Offender Personality Research Articles

Juvenile Delinquent Behavior

Juvenile deviant behavior is the set of material or symbolic actions committed persistently, repeatedly, or continuously by the minor often considered a response to the frustration they experience while interacting with the environment and affecting negatively social values. The types of problematic behavior can be classified into the following categories: offenses against property, offenses against individuals, offenses against morality, juvenile delinquent conduct, juvenile crime. Considering the influence of individual variables on criminal behavior, criminology introduces the notion of offender personality as a component of the human personality within a bio-psycho-social framework. The individual’s psychological profile cannot be fully understood without the biological infrastructure on which he develops and outside the social superstructure in which it is embedded.

The Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway for Men in England and Wales: A Qualitative Study of Pathway User Views About Services, Perceived Impact on Psychological Wellbeing, and Implications for Desistance

The offender personality disorder (OPD) Pathway is a network of services across prison, health and community settings in England and Wales providing psychological support for high-risk people who have offended and are thought to have a personality disorder. As part of a national evaluation of the Pathway, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 36 Pathway users to determine their views about their experiences in these services; and whether and how these impacted on their psychological wellbeing. Framework analysis was used to analyze the data. Participants reported positive therapeutic relationships with staff; improved psychological wellbeing; and for some, a shift away from antisocial toward more pro-social identities. They also described a negative impact of staff turnover and uncertainty about the role of prison officers and psychologists within prison services. Pathway services are able to engage individuals who have not previously engaged with services. Constancy of staff is fundamental to the Pathway.

Manic sexual crimes as a result of acting out early object relations

The report presents the results of research work in the field of applied psychoanalysis on the topic of personality and object relations of serial sex offenders. Based on the analysis of the theories of psychoanalysis, as well as an empirical study of three sexual maniacs: Alexander Spesivtsev, Sergei Golovkin, Vladimir Mukhankin, it is possible to observe how family can affect the personality of a future sex offender.

Economic Determinants of Crime and Their Psychological Impacts on Offender Personality New Evidence Sheds Light on an Old Debate

Economic Determinants of Crime and Their Psychological Impacts on Offender Personality New Evidence Sheds Light on an Old Debate

Fraud and corporate psychopaths: The proposition for reintroducing personality traits of the economic crime offender

There is strong evidence that corporate psychopaths – ruthless people who willingly engage in fraud and even enjoy outwitting and stealing from others – are a dominant force at senior levels in financial organizations. While corporate psychopathy has obvious implications for fraud and causes significant societal harm (both financial and non-financial), its correlation with fraud has had minimal coverage in both the academic accountancy literature and counter-fraud literature. This paper fills this gap by discussing the presence of corporate psychopaths in organizations as a theoretical antecedent to fraud. The paper outlines what are the most common personality traits of corporate psychopaths and how they might be correlated with fraud. By introducing the concept of corporate psychopath into the counter-fraud discourse, this paper aims to enrich criminological perspectives on personality of economic crime offenders for effective prevention and policing. The paper notes the systemic influence that leaders with personality disorders, like psychopathy, may have on the ethical climate of an organization and concludes that further empirical research on the links between corporate psychopaths and fraud is needed. Eight specific research propositions are suggested.

EDUCATIONAL ISSUES IN THE RESOCIALIZATION PROCESS OF CRIMINAL OFFENDERS

The primary focus of the research is to investigate educational challenges in the process of resocializing individuals with criminal tendencies. The research aims to analyze educational issues in the resocialization process of offender to facilitate a more effective resocialization of criminally inclined individuals into society. The research tasks encompass various key objectives, including the analysis of offender characteristics, exploration of the formation process of offender personalities, formulation of proposals to mitigate the negative impact of macro-environmental factors, and development of resocialization recommendations. The novelty of the research is linked to changes in cultural values and social norms influencing the behavior, motivation, and transformation of social values among criminally inclined individuals. The outcomes of the research will contribute to the development of more effective strategies for crime prevention and the resocialization of offender personalities within society. The chosen research methods will provide a comprehensive insight into the formation of offender personalities and the factors influencing them. The monographic method will be utilized to describe existing research findings and provide conceptual explanations regarding offender personality and its formation mechanisms. The comparative method will be applied to assess issues related to the prevention of criminal activities among criminally inclined individuals in Latvia and other countries.

Психолого-криминалистические особенности личности несовершеннолетних обвиняемых и их роль в расследовании преступлений

Understanding the psychological and age characteristics of the personality of juvenile offenders allows judicial and investigative authorities to conduct effective investigative actions and judicial proceedings against juvenile participants in criminal events, use appropriate tactical and forensic techniques in the process of interacting with them both as part of the investigation of crimes and their prevention.

Interpersonal Problem Profiles of Personality and Psychopathology Constructs in Chinese Undergraduates and Offenders.

The interpersonal problem circumplex is extensively used in the field as an assessment framework for understanding the interpersonal implications of a range of personality and psychopathology constructs. The vast majority of this large literature has been conducted in Western convenience and clinical samples. We computed interpersonal problem structural summary parameters for a range of personality and psychopathology variables in two Chinese offender samples (N = 424 and N = 555) and one undergraduate sample (N = 511) to test how well findings from Western samples generalize to Chinese undergraduates and offenders. The results showed that findings in Western samples generalized reasonably well to Chinese young adult and forensic contexts, although the interpersonal profiles of external variables were less specific in Chinese samples. Compared with undergraduates, interpersonal distress has stronger associations with the mental health of offenders. This study further elaborates the interpersonal correlates of individual differences in personality and psychopathology across cultures and assessment contexts, and it also extends the literature examining interpersonal problems in forensic settings.

The effectiveness of the offender personality disorder pathway: a propensity score-matched analysis

ABSTRACT Offenders with severe personality pathology are at significantly increased risk of serious and violent offending. In England and Wales, offenders who are likely to meet criteria for a diagnosis of personality disorder are managed within a network of ‘Offender Personality Disorder Pathway’ services. We conducted a retrospective cohort study over 6 years, using linked routine datasets, to examine the effectiveness of these services on male offenders (n = 28,321). We compared the outcomes of those who received a simple case formulation and had not been referred to Pathway services (the ‘Comparison group’), with a group of offenders who had received a complex case formulation and been referred to Pathway services (the ‘Treatment group’). Over time, significant improvements occurred in re-offending risk scores, and lower rates of behavioural disturbance among both Treatment and Comparison groups of offenders. However, no statistically significant differences were detected in the rates of improvement between Treatment and Comparison groups. Offending rates in both groups significantly increased over time, although there was no significant difference in the increase in offending rates between the Treatment and Comparison groups. Currently, there is no statistical evidence that the Pathway is associated with changes in offender behaviour.

Forensic Case Formulation: Exploring the Knowledge, Opinions, and Training Experiences of Staff Working Within the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway.

Forensic case formulation (FCF) is a key activity within the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway (OPDP), performed by OPDP specialist offender managers (OMs) and psychologists. Although FCF training is provided to OMs, there are a number of questions about the adequacy and effectiveness of this training. Furthermore, it is unclear whether psychologists receive sufficient support to keep their FCF skills relevant and effective over time. This study aimed to investigate the FCF training experiences of OPDP staff, to assess staff satisfaction with this training, to identify ways of improving this training, and to explore the value of FCF from a staff perspective. To meet these aims, OPDP staff were asked to complete an online Qualtrics survey disseminated nationally. Results reveal a lack of standardized FCF training across the OPDP, contributing to poor staff satisfaction and confidence. These results highlight a need for FCF training improvement within the OPDP.

ԹՄՐԱՀԱՆՑԱԳՈՐԾԻ ԱՆՁԸ ԵՎ ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆԻ ՀԱՆՐԱՊԵՏՈՒԹՅՈՒՆՈՒՄ ԹՄՐԱՀԱՆՑԱԳՈՐԾՈՒԹՅՈՒՆՆԵՐԻ ԱՆՀԱՏԱԿԱՆ ԿԱՆԽԱՐԳԵԼՄԱՆ ՈՐՈՇ ՀԱՐՑԵՐ / THE PERSONALITY OF A DRUG OFFENDER AND SOME ISSUES OF INDIVIDUAL PREVENTION OF DRUG CRIMES IN THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

The article presents the results of the criminological research of the personality of a drug offender conducted by the author according to the data of 2017-2022. The results of the author's research show that, in a generalized form, personality of a drug offenders are characterized mainly by a young age (30-49 years), a low educational level, lack of permanent work, the commission of drug crimes mainly for selfish motives, etc. Specified and other results should be taken into account when determining the direction of individual prevention of drug crime, when choosing a method and in solving other issues. The results of the author's research show that the legislation of the Republic of Armenia does not provide an opportunity to carry out individual prevention in full. Therefore, the author proposes to make appropriate legislative changes and additions - expand the range of prevention facilities, regulate in detail the specifics of methods and mechanisms of preventive action. In addition, the author notes that individual warnings, as a rule, involve psychological impact on the relevant object by the method of escape, which cannot be fully implemented by law enforcement officers. Therefore, it is necessary to provide for the positions of psychologists in the territorial police bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and establish legal grounds for involving psychologists in individual preventive work.

‘Challenging’ doesn’t sum it up: Exploring probation practitioners’ experiences managing high-risk individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has been, and still is, a worldwide health crisis. Despite the surge of literature on this phenomenon, little research has been conducted with the Probation Service during this time. The aim of this research was to explore Probation Practitioners’ (PPs’) experiences of the COVID-19 restrictions with a specific focus on those who access the Psychologically Informed Consultation Service (PICS). Further, to explore the experiences of key aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of the Community Offender Personality Disorder Service. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 9 PPs who represented a broad cross-section in terms of age and years of experience in the role. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to explore the experiences of PPs and revealed 5 main themes: unmet support needs, problematic working environments, an emotionally distressing time, the use of PICS, and a silver lining. These findings are discussed with implications for further research.

Modern Methods of Criminological Study of the Personality of Selfish Criminals: A Critical Review and Comparative Analysis

The relevance of the study lies in the fact that the main reason for the impact of all the negative factors observed in society and generating mercenary crimes in it is the social maladjustment of the offender's personality. This is the quality of his socialisation, in which he acquires negative experience, which in the future leads to his unlawful acts. It is in the process of such "adaptation" to the environment, not without the direct "participation" of negative aspects of the micro-level, that the mercenary-violent orientation of the offender's personality is formed. The purpose of the study is to analyse the processes and phenomena occurring in society and leading to the formation of the main subjective cause of criminal behaviour - the criminogenic-oriented consciousness and psychology of the offender to use violence against the personality of another person to satisfy his/her own selfish needs. In accordance with this goal, the objective of the study is to study the socio-psychological properties of the individual, as well as to bring scientific and theoretical developments closer to the needs of practice. The main results of the study are the argumentation of the position that, if we follow dialectical concepts in reflecting the picture of the development of social life, the shortcomings and miscalculations of the macro level of social life, which can act as determinants of certain criminal manifestations, find their continuation and development in phenomena attributed to the micro level of personality socialisation. The main conclusions of the study are that the dynamic relationship and interdependence of the conditions of life and social situation of a person's development, which generally affect his/her adaptation to the environment, are considered essential in determining the determinants of offences. The further direction of scientific research is to study the personality of a mercenary criminal from the perspective of criminology, and also to make a criminological analysis of personal characteristics of a mercenary criminal.

Exploring the associations between dark triad personality and psychopathology in convicted offenders: Identifying their role in reincarceration

AbstractDysfunctional personality and psychopathological characteristics are increasingly studied in offenders separately, but only a few studies have analysed their relationship in this specific population. In this research, we focus on the so‐called Dark Triad personality, consisting of the Machiavellian, the narcissistic and the psychopathic personalities. The main objective of this study was to examine the association between Dark Triad personality and psychopathology and also to know the role of these mental health variables in recidivism. Participants were 63 offenders (44 men and 19 women) from two different penitentiary institutions. Sociodemographic data as well as clinical and personality characteristics were recorded. Psychopathology was assessed with the third version of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory and dark personality with the Short Dark Triad. Results of descriptive statistical analyses revealed a high prevalence of psychopathology in convicted participants and reincarcerated offenders. Correlational analyses showed a strong relation between the Dark Triad personality and psychopathology, being the psychopathic personality the one with the highest association. Finally, we found that the psychopathological variables contributing most to the discrimination of reincarcerated participants were substance and alcohol abuse disorders and in relation to dysfunctional personality were psychopathy and narcissism, the latter in negative direction. These data highlight the relevance of a necessity for research exploring long‐term patterns of re‐incarceration for both men and women, including mental health disorders and personality models. The importance of taking into account the relationship between variables in preventive and treatment interventions inside and outside penitentiary institutions is discussed.

A pedagogic evaluation comparing face to face and online formats of a multi-professional offender personality disorder (OPD) higher education training programme

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to provide an overview of a novel offender personality disorder (OPD) higher education programme and the research evaluation results collected over a three-year period. Data from Phase 1 was collected from a face-to-face mode of delivery, and Phase 2 data collected from the same programme was from an online mode of delivery because of the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachIn Phase 1, three modules were developed and delivered in a fully face-to-face format before the pandemic in 2019–2020 (n = 52 student participants). In 2020–2021 (n = 66 student participants), training was adapted into a fully online mode of delivery in Phase 2. This mixed-methods study evaluated participant confidence and compassion. Pre-, post- and six-month follow-up questionnaires were completed. Qualitative interviews were conducted across both phases to gain in-depth feedback on this programme (Phase 1: N = 7 students, Phase 2: N = 2 students, N = 5 leaders). Data from Phase 1 (face-to-face) and Phase 2 (online) are synthesised for comparison.FindingsIn Phase 1 (N = 52), confidence in working with people with personality disorder or associated difficulties improved significantly, while compassion did not change. In Phase 2 (N = 66), these results were replicated, with statistically significant improvements in confidence reported. Compassion, however, was reduced in Phase 2 at the six-month follow-up. Results have been integrated and have assisted in shaping the future of modules to meet the learning needs of students.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research into the impact of different modes of delivery is important for the future of education in a post-pandemic digitalised society. Comparisons of blended learning approaches were not covered but would be beneficial to explore and evaluate in the future.Practical implicationsThis comparison provided informed learning for consideration in the development of non-related educational programmes and, hence, was of use to other educational providers.Originality/valueThis paper provides a comparison of a student-evaluated training programme, thus providing insights into the impact of delivering a relational-focused training programme in both face-to-face and online distance learning delivery modes. From this pedagogic research evaluation, the authors were able to derive unique insights into the outcomes of this programme.

A demographic and clinical profile of prisoners accessing an assessment and treatment service within the offender personality disorder pathway

ABSTRACT The Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) pathway enables men and women likely to have personality disorder to be identified and treated in prisons, secure hospitals and the community. The treatment services forming part of the OPD pathway aim to improve the psychological health, wellbeing, and relational skills of its target population. However, there is very little literature on the population that fall within the scope of the OPD pathway. This paper examines the clinical and risk profile of a cohort of male prisoners participating in a long term, high secure prison-based assessment and treatment service, the Beacon, which forms part of the national OPD pathway. Demographic information, psychiatric and offending history, personality disorder diagnosis, and details on trauma symptomatology was collected from a cohort of prisoners participating in the Beacon service. The paper considers the personality traits and mental health needs present in the population alongside key trauma-related difficulties. This paper demonstrates that the present cohort of the Beacon prisoners show evidence of complex emotional and interpersonal needs. Their experiences with trauma and associated symptoms were common, especially related to posttraumatic stress. Limitations are discussed.

Исследование мотивации противоправного имущественного поведения несовершеннолетних правонарушителей

The article presents the results of a study of the need-motivation sphere of juvenile offenders who have committed crimes against property. The purpose of the study is to study the structure of criminal motivation of adolescents and young men who have experience in committing property crimes, to establish their leading motives and actualized needs that are satisfied in the process of committing theft. As the main psychodiagnostic material, the author's specialized projective technique for diagnosing the motives of delinquent property behavior of minors, based on the complex use of the possibilities of interpretive and additive projective techniques, is applied. 82 juvenile offenders registered in juvenile affairs units for committing crimes against property took part in the study. The results of the study allowed us to determine the significance of each type of motives in the structure of criminal motivation of juvenile offenders: the dominance of a potential criminal selfish motive was established, which the diagnosed showed more often and more intensively than others; the leading motivating value of a potential security motive was revealed; a significant role of potential motives for self-affirmation and self-esteem enhancement was established; the significance of potential criminal motives of envy, revenge, playful and humane, as not having, in general, a decisive influence on criminal behavior, but prevailing in the need-motivational sphere of individual offenders, has been established; situationally significant influence of the physiological motive has been revealed. The study also showed that juvenile offenders are not characterized by avoidance of illegal behavior, a desire to minimize the damage caused or to apologize to the victim. The results of the study of the criminal motivation of juvenile offenders, conducted for the first time using a specialized projective technique that allows leveling the factor of insincerity of the subjects, allow all subjects of the prevention of juvenile delinquency to carry out preventive measures taking into account the characteristics of the motivational components of the personality of juvenile offenders.

Understanding the dark side of personality in sex offenders considering the level of sexual violence

This study examined the relationship between the actual level of physical violence in sexual offenses and dark triad, empathic and impulsive personality traits of their perpetrators. Sixty-four male perpetrators of sexual offenses without any serious mental illness were included. A 5-point Likert-type coding system based on Violence Profile for Current Offense was applied to assess the severity of physical violence of each sexual offense. Personality traits of dark triad (psychopathy, Machiavellianism, narcissism), trait empathy and impulsiveness were also evaluated. Multivariate analyses indicated that non-stranger victim, secondary psychopathy, narcissism and empathy could significantly predict greater involvement of physical violence in a sexual offense. In addition, empathy was negatively correlated with all dark triad traits. Sexual violence should be conceptualized in the form of a continuum, and, considering such an approach, offenders with high secondary psychopathy and narcissism may show preference for sexual assaults that are more violent in nature.

“The People Who Leave Here Are Not the People Who Arrived.”: A Qualitative Analysis of the Therapeutic Process and Identity Transition in the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway

Individuals with personality disorder are often construed as difficult to treat, and sometimes even “untreatable.” In this study, 24 men who had completed treatment on the offender personality disorder treatment pathway participated in focus groups at a high-security prison in the United Kingdom. The results of the data analysis revealed three superordinate themes that captured the impact and experience of the therapeutic process. The three themes were “A self-reconstructed,” which focused on the reconstruing and reconstructions of participants’ identity and how intervention assisted with a coherent narrative of self. The second superordinate theme, “Relational resilience and dealing with abandonment,” relates to the attachment to therapists and the negotiation of relational boundaries and resilience. The third theme, “Reimagining and re-experiencing trauma,” focuses on participants’ exploration and reliving of trauma, and how group processes allowed for shared understanding and a reconstruing of their trauma. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Analysis of juvenile delinquency in the Republic of Tyva

The article deals with issues related to the analysis of juvenile delinquency in the Republic of Tyva (Russia). In particular, a study of the criminological characteristics of juvenile delinquency in the Republic of Tyva was conducted, information and analytical statistics of internal affairs bodies were studied, where data on types of crimes for 12 months of 2022 were examined in more detail in comparison with the same period of 2021 in the Russian Federation, as well as crimes committed in the region under consideration. In the course of the conducted scientific research, general scientific, private scientific and special legal methods of cognition were used. An empirical study was conducted, within the framework of which students of Tuva State University were surveyed in order to obtain information about possible causes of juvenile delinquency according to the respondents. The analysis made it possible to assess the criminological state and establish the characteristics of the offender's personality. The authors present their own point of view of the need to put into practice a number of measures to prevent juvenile delinquency in the Republic of Tyva. The scientific novelty of the research consist in the establishment of the features of juvenile delinquency in the Republic of Tyva, in particular its quantitative and qualitative changes occurring in the overall structure of crime. An attempt to predict the trend of juvenile delinquency in the Republic of Tyva and identify the main factors influencing juvenile delinquency, as well as in the development of preventive measures of delinquent behavior of adolescents in order to help stabilize this category of crime, keep its level at a socially tolerant level, contribute to a positive change in the qualitative characteristics of crime, namely the structure of crime, its nature. In particular, when carrying out individual preventive work with minors, state bodies need to put into practice a unified document management system for the timely exchange of information that will allow them to adequately respond to all challenges and threats in activities to protect the life, health, rights and freedoms of minors.