Psychopathy and violent recidivism among young criminal offenders.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the predictive validity of psychopathic personality traits (assessed with the revised psychopathy checklist, PCL-R; Hare, 1991) for violent criminal recidivism among young offenders.


METHODS
The relationship between PCL-R psychopathy and violent re-offending was studied in 98 young (M=18.40, range 15-20 years) violent and sex offenders subjected to forensic psychiatric evaluation in Sweden during 1988-95. Subjects were followed during detainment and for 24 months in the community to first reconviction for a violent offence.


RESULTS
We found a modest but significant association between PCL-R scores and violent recidivism, almost exclusively accounted for by behavioural criteria. Among 13 possible confounders tested, conduct disorder before age 15 and a young age at first conviction eliminated the relationship between psychopathy and violent recidivism in pair-wise logistic regression models.


CONCLUSIONS
PCL-R psychopathy may be a less valid predictor for violent criminal recidivism among severe youthful offenders than among adult offenders.
Långström
N
N
Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Grann
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003415:Crime / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D006801:Humans; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D016015:Logistic Models; D010262:Paraphilic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D012008:Recurrence; D012742:Sex Offenses; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*