Psychedelics also help criminals

All my posts have focused on the therapeutic properties that psychedelics have for treating mood disorders and anxiety (mood disorders are emotional disturbances consisting of prolonged periods of excessive sadness, excessive joyousness, or both (Coryell, 2018)). This week, we will deviate to a different spectrum of psychopathology.

While doing research for this website, I came across this newsletter post in which a man named Steve Hupp went from a criminal bank robber to an ayahuasca shaman (Find the post here: https://www.newsweek.com/he-used-rob-banks-now-hes-ayahuasca-shaman-performing-psychedelic-healing-1231519 ). In this post, Hupp's life changed when he shared cell with a Peruvian man named Guadalupe, who introduced him to ayahuasca. After trying the drink, Hupp's life changed completely.

After I read the post, I thought I should look for research in which psychedelics are administered to criminals, to see if their personality would change. I found several articles and I learned that hallucinogen use could also aid in the attenuation of problematic behaviours in inmates. Imagine the potential future implications that such findings could have on society by improving the Canadian justice system...wouldn't that be great?

Initially, two studies were performed during the 1960's, where the effects of LSD administration to improve antisocial behaviours were studied. The studies supported that there was a significant positive personality change in the antisocial individuals subjected to LSD-assisted psychotherapy (Arendsen-Hein, 1963; Tenenbaum, 1961). Later, in 1969, Timothy Leary conducted a study in which incarcerated men were administered doses of psilocybin. The results were positive, but not promising, as they demonstrated that the criminals reported positive personality change, but Leary failed at identifying any effect on criminal recidivism. Unfortunately, calls for further research in this area have remained largely unanswered.

Since then, there have been some recent findings that support the positive influence of hallucinogens on externalized problems. According to two studies, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, as well as psilocybin-assisted treatment, suggest that there is a significant reduction of alcohol and tobacco dependance in addicts (Krupitsky et al., 2002, 2007a). Other studies performed with ayahuasca have also demonstrated a reduced level of partner conflict and substance misuse (Grob et al., 1996; Thomas et al., 2013).

A very well known recent finding opened doors for new research, as it demonstrated that hallucinogen use does indeed increase rates of recidivism in criminal populations. Hendricks et al., (2014) performed a longitudinal study which evaluated data from 25,622 individuals charged with a felony in the Southeastern US. As many individuals in the criminal justice system engage in substance use and addiction, hallucinogen treatments were looked at as a resource to reduce substance consumption. The results exhibited a significant reduction of 40% in the likelihood of non-compliance.

Walsh et al., (2016) continued the study of psychedelic effects on criminals. They studied whether hallucinogen use might have protective effects for domestic violence perpetration, particularly among those with problematic substance use. The study included 302 male inmates, aged 17–40 years, serving sentences of one year or less for felony or misdemeanour convictions at a county jail in Illinois, USA. In the study, 45% were European American, 41% were African American, and 14% were Latino. Every inmate in the study was diagnosed with a substance disorder related to hallucinogen use according the DSM-IV. In this study, all participants that met the criteria for hallucinogen use disorder also met the lifetime criteria for another substance use disorder. The results implied that there was significant evidence supporting the protective effect of hallucinogen use regarding arrest for domestic violence. In the study, less than 67% of the inmates included in the study were likely to be arrested for domestic violence, compared to those with no previous hallucinogen consumption.

Walsh et al., (2016) imply that the results must be due to personality changes that occur from hallucinogen consumption. Such findings provide important implications for further investigation, which should focus on the potential of hallucinogenic therapies to prevent criminal recidivism and domestic violence in inmates.

This study exhibited promising results regarding the use of psychedelics for therapeutic use in penitentiaries, but further research should focus on the mechanisms in which hallucinogens allow for recidivism and violence reduction. The study did not show any head scans or physiological changes that could explain reasons why violence decreased after hallucinogenic consumption.

Even though further research needs to be done regarding the therapeutic effects of hallucinogenic consumption for the reduction of violence and criminal behaviour, these studies highlight the wide therapeutic range that psychedelics can have in society. Hallucinogens have been demonstrated to aid in the alleviation of depression, anxiety, substance use, and now even violence.

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Arendsen-Hein, G. W. (1963) LSD in the Treatment of Criminal Psychopaths. London: Charles C. Thomas

Hendricks PS, Clark CB, Johnson MW, et al. (2014) Hallucinogen use predicts reduced recidivism among substance-involved offenders under community corrections supervision. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 28, 62–66.

Krupitsky EM, Burakov AM, Dunaevsky IV, et al. (2007) Single versus repeated sessions of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for people with heroin dependence. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 39, 13–19.

Krupitsky EM, Burakov AM, Dunaevsky IV, et al. (2002a). Ketamine psychotherapy for heroin addiction: immediate effects and two-year followup. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 39, 13–19. Krupitsky

Leary, T. (1969) The effects of consciousness-expanding drugs on prisoner rehabilitation. Psychedelic Revolution, 10, 29–45

Tenenbaum, B. (1961) Group therapy with LSD-25. Discovering the Nervous System, 22, 459–462.

Walsh, Z., Hendricks, P. S., Smith, S., Kosson, D. S., Thiessen, M. S., Lucas, P., & Swogger, M. T. (2016). Hallucinogen use and intimate partner violence: Prospective evidence consistent with protective effects among men with histories of problematic substance use. Journal of psychopharmacology, 30(7), 601-607.