Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
By Tim Watson-Munro, Pan MacMillan, $32.99.
A cursory glance at the bookshelf and this sub-title caught my eye: ‘crazy tales of criminal sin and jail psychology’. However, the fact this book was written by criminal psychologist ‘Doc’ Tim Watson-Munro was what actually set the seal on reading A Shrink in the Clink.
Tim rose to prominence as a pioneering prison psychologist at Parramatta Gaol. His rise was meteoric; then a “breathtaking overwhelming reliance” on cocaine led to his highly publicised professional demise. He was struck off in 2000, but after long years of recovery, therapy and eventual readmission to his profession four years later (he admits) has made him a “better practitioner. Humbler, more empathic and more insightful to the dynamics of psychopathology, crime and rehabilitation”.
He shares insights into the workings of the criminal justice system in its numerous iterations, exploring the types of crimes and criminals he’s encountered over the past four decades.
“From psychopaths to overwrought neurotics, from junkies to sex offenders and the intellectually disabled. The psychology of serial killers, contract killers, victims of sex crimes, drug importers and traffickers, as well as the ever increasing levels of addiction in rural Australia. The psychology of outlaw motorcycle gangs, as well as examples of intellectual brilliance to be found within penal establishments. The dynamics of women who kill for lust or profit, as well as the psychology of the truly insane who find themselves before the courts.”
Some of these stories (with recognised names) are confronting and not for those who are easily scared.
As Tim puts it: they are not for the faint-hearted. However, he urges us “to stay with me though – shocking and confronting as some of them may be, they address the reality of the broad spectrum of criminal psychology and in so doing, hopefully provide a greater understanding of these individuals and the system, flaws and all”.
“The stories and case studies speak loudly and clearly to the criminal mind and the potential for devastating evil, even in the most benign and unexpected circumstances.
Stick with me. I have journeyed to hell and back. Share the ride. I may help to explain much of what we as a society perceive to be an escalation of intense, extreme crime and violence in our society.”
