael-welner-and-the-depravity-scale/
  6. ^ http://www.nebraskaforensic.com/welner.htm
  7. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=3418938&page=1
  8. ^ http://www.disabilityworld.org/06-08_04/women/bookreview.shtml
  9. ^ O'Neill, Helen. "In memory of his true love, man fights for rights of the blind", Associated Press, USA Today, 28 June 2008.
  10. ^ Measuring the Depravity of Crimes Alumnus Seeks to Separate Heinousness From Hype, http://www6.miami.edu/ealumni/archives/ealumni_archive_20050127.pdf
  11. ^ http://tripatlas.com/Michael_Welner
  12. ^ http://med.miami.edu/MedicalAlumniMagazine/documents/fall08.pdf
  13. ^ Noted forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Michael Welner, on NBC's approach this week in the Virginia Tech shooting, and the correct approach in understanding schizophrenia, http://radioblogger.townhall.com/talkradio/transcripts/Transcript.aspx?ContentGuid=3f64c273-c8e5-4aa5-aae0-213ec33c5612
  14. ^ http://tripatlas.com/Michael_Welner
  15. ^ http://www.forensicpanel.com/about/our_experts/expert/20835.html
  16. ^ http://www.duq.edu/forensics/advisory-board/welner.cfm
  17. ^ http://tripatlas.com/Michael_Welner
  18. ^ http://tripatlas.com/Michael_Welner
  19. ^ http://www.forensicpanel.com/about/our_experts/expert/20835.html
  20. ^ http://www.forensicpanel.com/
  21. ^ http://med.miami.edu/MedicalAlumniMagazine/documents/fall08.pdf
  22. ^ http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/forensics/welner/6.html
  23. ^ http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/forensics/welner/3.html
  24. ^ http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/01/07/dermatologist_convicted_of_killing_wife_is_found_dead_in_cell/; http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2009/1/9/convicted-cross-dressing-murderer-commits-suicide-a/; http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/forensics/welner/7.html
  25. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-07-18-yates_x.htm
  26. ^ Papers detail mental health findings in Smart case, http://www.courant.com/kstu-papers-detail-mental-health-findings-smart,0,6912846.story
  27. ^ Khadr has never renounced jihad, says expert on evil Steven Edwards October 19, 2010, http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Khadr+never+renounced+jihad+says+expert+evil/3696555/story.html
  28. ^ No evidence Khadr's a good kid, doctor says, http://www.nationalpost.com/news/evidence+Khadr+good+doctor+says/3696607/story.html
  29. ^ Supression Denied Judges Ruling, http://media.miamiherald.com/smedia/2010/08/20/14/suppressiondeniedD94-D111.source.prod_affiliate.56.pdf
  30. ^ Welner: Risk Assessment of Radical Jihadism Emerges With Khadr Jury Ruling http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_days.cfm/d/5/m/11/y/2010
  31. ^ http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/ezra_levant/2010/11/01/15911951.html
  32. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39876819/ns/us_news-security/
  33. ^ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/americas/khadr-a-rock-star-in-guantanamo-psychiatrist-testifies/article1773124/
  34. ^ Welner: Risk Assessment of Radical Jihadism Emerges With Khadr Jury Ruling http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_days.cfm/d/5/m/11/y/2010
  35. ^ http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/ezra_levant/2010/11/01/15911951.html
  36. ^ http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/Khadr+given+symbolic+years/3755138/story.html
  37. ^ http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/Khadr+given+symbolic+years/3755138/story.html
  38. ^ Welner: Risk Assessment of Radical Jihadism Emerges With Khadr Jury Ruling http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_days.cfm/d/5/m/11/y/2010
  39. ^ http://www.in.gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/12280605ghs.pdf
  40. ^ http://www.masslive.com/chicopeeholyoke/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1146296465297720.xml&coll=1
  41. ^ http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_5575624
  42. ^ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/deathpenaltynews/message/9220
  43. ^ http://www.lexisone.com/lx1/caselaw/freecaselaw?action=OCLGetCaseDetail&format=FULL&sourceID=gdig&searchTerm=eTXH.cWda.UYGY.ecOI&searchFlag=y&l1loc=FCLOW
  44. ^ http://ny.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.%5CFDCT%5CENY%5C2007%5C20070109_0000026.ENY.htm/qx
  45. ^ http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=17660306021257421855&hl=en&as_sdt=20000000002&as_vis=1
  46. ^ http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=4879614008851119497&q=Patrick+Free&hl=en&as_sdt=20000000002
  47. ^ http://www.nylj.com/nylawyer/adgifs/decisions/011210carruthers.pdf
  48. ^ http://www.aidwyc.org/news/article.204199-Science_cant_detect_false_confession_court_told
  49. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=iV398oA5DdsC&pg=PR20&lpg=PR20&dq=hazelwood+rape+welner&source=bl&ots=P1YsblTxdH&sig=YfkyWe4hsKFra7rhGccrjz_UWOU&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPR23,M1
  50. ^ http://www.forensicpanel.com/aboutus/pressroom/2003_04_08_texastestimony1.htm
  51. ^ http://psychnews.org/pnews/97-07-18/roeske.html
  52. ^ "Psychopathy, Media, and the Psychology at the Root of Terrorism" Welner, M. In: Wecht, C.H. Biological and Chemical Warfare. Lawyers and Judges Publishing: Tucson Az. 2004 pp 385-421, http://www.forensicpanel.com/data/Unsorted/Psychopathy_Media.pdf
  53. ^ http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/forensics/welner/index.html
  54. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030601093112/echo.forensicpanel.com/
  55. ^ http://www.bestforensicscienceschools.com/2009/25-most-influential-people-in-forensic-science/
  56. ^ Burgess, Ann Wolbert , Welner, Michael and Willis, Danny G.(2010) 'Educator Sexual Abuse: Two Case Reports', Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 19: 4, 387-402
  57. ^ The Forensic Panel, http://www.forensicpanel.org: Monday, December 22, 2008
  58. ^ The Forensic Panel Peer Review, http://www.forensicpanel.com/aboutus/peer_review.htm
  59. ^ The Forensic Panel - Members, http://www.forensicpanel.com/members/index.htm
  60. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=3418938&page=1
  61. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/22/AR2007072201247_2.html
  62. ^ Classifying Crimes by Severity: From Aggravators to Depravity. Welner, M. In: Douglass J, Ressler R, Burgess, A FBI Crime Classification Manual. Jossey-Bass 2007 pp 55-72. ISBN 0787938857
  63. ^ Depravity Scale FAQ, http://depravityscale.org/depscale/faq.php
  64. ^ The Justice and Therapeutic Promise of Science-Based Research on Criminal Evil, http://www.jaapl.org/cgi/content/full/37/4/442?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&author1=welner&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT
  65. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=90617&page=3
  66. ^ Good Morning America, http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=3060039: ABC News, April 20, 2007
  67. ^ Inside the Mind of John Karr, http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter/story?id=2351162&page=1
  68. ^ The Cult of Al-Qaeda. (brainwashing and Islamic fundamentalism) Welner, M. The Forensic Panel Letter. The Forensic Echo. October 16, 2001
  69. ^ Fort Hood Mass Shooter Major Hasan was not a ‘sleeper’ says Forensic Psychiatrist Dr. Michael Welner, http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/23960
  70. ^ What Might Have Set Off Fort Hood Gunman, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/06/earlyshow/main5550090.shtml
  71. ^ Psychiatrist: Showing Cho Video Comments, http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=3056176
  72. ^ Psychiatrist's Criticism Helped Change Direction of News Coverage, http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3060524&page=1
  73. ^ Court TV Interview with Joseph Paul Franklin,"Inside the Criminal Mind" Aired June 23, 2008, 10pm EST http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/forensics/welner/index.html
  74. ^ http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1183&context=plr

External links

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