Case Studies Exercise

These case studies can be duplicated and handed out to supplement the ones developed by the groups. Depending on the number of groups attending the training, it may be necessary to make more than one copy of each scenario.

Raymond Whittler is a 49-year-old male. He has worked as a bus driver for the past 27 years. He is married to Lydia for 17 years. He is the father of two sons; William, age 14 and Leroy, age 12.

Raymond and Leroy were the victims of a robbery/simple assault. They were accosted by four youths with guns while walking across the bridge. Raymond was beaten on the head and face with the gun, told he could be shot and robbed of his wallet. Leroy had a gun held to his head for several minutes.

Their case has been ongoing within the criminal justice system for several months. Sentencing is scheduled to take place in three weeks.

Since the incident, Leroy has been having a lot of difficulty at school. He cuts classes and gets into fights. His grades are slipping and he is in danger of failing. Both parents state that Leroy becomes hostile whenever they try to talk with him.

Margaret Woodall is a 78-year-widow. She lives alone in the home she and her husband bought forty years ago. She has three sons who live in nearby communities and has regular contact with them.

Margaret was the victim of a burglary. The defendant broke into her home through a basement window while she was asleep. Margaret woke up to find the burglar in her bedroom going through her dresser. At that point, he fled the house. Margaret was able to identify the person she saw in her bedroom at a police line-up.

Twice Margaret has been hospitalized for schizophrenia. She is currently receiving services from the county Area Agency on Aging. A caseworker meets with her weekly in her home. Prior to the burglary, the caseworker met with Margaret on a bi-monthly basis.

Margaret was accompanied to the preliminary hearing by her sons, the caseworker and a member of the local victims' services center. During the hearing, Margaret became increasingly agitated and had to leave. There is concern about her ability to testify at a trial.

Kate Ambrose has a history of mental illness. She began showing symptoms of mental illness as a child and was first hospitalized when she was 12. Kate was sexually abused as a young child and removed from her parents' care when she was ten. At age 15 she was sexually molested by her foster father and placed in a residential treatment facility. The next year she was pregnant due to sexual abuse by one of the employees at the facility. The child's father, Frank, was not removed from his position nor criminally charged. Kate was given medications for her mental illness, but her condition did not improve. Kate continued to receive services from several community agencies, but there was little information shared among the different agencies.

At 18, Kate left the residential treatment facility, married Frank and had two more children. Frank molested all of the children and physically and sexually abused Kate. Jack, the oldest child, eventually disclosed the abuse. The case went to court. Jack testified against his father because the judge promised to protect him and make his daddy stop. Frank was found not guilty and returned home. Jack was later institutionalized.

Karen, the second child, became selectively mute and was misdiagnosed as autistic. It would be eight years before the diagnosis was changed.

Several years later, Jan, the youngest child, disclosed that her father had been sexually abusing her. The case has gone to trial.

Jarrod McKennick is a seven-year-old boy. He witnessed a murder while at the babysitters. He identified the accused at a preliminary hearing, but refuses to testify at the trial.

He lives with his mother and four-year-old brother, Darrion, in public housing. Jarrod's mother is in treatment for addiction. She is pregnant and the father of the child is the man Jarrod identified as the murderer. His mother has cooperated with the criminal justice system, but she is still involved with the accused.

Jarrod is having nightmares and problems at school. His mother has contacted the local victims' resource center for counseling for Jarrod.

Devon was riding with his dad, Allen, when their car was hit by a drunk driver. Allen Michaels removed Devon from his car seat and tried to administer CPR, but Devon died.

The driver of the other vehicle pleaded guilty to Driving While Intoxicated, Homicide by Vehicle and Reckless Endangerment. Sentencing has not yet occurred.

Rebecca Michaels, Devon's mother, blames Allen for the death of their son. They have separated and she is living with her parents. She is quiet and withdrawn and spends most of her time in the bedroom with a picture of her son and his favorite stuffed animal.

Allen Michaels feels extremely guilty. He is also angry at his wife for blaming him and leaving him. He has called to make an appointment for counseling and hopes that his wife will join him.

Cathy, a college freshman, went to see her boyfriend at another dorm on campus. She knocked but no one answered. The door was unlocked, so she entered. Her boyfriend was not there, but his roommate was. The roommate, who had been sleeping, awoke. Cathy asked him if he knew where her boyfriend was. He replied that he went out for a few minutes and should be returning shortly. He invited Cathy to sit down on the bed and wait for her boyfriend to return. Cathy and the roommate began to talk. During the conversation the roommate locked the door so their conversation "wouldn't be interrupted." Then he sat next to her on the bed and began to rub her neck and shoulders because she seemed tense.

At some point the roommate began to make sexual advances. Cathy said no and continued to say no but the advances did not stop. She did not scream out or physically resist even when the roommate climbed on top of her and removed her clothing. Afterwards the roommate acknowledged that he may have gotten a little carried away. Cathy quickly got dressed and ran out of the room.

Yolanda Rodriguez, a sophomore at a local college was raped by an acquaintance on campus. She was a virgin. The next morning, following school policy, she reported the rape to the Dean of Students. The Dean promised a full investigation and asked Yolanda what she thought was an appropriate punishment. She told the dean that she wanted him kicked out of school. The male student admitted to non-consensual sex at the school hearing and was suspended for a semester.

Yolanda is furious and has taken the incident to the local papers. The dean cannot understand her anger since he believes he handed down the exact punishment she requested. The police have no evidence, because the incident was never reported to them and there was no forensic rape exam.

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