Psychopaths, paedophiles, narcissists – these are the types of people psychologist Gilda Giebel has met, spoken with and analyzed in her work. The fact that they are all offenders with multiple convictions makes her work with mainly male patients extraordinary. Psychologists in the prison system work intensively with inmates to reduce their risk of reoffending after being released. If, however, these inmates have committed such a large number of serious offences that they still pose a great danger to others after finishing their sentences, they are placed in "preventive detention" for an indefinite period.

Gilda Giebel earned her doctorate in psychology at the University of Konstanz and worked for years as a postdoctoral researcher in the field of forensic psychology before taking up a position as a psychologist in exactly this preventive detention system. Starting this position was a conscious choice for her:

"You don't just study psychology to spend your days looking at files. I wanted to work directly with people instead of just reading about them."

Gilda Giebel

And she really jumped in with both feet – working with the most serious offenders in preventive detention. These men were repeat offenders with little hope of being released, and all of their crimes were characterized by particular cruelty. Of course, there are also women who are prone to extreme acts. However, there were only male inmates in the prison where Gilda Giebel worked. Giebel's job was to look into the inmates' motivation and see who had worked hard enough on their own behaviour to perhaps earn a further relaxation of their restrictions.
She reports on the experiences she had during this time in her book "Triebhaft" (compulsive), which was published on 17 September 2024. In a nutshell: the book is suspenseful but also sometimes shocking. And without a doubt, you have to tip your hat to someone who voluntarily looks so deeply into the depths of human nature. The characters she spotlights are extreme and shocking. 

Using the case files, Giebel describes the corresponding offences in the book before reporting on her personal encounters. This is also the order she had learned as a student: first, gather information, then show up prepared for meetings with inmates. "Some of the colleagues I met, were working in the prison system without having gotten this specific training in forensic psychology. This was not necessarily to their advantage", she states.

The book (in German):
Gilda Giebel: "Triebhaft – Zwischen Narzissten, Sadisten und Psychopathen"
hardcover, 256 pages
published on 17 September 2024 by Riva-Verlag
ISBN: 978-3-7423-2755-0
Price: € 22.00
Link to the book

When Gilda Giebel began her master's programme at the University of Konstanz in 2008, there were only individual courses offered in the field of forensic psychology – today there is an entire master's programme focusing on this subject. Students are prepared specifically for working with inmates in seminars on threat management, forensic diagnostics and crime prevention therapies. "This is how I learned, for example, to always study the case files before meeting with an inmate. Some of them are so intelligent and skilful that they can wrap you around their fingers with their charm", says Giebel.

Yet, everyone is not the same. Some have a narcissistic personality disorder and can hardly help always presenting themselves in the best light. "This makes it all the more important to prepare well for these meetings. They often twist their stories to their own advantage and are so convincing that it's very tempting to believe everything they say", Giebel adds. Other people fall into the category of psychopaths, who are manipulative and lack empathy for others. "Most of these offenders do not understand that they have harmed others", she says.

During her studies and later research work, Gilda Giebel learned to create psychological profiles using checklists. The profiles describe behaviours that can be used to identify psychologically divergent personality types. Her book provides insight into these lists and classifies the inmates she describes into different profiles based on these personality tests. "One or more points are awarded for each confirmed criterion. When you add them up, the sum indicates either a lower or higher level of a psychological profile, such as the risk of relapse", she explains. The lists, which serve as a tool for all psychologists, are the result of years, often even decades, of research. They draw upon a lot of studies, and current research constantly works to make them more concrete. This is why continuing education is an integral part of working as a psychologist.

Yet, many might ask, "What is the point of this work? Wouldn't it be better to keep repeat offenders, at least, behind bars forever in preventive detention?" "It's not that simple", Gilda Giebel argues. "Inmates in preventive detention must regularly be reassessed with regard to whether they continue to pose a danger to others or whether they can be released". This is because, the German Basic Law guarantees everyone the right to freedom, and the state is required to regularly assess whether there is still good justification for limiting this right. If it is determined that a person no longer poses a danger to others, they must be released. Gilda Giebel thus considers providing as reliable and realistic an assessment as possible to be an important task of psychologists working in preventive detention.

"The path to being released from preventive detention is very long and bumpy, and it involves many, many intermediate steps."

Gilda Giebel

Many inmates stumble during the intermediate steps, because, for example, they misuse their hard-earned freedoms. They do not manage to go against ingrained behavioural patterns. This is why it is important for specially trained psychologists like Gilda Giebel to keep a watchful eye so that inmates can only regain their freedom when they no longer pose a danger for others.