Low intellectual ability does not predict violent crime in a military forensic sample

Abstract

This study examined whether intellectual ability predicts violent crime among a sample of military members charged with criminal offenses. Intellectual ability was measured with the Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ), Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI), and the Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV). The sample was comprised of military members charged with any type of offense and referred for forensic evaluation. A binary logistic regression was performed to see if any or all of the intelligence indices predicted violent crime. Criminal offenses were dichotomized where 0 = non-violent crime and 1 = violent crime. The sample (N = 79) was drawn from a retrospective review of forensic evaluations of military members charged with criminal offenses. These findings support the observation that intellectual ability does not predict likelihood of committing a violent offense in a military forensic population. This study highlights the importance of incorporating military-specific data into forensic assessments of service members.