Inside the Psychopathic Mind

Drs. Jason Smith and Carl Gacono
  • 4.7 (3)
  • Mental Health

Inside the Psychopathic Mind is hosted by two seasoned psychologists, Drs. Carl Gacono and Jason Smith. In concise, engaging episodes, the podcast explores psychopathy across theory and practice—including female psychopathy, assessment instruments, real cases from the past, stories ripped from the headlines, and current controversies. Drawing from research, clinical experience, articles, guest perspectives, and listener questions, the show is designed for both psychologists and lay listeners interested in understanding psychopathy beyond myths and sensationalism.

  1. 2h ago

    Human Trafficking w/ Ashley Morgan & Joe DeAngelo

    In this episode, we are joined by Ashley Morgan and Joe DeAngelo who discuss human tracking in Denver, what these crimes look like, the personalities of the offenders, and how to cope working in this line of work. Joe DeAngelo has been a peace officer for over 30 years and currently serves in the capacity of a senior criminal investigator for the Denver County District Attorney’s Office (Denver DA) in the Human Trafficking Unit (HTU). Over 20 years of his tenure has been in the capacity of a criminal investigator which included assignments with the Colorado Attorney General, chief investigator with the 14th Judicial District Attorney’s Office (Colorado), detached service with the FBI and county prosecutor/grand jury when employed as a detective with the Fort Wayne, Indiana Police Department. Additionally, DeAngelo has two master’s degrees: Psychology - Criminal Investigations, and Human Development from Regis University and Fielding Graduate University, respectively and a graduate certificate in Child Sex Offender Behavioral Characteristics from Regis University. Further, DeAngelo was an adjunct professor at Regis University in the graduate psychology program where he instructed numerous graduate level college courses generally related to criminal psychology and criminal investigations. DeAngelo currently teaches a course on assessing veracity through the spoken and written word where he has instructed at national conferences for local, state and federal law enforcement and US intelligence agencies. DeAngelo has been a competitive strength/endurance athlete his entire life. Most importantly, he is the father of three extraordinary children, two who are professional actors. Ashley Morgan is a Chief Deputy District Attorney at the Denver District Attorney’s Office and the Director of the Denver Human Trafficking Unit. In 2024, Ashley developed, drafted, and helped pass Colorado Senate Bill 024-35, Strengthening Enforcement of Human Trafficking, which increased the statute of limitations for human trafficking charges from three to twenty years and enhanced the penalties for human trafficking convictions. In addition to training law enforcement and community organizations, she also served as an adjunct professor at the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver, teaching human trafficking and organized crime. Before joining the Denver DA’s Office, Ashley was a litigation associate at Davis Graham & Stubbs, LLP, and Reilly Pozner, LLP in Denver, as well as an associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, LLP in New York City. Ashley earned her J.D cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School. Prior to law school, she taught middle school English in the Bronx and traveled throughout Southeast Asia, India, and South Africa to teach, volunteer, and backpack. Ms. Morgan received both a B.A. and M.A. from Stanford University, where she was a member of the Stanford Swim Team and was an Olympic Trials finalist. She is also an Ultimate Frisbee National and World Champion. She also has two children in elementary school, a puppy, and a wonderful husband!

    Human Trafficking w/ Ashley Morgan & Joe DeAngelo

  2. Oct 18

    Fingerprint Analysis & CSI Effect w/ Corey Schroeder (aka Professional Crime Fighter)

    In this episode, we had the pleasure of interviewing Corey Schroeder, who is a Latent Print Analyst with the California Department of Justice. We delve into different forensic services, dispelled movie and TV show myths about forensic science, discuss crime scenes and cold cases, and how best to handle this type of work. Corey's career in latent prints and crime scene investigation began 30 years ago. He started at the Fresno Police Department and is currently with the California Dept. of Justice. Corey is also an instructor in the Forensic 113 program at CSU Fresno, is a member of numerous forensic groups, serves as a technical lead for the latent print program and a subject matter expert for the office of human resources. Additionally, he is an instructor for Uncover Forensics and lectures nationwide as well as overseas. Corey is certified as a latent print examiner by the International Association for Identification and has given expert testimony in 12 counties in the state of California as well as US Federal Court in Fresno and US Federal Court in Reno. To sum it up, Corey is a professional crime fighter. *Corey's views are his own and don’t necessarily reflect the views of the California Department of Justice.

    Fingerprint Analysis & CSI Effect w/ Corey Schroeder (aka Professional Crime Fighter)

  3. Oct 4

    Police Psychology & Jeffrey Dahmer w/ Dr. Dennis Davis

    In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Dennis Davis, who talks about his current Psychology work with a law firm and HR. He also discusses his previous work as a Police Psychologist and what that job entailed. Lastly, we give an overview of the Jeffrey Dahmer case and how Dennis was able to help support the police and the community in Milwaukee following Dahmer's arrest. Dennis A. Davis, Ph.D., is the National Director of Client Training for Ogletree Deakins, P.C... Dr. Davis is a dynamic and experienced speaker. He developed the BEHAVIORAL RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, intended to help organizations reduce the risk and exposure of inappropriate behavior in the workplace, and HR ON-LINE; a web-based supplement to Human Resources departments. Dr. Davis is a nationally recognized expert in the areas of Harassment and Discrimination, Stress Inoculation and Reduction, Professional Interaction, Conflict Resolution, and Organizational Motivation. In addition, He has conductive extensive trainings in the area of Professionalism and Mental Health, which emphasizes the need for professionals to take care of their mental health so that they can be present professionally. Dr. Davis has conducted Executive Coaching sessions with executives from a wide variety of disciplines. These coaching sessions are intended to help executives develop appropriate coping strategies for their high-stress and complex work lives and minimize maladaptive and dangerous coping mechanisms. He has conducted extensive Behavioral Risk Management training for university personnel, government agencies, and private corporations across the United States. Dr. Davis holds a Ph.D., MA, and BA in psychology. His research interests include societal violence; workplace motivation; influencing human behavior; and social tolerance.

    Police Psychology & Jeffrey Dahmer w/ Dr. Dennis Davis

  4. Sep 20

    Psychopathy in Adolescents: How do we assess in those so young?

    n this episode we are again joined by Michael Schiøth. We talk about psychopathy in children and adolescents. We also delved into the Youth Version of the PCL-R, how it is used, and how psychopathy is assessed in this population.

    Psychopathy in Adolescents: How do we assess in those so young?

  5. Sep 6

    The 2022 Idaho Murders & Bryan Kohberger

    In this episode, we discuss personality disorders to include paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal. We discuss Bryan Kohberger, what made some of the details novel in the case, and highlight any psychopathy that may be present.

    The 2022 Idaho Murders & Bryan Kohberger

  6. Aug 23

    The Deadpool Killer (Wade Wilson) and Hybristophilia

    In this episode, we discuss Wade Wilson aka the Deadpool Killer. We discussed his crimes and history and link them to PCL-R items to provide a way for people to think about psychopathy that they see in the media. We discuss his link to Deadpool as well as discuss hybristophilia which is present in his case.

    The Deadpool Killer (Wade Wilson) and Hybristophilia

  7. Aug 9

    Greenlandic Sex Offenders: Child Molesters vs. Pedophiles

    In this episode, we are joined again by Michael Schiøth where he discuss his work with sex offenders in Greenland. We discuss prevalence, personality traits, possible reasons for the behavior and what treatment looks like. Additionally, we will be writing an article comparing his sample to a USA sample and we discuss what that may look like.

    Greenlandic Sex Offenders: Child Molesters vs. Pedophiles

  8. Jul 26

    Myths about Female Psychopaths and Biases

    In this episode, we are joined again by Dr. Michael Segal. We deep dive into some biases, logical fallacies, and thinking errors people present with female offenders. We go through some myths about female psychopaths to better help our listeners. https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/monograph/9780128233726/understanding-female-offenders

    Myths about Female Psychopaths and Biases
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Inside the Psychopathic Mind is hosted by two seasoned psychologists, Drs. Carl Gacono and Jason Smith. In concise, engaging episodes, the podcast explores psychopathy across theory and practice—including female psychopathy, assessment instruments, real cases from the past, stories ripped from the headlines, and current controversies. Drawing from research, clinical experience, articles, guest perspectives, and listener questions, the show is designed for both psychologists and lay listeners interested in understanding psychopathy beyond myths and sensationalism.

Information

  • Creator
    Drs. Jason Smith and Carl Gacono
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Jason Smith
  • Show Website
    Inside the Psychopathic Mind

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