While the DSM’s text is introduced with a caveat that it’s only to be used for clinical, educational, and research purposes, the book has another key application: It’s often used as a way to make decisions within governing bodies, in court, and in the criminal justice system. A 2011 paper by Dr. Ralph Slovenko, a professor emeritus of law and psychiatry at Detroit’s Wayne State University, found that the DSM had been cited in some 5,500 court opinions and 320 pieces of legislation.
From The Verge:
He remembered, for example, one night in 1975 when he encountered Gacy alone at 3AM, near the W. Miami property. At the time, Gacy was casually holding a spade — a shovel for digging, not moving snow — in his hand. Without being prompted, Gacy told him, laughing: “Bill, you know me, not enough hours in the day. You get it done when you can.” Only later did Dorsch think to ask a potentially disturbing question: Get what done?
From The Verge:
“We need to think about the purpose of these cameras,” she said. “If the purpose is to have a camera at an ATM to find people who are stealing, that’s one thing. But putting everyone into a database or recording every moment of every day from more than 500 cameras, the systems become overwhelmed.”
