Psychopathy Checklist-Revised Scores Research Articles

Few Differences in the Externalizing and Criminal History of Young Violent Offenders With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are known to be associated with an increased risk of aggression and challenging behavior. In this study, we have mapped the externalizing history of a nationally representative cohort of young violent offenders with ASD, compared with offenders without ASD. Two hundred and sixty-nine violent offenders were assessed for prevalence of ASD, and participated in a thorough assessment of previous externalizing problems and criminal history. Twenty-six offenders met consensus clinical DSM-IV criteria for ASD and they were compared to offenders without ASD from the same cohort. Overall, we found a very high prevalence of externalizing and antisocial behaviors in the history of these offenders and there were few differences between the groups. Placements in foster homes were overrepresented in the ASD group and the ASD-offenders had significantly more often been diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder (i.e. ASD or ADHD) by a clinician before the study. At index conviction, ASD offenders were overrepresented in sex crimes with a child victim. Though offenders without ASD had more previous convictions, in particular drug crimes, we found no difference in terms of total number of prosecuted crimes. Substance use disorders were more common among offenders without ASD. The ASD offenders scored higher compared to the non-ASD offenders on the Affective facet of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) but there were no differences in terms of total PCL-R scores. Our results provide important knowledge of the developmental history of offenders with ASD. Though this is a small and atypical phenotype it poses significant challenges to the criminal justice system and we need to understand more of it to be able to prevent these individuals from committing crimes but also to provide a fair judicial treatment, to assess exculpatory factors and improve our forensic treatment models.

Drug Abuse and Behavioral Transgressions during Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) are Related to High Psychopathy Levels

Introduction: Studies which used the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) among methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) patients focused mostly on methodological issues, without addressing its relationship to patients' misconduct during treatment. This paper tests the hypothesis that high PCL-R scores are related to high rates of drug abuse, and high numbers of behavioral transgressions in MMT during a 7-year period. Material and Methods: 107 MMT patients were recruited from a MMT clinic in Israel, and were administered the PCL-R. The questionnaires results as well as routine drug test findings were recorded between 7/2007 and 11/2007. Seven years later (7/2014), repeated drug test results were analyzed, and the number of behavioral transgressions during the entire period was computed. Results: High levels of psychopathy were related to drug test results indicating any illicit drug use, cocaine use and benzodiazepines misuse at the beginning of study, and limited to benzodiazepines misuse among patients who stayed in treatment at the 7-year follow-up. However, higher scores on different PCL-R facets were significantly associated with different types of drugs. The PCL-R's total score and all but the antisociality facet were positively correlated with a higher number of behavioral transgressions (such as, threats and/or verbal and physical aggression). Conclusions: Administration of the PCL-R during MMT may help identify patients with high illicit drug use levels and a higher chance of committing behavioral transgressions during treatment.

Psychopathy and intelligence in high-risk violent women

ABSTRACTThere has been a longstanding debate and mixed evidence on the link between psychopathy and intelligence. Most of the existing research comes from male prisoners, with the literature on female psychopathy and intelligence remaining sparse. Thus, the current study explored the correlational association between psychopathy and intelligence in a sample of high-risk violent female offenders. This is the first study of its kind from the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) pathway for women in the United Kingdom (UK). The sample includes high-risk violent women presenting with severe personality disorder. In the present study, we conducted a correlational examination between total scores, and the 2-factor and 4-facet structure of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) with intelligence using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). No significant associations were found between total PCL-R scores, or factor 2, and intelligence. Positive associations were found between verbal comprehension and factor 1 and the interpersonal facet. Thus, the results suggest high-risk violent female offenders with interpersonal psychopathic traits demonstrate higher levels of verbal comprehension skills. This finding may help explain why psychopathic female offenders, who can be characterized by deceitful and egocentric behaviours, may be able to successfully charm and con others for their own personal gain.

Treatment responsiveness of replicated psychopathy profiles.

Theory and accumulating data suggest systematic heterogeneity among offenders with psychopathic traits. Several empirical investigations converge on the nature of subtypes, but little is known about differences in treatment responsivity. We have used the 4-facet model of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) to provide a framework for detecting subtypes. The present study used the full range of PCL-R scores in a sample of male violent offenders (N = 190) to replicate subtypes found in a partly overlapping sample by Neumann, Vitacco, and Mokros (2016), using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), and subsequently to examine potential differences in treatment responsivity. Four subtypes emerged. Within the prototypical psychopathic group, the distinction between intent-to-treat and completers was crucial. Prototypical psychopathic offenders were significantly more likely to drop out, but completers appeared to proceed through the different phases of treatment in much the same way as the other groups. Clearly, more research is needed to elucidate treatment interfering mechanisms and their associated patient characteristics, particularly for the prototypical psychopathic group. Developing therapeutic strategies to improve treatment compliance is a necessary step in the development of specialized treatment programs for these difficult patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Which PCL-R Scores Best Predict Forensic Clinicians’ Opinions of Offender Risk?

The Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R) is widely used in assessments of violence risk and sexual recidivism risk. Research consistently reveals Factor 2 (Lifestyle/Antisocial Behavior) scores are more reliable and predictive than Factor 1 (Interpersonal/Affective) scores in assessing recidivism risk. Nevertheless, interpersonal-affective offender traits more strongly influence sentencing decisions among mock jurors. We examined PCL-R and Static-99R scores evaluators ( N = 99) assigned to three sexual offenders, and the association between these scores and evaluators’ ratings of offender risk (i.e., likelihood of reoffense). Findings suggest that risk ratings were more strongly associated with the personality features assessed by Factor 1 scores than with the antisocial behaviors assessed by Factor 2 scores, even though research reveals the latter are more relevant to risk. Specifically, evaluator perceptions of interpersonal traits (i.e., Facet 1) emerged as the primary determinant of risk judgments, whereas offenders’ antisocial histories (i.e., Facet 4) were not associated with any judgments.

Abnormal cortical gyrification in criminal psychopathy.

BackgroundPsychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by interpersonal and emotional abnormalities (e.g., lack of empathy and guilt) and antisocial behavior. Psychopathy has been associated with a number of structural brain abnormalities, most notably in orbital frontal and anterior/medial temporal regions, that may underlie psychopathic individuals' problematic behaviors. Past research evaluating cortical structure in psychopathy has considered thickness and volume, but to date no study has investigated differences in cortical gyrification, a measure of cortical complexity thought to reflect early neurodevelopmental cortical connectivity.MethodsWe measured the local gyrification index (LGI) in a sample of 716 adult male inmates and performed a whole brain analysis assessing the relationship between LGI and total and factor scores on the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R).ResultsPCL-R scores were negatively associated with LGI measures within the right hemisphere in the midcingulate cortex (MCC) and adjacent regions of the superior frontal gyrus as well as lateral superior parietal cortex. Additionally, PCL-R Factor 1 scores (interpersonal/affective traits) predicted less LGI within the right MCC and adjacent dorsomedial frontal cortex and greater LGI in bilateral occipital cortex. Scores on PCL-R Factor 2, indicating impulsivity and antisocial behaviors, did not predict LGI in any regions.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that psychopathy, particularly the interpersonal and affective traits, are associated with specific structural abnormalities that form during neurodevelopment and these abnormalities may underlie aberrant brain functioning in regions important in emotional processing and cognitive control.

Examining the interrater reliability of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised across a large sample of trained raters.

The goal of the current study was to assess the interrater reliability of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) among a large sample of trained raters (N = 280). All raters completed PCL-R training at some point between 1989 and 2012 and subsequently provided complete coding for the same 6 practice cases. Overall, 3 major conclusions can be drawn from the results: (a) reliability of individual PCL-R items largely fell below any appropriate standards while the estimates for Total PCL-R scores and factor scores were good (but not excellent); (b) the cases representing individuals with high psychopathy scores showed better reliability than did the cases of individuals in the moderate to low PCL-R score range; and (c) there was a high degree of variability among raters; however, rater specific differences had no consistent effect on scoring the PCL-R. Therefore, despite low reliability estimates for individual items, Total scores and factor scores can be reliably scored among trained raters. We temper these conclusions by noting that scoring standardized videotaped case studies does not allow the rater to interact directly with the offender. Real-world PCL-R assessments typically involve a face-to-face interview and much more extensive collateral information. We offer recommendations for new web-based training procedures. (PsycINFO Database Record

Call Me Irresponsible Is Psychopaths’ Responsibility a Matter of (Data) Preference?

Call Me Irresponsible Is Psychopaths’ Responsibility a Matter of (Data) Preference? Jarkko Jalava (bio) and Stephanie Griffiths (bio) Keywords Psychopathy, responsibility, philosophers, neuroimaging The philosophical debate over psychopaths’ moral and criminal responsibility is increasingly evidence based. However, as we noted, such arguments are misleading if philosophers only consider evidence that supports their own positions. In his response, Glannon counters our argument by introducing new evidence—neuroimaging data—and so demonstrates the exact problem we outlined; Strijbos, in contrast, offers a workable solution. Glannon’s response is a succinct summation of the strengths and weaknesses that philosophers bring to the debate. Although Glannon accurately portrays the potential role of neuroimaging data in determining responsibility as merely supplementary to behavior, he simultaneously mistakes the strength of the actual data. Glannon (2017, p. 13) cites Gregory et al. (2012) as evidence that psychopaths have reduced gray matter volume in “brain regions associated with empathic processing, prosocial emotions and moral reasoning.” In fact, the only reduction unique to psychopaths in that study was in temporal pole regions, whose relevance to empathy and moral reasoning is unclear. Of the 26 structural magnetic resonance imaging studies on psychopathy (assessed via total score on the Psychopathy Checklist or the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version) published to date, only two (Ermer, Cope, Nyalakanti, Calhoun, & Kiehl, 2012; Yang, Raine, Colletti, Toga, & Narr, 2010) found psychopaths to have reduced volumes in both the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), regions usually implicated in empathy, emotion processing, and moral reasoning. However, even these findings have caveats; in Ermer et al. (2012), the effects disappeared in peak height whole brain analysis, and in Yang et al. (2010) the results applied only to unsuccessful psychopaths. Although other studies of psychopaths reported abnormalities in amygdalae or vmPFC (but not both), the findings were not consistent: One study described reduced amygdala volume in psychopaths (Yang, Raine, Narr, Colletti, & Toga, 2009), two found increased volume (Boccardi et al., 2011; Schiffer et al., 2011), and four found no differences at all (Cope et al., 2012; de Oliveira-Souza et al., 2008; Gregory et al., 2012; Tiihonen et al., 2008). After correcting for multiple [End Page 21] comparisons and controlling for substance abuse, three additional studies reported volumetric reduction in psychopaths’ vmPFC (Boccardi et al., 2011; Tiihonen et al., 2008; Yang, Raine, Colletti, Toga, & Narr, 2011), but two found no differences (Cope et al., 2012; Gregory et al., 2012). A 2009 meta-analysis showed that Psychopathy Checklist-Revised scores do not moderate prefrontal cortex volume or function in antisocial individuals (Yang & Raine, 2009). Glannon’s claim about functional magnetic resonance imaging studies fares marginally better. Motzkin, Newman, Kiehl, and Koenigs (2011) found reduced structural integrity in the pathway between right amygdala and vmPFC areas, and an attenuated correlation between their activation levels at rest. Juárez, Kiehl, and Calhoun (2013) used an auditory oddball paradigm (not a moral decision-making task) and found that Psychopathy Checklist-Revised total scores were correlated with lower activation in several frontoparietal areas, including the limbic-vmPFC regions, but also in regions (e.g., parietal and occipital) peripheral to emotional or moral processing. Even if we accept these unreplicated findings as reliable, one problem remains: Psychopaths do not show consistent behavioral deficits in moral reasoning. Of the four functional magnetic resonance imaging studies using moral dilemma tasks (Glenn, Raine, Schug, Young, & Hauser, 2009; Harenski, Harenski, Shane, & Kiehl, 2010; Harenski, Edwards, Harenski, & Kiehl, 2014; Pujol et al., 2012), none showed behavioral differences between psychopaths and nonpsychopaths.1 Other experiments corroborate this (for a review, see Borg & Sinnott-Armstrong, 2013). In short, psychopaths do not show consistent impairments on moral reasoning tasks, nor do they show systematic abnormalities in brain areas putatively responsible for moral reasoning. Taken together, what do these results mean? One interpretation is that psychopaths have subtle moral decision-making impairments, which our current tests cannot detect. Another interpretation is that, if psychopaths show neurobiological abnormalities, but perform similarly to nonpsychopaths on moral tasks, then those abnormalities are irrelevant to moral decision making, at least in these populations. Whatever the case, these data are too inconclusive to play a meaningful role in the responsibility debate. If philosophers tend to oversimplify the...

The Linguistic Output of Psychopathic Offenders During a PCL-R Interview

We used text analysis software to examine the linguistic features of the speech of 21 psychopathic and 45 other offenders during the interview part of a Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R) assessment. Regression analysis was run on the linguistic categories to determine which were the best predictors of psychopathy scores. Relative to the other offenders, psychopaths used more disfluencies (“you know”) and personal pronouns, made fewer references to other people (e.g., personal names, family), and were also less emotionally expressive. In particular, a low frequency of anxiety-related words and a more frequent use of personal pronouns were the most significant predictors of PCL-R scores and accounted for 25% of the variance. These findings for the first time afford a unique glimpse into the language produced during the PCL-R assessment interview. In addition to enhancing our understanding of psychopathic speech, these results may provide interviewers additional insights relevant to the assessment and therapeutic process.

Field Inter-Rater Reliability of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised.

Strong inter-rater reliability has been established for the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), specifically by examiners in research contexts. However, there is less support for inter-reliability in applied settings. This study examined archival data that included a sample of sex offenders ( n = 178) who entered federal custody between 1992 and 1998. The offenders were assessed using the PCL-R on two occasions. The first assessment occurred at Millhaven Institution, the intake unit for federally incarcerated offenders in the province of Ontario. The second assessment took place upon inmates' transfer to the Regional Treatment Center, which admits federal inmates with intense psychological and psychiatric needs. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated for item, total, factor, and facet scores. The ICC absolute agreement for the PCL-R total and factor scores from raters across both settings was slightly better than what has been previously reported by Hare. Results of this study show that the reliability of PCL-R scores in field settings can be comparable to those in research settings. Authors conclude by highlighting the importance of training, consultation, considering different scores for a given item, following the guidelines of the manual in addition to considering measures that enhance neutrality and reliability of findings in the criminal justice system.

Psychometric properties of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) in a representative sample of Canadian federal offenders.

The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 2003) is a commonly used psychological test for assessing traits of psychopathic personality disorder. Despite the abundance of research using the PCL-R, the vast majority of research used samples of convenience rather than systematic methods to minimize sampling bias and maximize the generalizability of findings. This potentially complicates the interpretation of test scores and research findings, including the "norms" for offenders from the United States and Canada included in the PCL-R manual. In the current study, we evaluated the psychometric properties of PCL-R scores for all male offenders admitted to a regional reception center of the Correctional Service of Canada during a 1-year period (n = 375). Because offenders were admitted for assessment prior to institutional classification, they comprise a sample that was heterogeneous with respect to correctional risks and needs yet representative of all offenders in that region of the service. We examined the distribution of PCL-R scores, classical test theory indices of its structural reliability, the factor structure of test items, and the external correlates of test scores. The findings were highly consistent with those typically reported in previous studies. We interpret these results as indicating it is unlikely any sampling limitations of past research using the PCL-R resulted in findings that were, overall, strongly biased or unrepresentative.

Modulatory effects of psychopathy on Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance in male offenders with Antisocial Personality Disorder

Neuropsychological deficits in executive functions (EF) have been linked to antisocial behavior and considered to be cardinal to the onset and persistence of severe antisocial and aggressive behavior. However, when psychopathy is present, prior evidence suggests that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is unaffected leading to intact EF. Ninety-one male offenders with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) and 24 controls completed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). ASPD individuals were grouped in three categories according to Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) scores (low, medium and high). We hypothesized that ASPD offenders with high PCL-R scores will not differ from healthy controls in EF and will show better EF performance in comparison with subjects with low PCL-R scores. Results showed that ASPD offenders with low PCL-R scores committed more perseverative errors and responses than controls and offenders with high PCL-R scores, which did not differ from healthy controls. Moreover, scores on Factor 1 and the interpersonal facet of the PCL-R were predictors of better WCST performance. Our results suggest a modulatory role of psychopathy in the cognitive performance of ASPD offenders, and provide further evidence supporting that offenders with ASPD and psychopathy are characterized by a cognitive profile different from those with ASPD without psychopathy.

Psychopathy Checklist-Revised Use and Reporting Practices in Sexually Violent Predator Evaluations.

We surveyed evaluators who conduct sexually violent predator evaluations ( N = 95) regarding the frequency with which they use the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), their rationale for use, and scoring practices. Findings suggest that evaluators use the PCL-R in sexually violent predator cases because of its perceived versatility, providing information about both mental disorder and risk. Several findings suggested gaps between research and routine practice. For example, relatively few evaluators reported providing the factor and facet scores that may be the strongest predictors of future offending, and many assessed the combination of PCL-R scores and sexual deviance using deviance measures (e.g., paraphilia diagnoses) that have not been examined in available studies. There was evidence of adversarial allegiance in PCL-R score interpretation, as well as a "bias blind spot" in PCL-R and other risk measure (Static-99R) scoring; evaluators tended to acknowledge the possibility of bias in other evaluators but not in themselves. Findings suggest the need for evaluators to carefully consider the extent to which their practices are consistent with emerging research and to be attuned to the possibility that working in adversarial settings may influence their scoring and interpretation practices.

Validité prédictive du test de Szondi dans l’évaluation de la psychopathie

ObjectivesThe assessment of psychopathy in prison is important and the use of several diagnostic tools is recommended. Besides the use of the Psychopathy CheckList-Revised (PCL-R), projective tests may be part of the personality assessment. Among these projective tests, the Szondi test lacks psychometric data concerning its predictive validity. We have found no quantitative study that gives this kind of information. MethodWe chose eight Szondi test variables supposed to assess psychopathic features according to the Szondi theory: (a) social index, (b) number of accentuations, (c) acting index, (d) number of [e –] reactions, (e) pleasure principle, (f) number of empty reactions in the central vectors, (g) number of negative reactions in the central vectors and (h) number of empty reactions in the test foreground. Our study evaluates the predictive validity of these eight variables of the Szondi test for the three scores of the PCL-R (total score of the PCL-R, score of the emotional factor 1 and score of the antisocial factor 2). Our sample was made of 30 Belgian prisoners. We received a psychosocial report containing a thorough clinical assessment, which was used to score the PCL-R, and the results of the Szondi test for each prisoner. We scored the PCL-R prior to receiving the Szondi test protocol. We compared the two data sets with each other using a non-parametric correlation index (Spearman's r). ResultsThe results showed that only one variable of the eight was significantly correlated (r=0.44) with PCL-R scores. This significant variable was the pleasure principle and refers to simultaneous positive reactions in three vectors: [p+], [d+] and [m+]. ConclusionsOur result casts doubt on the predictive utility of the Szondi test in predicting psychopathy on its behavioral side as well as on its emotional side. With regard to this interesting result, we clearly need to repeat this analysis. In the meanwhile, we propose to be very careful in using the Szondi test to evaluate psychopathic patterns.

Is PCL-R psychopathy associated with either type or severity of personality disorder?

The extent to which assessment of personality disorders (PDs), and trans-diagnostic measures of PD severity, can capture the variance in psychopathy measured by the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) was examined in 100 forensic patients with a history of violent offending. Correlational and linear regression analyses were carried out to establish whether (i) combinations of PDs would predict PCL-R scores for each of its two factors, interpersonal–affective (F1) and antisocial deviance (F2); (ii) ‘acting out’, a putative measure of externalising maladjustment that transcends PD categories, would predict PCL-R scores. Results showed that narcissistic and avoidant PDs contributed significantly to the prediction of F1, but only antisocial PD contributed to the prediction of F2. ‘Acting out’ predicted both F1 and F2, suggesting that core features of PCL-R psychopathy are embedded within and across different PD diagnoses. Results are discussed in relation to different sub-types of psychopathy described in the literature.

Can psychopathy be detected psychophysiologically?

The aim of the present study was to determine whether pupillometry was able to identify and differentiate psychopathic personality traits in criminally responsible mentally disordered offenders (§ 21/2 StGB). Psychopathic disorder has not only behavioral, but also psychophysiological correlates, which may be evaluated by pupillometry. This might make it possible to diagnose psychopathy by means of a non-invasive method and in a further step to adapt therapeutic measures accordingly. Psychopathic behavior and personality traits were identified by means of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and offenders were divided into 4 groups with PCL-R scores of 0-10, 11-20, 21-30 and 31-40, respectively. Pupillometry makes it possible to objectively measure amplitudes of pupillary oscillations, which may serve as an indicator of central nervous activation/deactivation. The study at hand showed that the higher the PCL-R values, the smaller the amplitudes. Thus, it can be concluded that central nervous activation decreases with higher PCL-R values and psychopathy is associated with central nervous deactivation.

The Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (Turkish PCL-R)

Objectives: Psychopathy is a distinct personality organization and differs from antisocial personality disorders in many aspects. Its diagnosis is challenging but also critical to predict criminality. In this context, Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R) is a useful tool in the diagnosis of psychopathy. Its reliability and validity was shown in various populations but has not been studied in a Turkish population. Our aim was to demonstrate the reliability and validity of PCL-R in a sample from Turkey. Methods: 425 male subjects with antisocial personality disorder and 125 controls without any psychiatric diagnoses were included in the study. DSM-5 diagnostic criteria were used and PCL-R was administered to all participants. The reliability of the Turkish version of PCL-R was determined by test–retest and internal consistency methods. In the ROC analysis performed with PCL-R, DSM-5 criteria were taken as a gold standard, the sensitivity; specificity and cut-off values of PCL-R were estimated. To evaluate the adequacy of the scale construct validity, Exploratory Factor Analysis and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and Barlett tests were applied. Reproducibility of the test was evaluated by Pearson correlation coefficient. Re-testing was performed with 171 subjects two weeks after the first test. Results: In reliability analysis, the Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient was calculated to be α=0.977. Pearson correlation coefficient of test-retest was r=0.94 (p<.001). Item-total correlations ranged from 0.18 to 0.94. Its sensitivity and specificity was 98.3% and 100.0%, respectively, with a cut-off point of 20. In principal component analysis, two factors had Eigen values greater than 1. These two factors accounted for 76.54% of the variance in PCL-R scores. Conclusions: Turkish PCL-R is a valid and reliable measure of psychopathy to detect psychopathic traits. However, more studies on psychopathy need to be conducted in different Turkish sample groups.

Variants of psychopathy in adult male offenders: A latent profile analysis.

As measured with the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), psychopathy is a dimensional construct underpinned by 4 correlated factors: Interpersonal, Affective, Lifestyle, and Antisocial. Theorists and clinicians (e.g., Karpman and Arieti) have posited 2 variants of "primary" or "true" psychopathy, both distinct from so-called "secondary" or "pseudopsychopathy." We used latent profile analysis to determine if homogeneous classes exist within a sample of 1,451 male offenders with high PCL-R scores (≥ 27). The 4 PCL-R factors were the dependent variables for clustering. A solution with 3 latent classes showed a better fit to the data than did a unitary model without latent classes. Tentative labels for the latent classes are Manipulative (Latent Class 1 [LC1]), Aggressive (Latent Class 2 [LC2]), and Sociopathic (Latent Class 3 [LC3]). The latter class represented an antisocial group that lacked the emotional detachment observed in the other 2 groups. We propose that LC1 and LC2 reflect phenotypic variations on a theme of the traditional construct of psychopathy, and that LC3 is consistent with conceptions of antisocial personality disorder and sociopathy. Replication and external classification with an independent data set of 497 adult male offenders again yielded clearly separable clusters, as well as meaningful differences or trends among latent classes on education, intelligence, symptoms of antisocial personality disorder, and self-reported psychopathic traits and negative affect. The conceptualization of psychopathy in terms of manipulative and aggressive variants is consistent with clinical theory and is empirically grounded.

Addiction and Other Psychiatric Disorders in a Population of Portuguese Prisoners.effects in Violent Crime and Addiction Severity.

Objectives Addiction, depression, anxiety and antisocial personality disorder may share common biological mechanisms and changes in impulsivity may contribute to the characterization of different clinical phenotypes. Our aim was to identify diagnostic profiles in a sample of inmates in a Portuguese prison. Methods We examined a sample recruited at Pacos de Ferreira Penitentiary Centre (n=89). Diagnosis was performed using the International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Six Version of Addiction Severity Index – European version (EuropASI) and the Psychopathy Checklist –Revised (PCL-R) were used to assess the severity of drug addiction and the presence of psychopathy. Results Drug misuse was found in 61.8% of the studied subjects according to MINI. A high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity was detected, with antisocial personality disorder (70.9%), depression (30.9%), and anxiety (32.7%) being the most common disorders. The total PCL-R score was 24. 1 (SD 8.8), 36 prisoners presented a diagnosis of psychopathy (PCL-R>30). The presence of depression in addicted individuals is associated with a lower severity of dependence (p 30) increases (OR = 3.87, p Conclusions Psychiatric disorders and addiction were successfully evaluated. Depression is associated with a lower addiction severity. The different types of psychiatric diagnoses produce a modulation in the frequency of violent crimes. The prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity underscores the advantages of a structured psychiatric assessment in prison inmates in order to provide the best treatment.

Preventative detention decisions: reliance on expert assessments and evidence of partisan allegiance within the Canadian context.

The purpose of this study was to examine judges' written reasons for sentencing in preventative detention hearings and the expert risk assessment reports presented, to determine the level of reliance placed on expert risk assessment reports and to examine the presence of partisan allegiance within the Canadian context. Results demonstrated that judges' decisions were consistent with expert assessments in terms of risk, treatment amenability, and risk management. Experts' ratings of treatment amenability and risk management were also significant predictors of the designation outcome, indicating that judges rely on this information in making their final decision. Finally, there was evidence of partisan allegiance, with prosecution-retained Psychopathy Checklist-Revised scores being significantly higher than defense-retained experts' scores. The results have implications for the development of consistent guidelines for the communication of risk, treatment amenability, and management information.