The attribution of blame scale with an incarcerated sample: factor structure,reliability and validity

The factor structure, reliability and validity of the Attribution of Blame Scale (ABS) were examined in a sample of 323 incarcerated violent offenders. Principal component analysis of the items resulted in a two-factor solution of external and internal attribution in contrast with the original scales of victim, offender, alcohol, and societal blame. Measures of alcohol abuse, perception of external control and psychopathy corresponded with external attribution. The two-factor structure of the ABS meets some basic psychometric properties for measuring criminal attributions within an offender population. Copyright © 1997 Whurr Publishers Ltd.     

Psychopathy in violent female offenders in Finland

BACKGROUND: The base rate and construct of psychopathy in violent female offenders were examined. SAMPLING AND METHODS: More than half of all violent female offenders in Finland who where either hospitalised (n=12) or incarcerated (n=46) during the year of the study were assessed by the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), Structured Clinical Interview II for DSM-IV, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory-II and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised. RESULTS: PCL-R mean scores and a base rate of psychopathy were found to be in line with earlier studies, showing both lower values and prevalence in females. The PCL-R correlated with symptoms of cluster B personality disorders as well as with depressive personality disorder. Factor 2 was observed to positively correlate with anxiety and depression and negatively with verbal cognitive ability. Logistic regression analysis on the PCL-R items revealed that the items shallow affect, lack of remorse or guilt, conning/manipulation and lack of realistic goals seem to be important indicators of female psychopathy together with callous/lack of empathy, impulsivity and failure to accept responsibility for own actions. CONCLUSION: The finding indicates that the prevalence of psychopathy is lower among female offenders than among male offenders, but further research is needed to examine the base rate of psychopathy in women, and whether the symptoms of psychopathy are expressed differently in women than in men.     

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. METHOD: 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. CONCLUSION: PCL-R psychopathy may be a less valid predictor for violent criminal recidivism among severe youthful offenders than among adult offenders.     

An exploration of individual differences in a sample of youth charged with violent sexual and non-sexual crimes

Youth who engage in violent crime, including sexual offences, remain understudied. Research conducted on adults suggests that factors linked to antisocial and violent behaviour may enhance the current understanding of sexual offences. These factors include a consideration of how dark personality traits (such as psychopathy) and childhood maltreatment may inform the likelihood of sexual offending. Utilizing a sample of juvenile alleged violent offenders (n?=?113), the present study examines the construct of adolescent psychopathy, with abuse as a potential moderator, in relation to offence perpetration. Contrary to some of the literature on adults, the findings indicate that neither psychopathy nor experience of abuse differentiates sexual from non-sexual violent offenders. They also suggest that scoring higher on psychopathy relates to violence more broadly. The importance of tailored programming for youth who may be at risk of offending or who require treatment in the justice system is explored.     

The attribution of blame for criminal acts: relationship with personality disorders and mood

Attribution of blame for criminal acts and its relationship to DSM-IIIR (APA, 1987) personality disorder diagnosis and psychological variables was investigated in 52 men referred to an intensive probation programme. Self-report questionnaires revealed a high rate of personality disorder psychopathology in the subjects with 73% meeting criteria for one personality disorder and 63.5% meeting criteria for anti-social personality disorder. However, there was high multiple morbidity of personality disorder diagnosis with an average of 3.6 diagnoses for each subject. Blame attribution was measured with the Gudjonsson Blame Attribution Inventory (Gudjonsson & Singh, 1989) . External attribution of blame was found to correlate significantly positively with scores for five personality disorder categories (schizoid, avoidant, obsessive compulsive, passive-aggressive and borderline), whilst mental element attribution was associated with avoidant personality disorder, high depression, anxiety and inward direction of irritability. Guilt feelings were positively associated with scores for schizotypal, avoidant and dependent personality disorder categories and with irritability directed inwards.     

An Exploration of Responsivity among Violent Offenders: Predicting Access to Treatment,Treatment Engagement and Programme Completion

This retrospective archival study examines whether pre-treatment responsivity characteristics influence access to, engagement in, and completion of a violent offender treatment programme. The participants are 115 violent offenders referred for a group-based multi-module treatment programme in medium- and high-security correctional facilities in Victoria, Australia. The case files for each participant were reviewed and information regarding responsivity factors and responses to treatment were gathered. Responsivity characteristics include psychopathy (Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version; PCL:SV), denial and minimisation (Denial and Minimisation Checklist – Third Edition; DMCL-III), and measures of motivation to engage in treatment and guilt and shame associated with violent offending. Engagement was scored using the Response to Treatment Scale. Offenders with higher PCL:SV Factor 2 scores were less likely to be offered a place in the programme and offenders with greater external pressure or motivation to participate in treatment were more likely to commence treatment. Psychopathy and pre-treatment denial and minimisation of offending are related to poorer engagement in treatment; feelings of guilt and shame, along with motivation to participate in treatment, are positively associated with engagement. Predictors of treatment completion include external motivators promoting participation in treatment, within-treatment behaviours (e.g. inappropriate or disruptive behaviour), and psychopathy.     

341例精神分裂症被鉴定人精神症状与社会危害行为的关系

目的探讨精神分裂症被鉴定人精神症状与社会危害行为的相关性。方法采用自制的调查表,通过查阅委托单位的鉴定委托送交材料和鉴定意见书的方式对湖南省341名无责任能力精神分裂症被鉴定人实施社会危害行为时存在的主要精神症状如幻觉、妄想、同时存在幻觉和妄想、思维逻辑障碍、行为紊乱等与其社会危害行为包括严重暴力社会危害行为、非严重暴力社会危害行为等信息进行登记,并进行关联性检验。结果①严重暴力社会危害行为组与非严重暴力社会危害行为组间不同精神症状构成比存在差异(χ2=16.259,P=0.003),精神症状与社会危害行为之间有关联(列联系数为0.213)。②精神分裂症被鉴定人实施严重暴力社会危害行为时以妄想症状出现的频数最多128例(45.7%);实施非严重暴力社会危害行为时以思维逻辑障碍出现的频数最多27例(44.3%)。③与严重暴力社会危害行为有关的妄想症状类型以被害妄想为主占106例(82.8%)、幻觉症状类型以命令性幻觉为主占13例(54.2%)、同时存在幻觉、妄想症状的以其它言语性幻听和被害妄想为主占76.6%。结论精神分裂症被鉴定人严重暴力社会危害行为可能主要与妄想有关,其非严重暴力社会危害行为可能主要与思维逻辑障碍有关。其中被害妄想、命令性幻听、同时存在其它言语性幻听和被害妄想的精神症状类型可能与精神分裂症被鉴定人严重暴力社会危害行为有关。     

Facets on the psychopathy checklist screening version and instrumental violence in forensic psychiatric patients

Background There is a recognised relationship between psychopathy and instrumental violence, but not all violence by people who meet the criteria for psychopathy is instrumental. Aims Our aims were to compare offence types among forensic psychiatric patients with and without the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL: SV) criteria for psychopathy. Our specific questions were whether factor 1 – the interpersonal affective dimension – was related to instrumentality and on severity of the violent crime. Our hypothesis was that the relationship between psychopathy and instrumental violence would be dependent on the severity of the violent crime. Methods Sixty‐five male patients at the forensic psychiatric hospital in Sundsvall, all with a violent criminal history, were assessed for psychopathy through interview and records using the PCL: SV. Severity and the instrumentality of their previous violence were coded using the Cornell coding guide for violent incidents. Results The interpersonal features of psychopathy (the interpersonal facet), and only the interpersonal features were significantly associated with instrumentality and severity of violence. Instrumentality was also significantly related to the severity of the violence, independent of psychopathy score. Conclusions The results indicated that, at least among forensic psychiatric patients, planning is more likely than not with respect to serious crimes. The specific link between interpersonal features of psychopathy and instrumental and severe violence suggests potential clinical value in recognising subtypes of psychopathy. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relating psychiatric disorders, offender and offence characteristics in a sample of adolescent sex offenders and non-sex offenders

Introduction Several studies have paid attention to the relationship between psychiatric disorders and adolescent offending but few have distinguished different types of offenders, especially within the category of youngsters who have committed sex offences. Aim To test for relationships between psychiatric disorder and specific offence category among young male offenders. Method Nationwide data were extracted from Dutch Forensic Psychiatric Services (FPD) files for five groups of offenders, as defined by their index offence: 308 violent sex offenders; 134 non‐violent sex‐offenders; 270 sex offenders against children; 3148 violent offenders and 1620 offenders charged with any crime other than interpersonal body contact crimes. They were compared on individual characteristics and psychiatric diagnoses according to DSM‐IV criteria. Having a diagnosis of a paraphilia alone was exclusively associated with sex offending, therefore all such youths were excluded from further analyses. The OVERALS technique was used to explore possible relationships between offence, psychiatric diagnoses, sociodemographic and individual characteristics among the remaining young men for whom all pertinent data were available (n = 1894). Results Sex offenders constituted a distinct group of juvenile delinquents. Developmental disorders were more common among non‐violent sex offenders and child molesters. Violent offences were more typical of delinquents from immigrant backgrounds. Conclusion Group differences in types of psychiatric diagnoses may reflect differences in aetiological factors for the various types of sexual and other delinquent behaviour, and this would be worthy of further study. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Risk of repeat offending among violent female offenders with psychotic and personality disorders

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the rate of criminal recidivism among female homicide offenders evaluated by forensic psychiatrists, to compare this rate with that of other violent female offenders, and to analyze the explanatory variables of recidivism. METHOD: This was a retrospective study of all women (N=132) sent for forensic psychiatric examination after being convicted of homicide or attempted homicide in Finland during 1982-1992; subjects were followed up until mid-1999. Data were collected from the national crime register, the prisoner record, and Statistics Finland. The authors compared the rate of violent repeat offending in this group with that of other violent women and analyzed the explanatory variables of recidivism. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 23% of the study group committed a repeat offense, 15% of which were violent and 3% of which were homicides. Almost half of all repeat offenses occurred within the first 2 years after the index offense. There was no statistically significant difference in violent recidivism between the study group and other violent female offenders. Of those who committed repeat offenses, 81% were diagnosed with a personality disorder, and 10% were diagnosed with psychosis. Criminality prior to the index event, alcohol or drug dependency, and young age significantly raised the risk and rapidity of further offenses. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of recidivism was high in this study group yet was similar to that of other violent female offenders. The risk was high very early after release. It seems that women and men who are violent and have personality disorders are comparable in their risk of recidivism.     

Criminal and psychiatric histories of Finnish arsonists

We investigated psychiatric and demographic variables and lifetime criminality among arsonists referred for a pre-trial psychiatric assessment. The medical and criminal records of 282 arsonists were studied in order to compare first-time and repeat offenders with regard to diagnostic, demographic and biological variables. Alcohol dependence and antisocial personality disorder were common among recidivist offenders. This finding was especially prominent among offenders who committed violent crimes. Recidivist offenders commonly had a history of long-lasting enuresis during their childhood. They were younger at the time of their first offence, and were more often intoxicated with alcohol during the arson attempt. Among arsonists, lifetime criminal recidivism was primarily associated with alcohol dependence and antisocial personality disorder. Psychosis was a common diagnosis among subjects who had no record of recidivist criminal offences.     

The 1 % of the population accountable for 63 % of all violent crime convictions

Purpose

Population-based studies on violent crime and background factors may provide an understanding of the relationships between susceptibility factors and crime. We aimed to determine the distribution of violent crime convictions in the Swedish population 1973–2004 and to identify criminal, academic, parental, and psychiatric risk factors for persistence in violent crime.

Method

The nationwide multi-generation register was used with many other linked nationwide registers to select participants. All individuals born in 1958–1980 (2,393,765 individuals) were included. Persistent violent offenders (those with a lifetime history of three or more violent crime convictions) were compared with individuals having one or two such convictions, and to matched non-offenders. Independent variables were gender, age of first conviction for a violent crime, nonviolent crime convictions, and diagnoses for major mental disorders, personality disorders, and substance use disorders.

Results

A total of 93,642 individuals (3.9 %) had at least one violent conviction. The distribution of convictions was highly skewed; 24,342 persistent violent offenders (1.0 % of the total population) accounted for 63.2 % of all convictions. Persistence in violence was associated with male sex (OR 2.5), personality disorder (OR 2.3), violent crime conviction before age 19 (OR 2.0), drug-related offenses (OR 1.9), nonviolent criminality (OR 1.9), substance use disorder (OR 1.9), and major mental disorder (OR 1.3).

Conclusions

The majority of violent crimes are perpetrated by a small number of persistent violent offenders, typically males, characterized by early onset of violent criminality, substance abuse, personality disorders, and nonviolent criminality.     

Literature Update: A critical review

The Gudjonsson Blame Attribution Inventory and the Abel &; Becker Cognitive Distortion Scale were administered to 5 men convicted of paedophile offences against a family member or relative. Cognitive distortions were found to be highly significantly correlated with external attribution of blame concerning the crime committed. The implications of the findings are discussed.     

Brain anatomy of persistent violent offenders: more rather than less

Most violent crimes in Western societies are committed by a small group of men who display antisocial behavior from an early age that remains stable across the life-span. It is not known if these men display abnormal brain structure. We compared regional brain volumes of 26 persistently violent offenders with antisocial personality disorder and substance dependence and 25 healthy men using magnetic resonance imaging volumetry and voxel-based morphometry (VBM). The violent offenders, as compared with the healthy men, had markedly larger white matter volumes, bilaterally, in the occipital and parietal lobes, and in the left cerebellum, and larger grey matter volume in right cerebellum (effect sizes up to 1.24, P<0.001). Among the offenders, volumes of these areas were not associated with psychopathy scores, substance abuse, psychotropic medication, or global IQ scores. By contrast, VBM analyses of grey matter revealed focal, symmetrical, bilateral areas of atrophy in the postcentral gyri, frontopolar cortex, and orbitofrontal cortex among the offenders as compared with the healthy men (z-scores as high as 5.06). Offenders with psychopathy showed the smallest volumes in these areas. The larger volumes in posterior brain areas may reflect atypical neurodevelopmental processes that underlie early-onset persistent antisocial and aggressive behavior.     

Clinical neuropsychiatric symptoms in perpetrators of severe crimes against persons

The objective of the study was to explore the possibility of common signs and symptoms of childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorders and personality disorders, especially psychopathy, in a cohort of violent offenders. A structured neuropsychiatric status comprising features recorded in childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorders and adult personality disorders was assessed in 89 perpetrators of severe crimes against other persons, analysed for factor structure, and compared to clinical diagnostics of neuropsychiatric disorders and independent assessments of psychopathy rated by the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R). One or several childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorders [autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), tics and learning disability] affected the majority of adult offenders. A factor analysis yielded four higher-order problem constellations: Executive Dysfunction, Compulsivity, Social Interaction Problems and Superficiality. All four constellations were positively correlated with life histories of aggression, stressing the clinical importance of these problems in adult forensic psychiatry. Compulsivity and Social Interaction Problems were associated with autistic traits and tics, Executive Dysfunction with AD/HD, conduct disorder and psychopathic as well as autistic traits. Superficiality was a distinct aspect of AD/HD and psychopathic traits, especially the PCL-R factor reflecting interpersonal callousness. Neuropsychiatric disorders and personality disorders such as psychopathy share common symptoms. The various facets of psychopathy are associated with executive dysfunction and empathy deficits with superficial understanding of self, others and the rules of communication.     

Clinical neuropsychiatric symptoms in perpetrators of severe crimes against persons

The objective of the study was to explore the possibility of common signs and symptoms of childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorders and personality disorders, especially psychopathy, in a cohort of violent offenders. A structured neuropsychiatric status comprising features recorded in childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorders and adult personality disorders was assessed in 89 perpetrators of severe crimes against other persons, analysed for factor structure, and compared to clinical diagnostics of neuropsychiatric disorders and independent assessments of psychopathy rated by the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R). One or several childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorders [autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), tics and learning disability] affected the majority of adult offenders. A factor analysis yielded four higher-order problem constellations: Executive Dysfunction, Compulsivity, Social Interaction Problems and Superficiality. All four constellations were positively correlated with life histories of aggression, stressing the clinical importance of these problems in adult forensic psychiatry. Compulsivity and Social Interaction Problems were associated with autistic traits and tics, Executive Dysfunction with AD/HD, conduct disorder and psychopathic as well as autistic traits. Superficiality was a distinct aspect of AD/HD and psychopathic traits, especially the PCL-R factor reflecting interpersonal callousness. Neuropsychiatric disorders and personality disorders such as psychopathy share common symptoms. The various facets of psychopathy are associated with executive dysfunction and empathy deficits with superficial understanding of self, others and the rules of communication.     

Psychopathy and offence severity in sexually aggressive and violent youth

Background A large proportion of violent crimes are committed by youths. Youths with psychopathic traits may have a higher risk for recidivism and violence. Aims/hypotheses Our aim was to compare sexually aggressive with violent young men on offence severity and psychopathy. Three hypotheses were proposed: first, young men with previous offences would display a progressive increase in seriousness of offence during their criminal career; secondly, the sexually aggressive and violent young men would not differ in scores on the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV); but, thirdly, PCL:YV scores would be positively correlated with the severity of the index crime, as measured by the Cormier–Lang System for Quantifying Criminal History. Methods Information was collected from the files of 40 young men in conflict with the law, and the PCL:Youth Version (YV) rated from this by trained raters. Results The offences of these young men became more serious over time, but we found no association between PCL:YV scores and offence type or seriousness. Conclusions and implications This exploratory research suggests the importance of understanding the progression in offending careers, but a limited role for the PCL:YV in doing so. Given the small sample size, however, and the limit on access to information about details of age, the findings need replication. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measuring victim empathy among mentally disordered offenders: Validating VERA-2

There are very few, if any, valid and victim-specific situation empathy measures available at present for use with mentally disordered offenders. The aim of this study was to validate a modified version (VERA-2) of the Victim Empathy Response Assessment (VERA) tool which was developed earlier (Young et al., 2008) to enable victim-specific situation empathy measurement in offenders. A total of 55 mentally disordered in-patients residing in a maximum security hospital were assessed on VERA-2 as well as on measures of antisocial personality traits, global affective empathy, violent cognitions, and reported remorse for the index offence. The VERA-2 cognitive and affective empathy scales were negatively correlated with antisocial personality traits and violent cognitions, and positively related to remorse for the index offence. Global affective empathy was positively related to VERA-2 affective empathy. Participants with a history of sexual offending had significantly higher cognitive empathy than other offenders. Acceptance of violence and remorse for the index offence were the best predictors of both cognitive and affective empathy. The findings suggest that the VERA-2 is a valid instrument for measuring victim empathy among mentally disordered offenders, and may prove useful in the context of future risk assessment and outcomes in this population.     

Criminal offending among males and females between ages 15 and 30 in a population-based nationwide 1981 birth cohort: Results from the FinnCrime Study

We describe the epidemiology of crime between ages 15 and 30 in a population-based sample. We received police register data for 5405 males and females, representing the children born in Finland in 1981. We classified crimes into drug, violent, property, traffic, drunk driving, and sexual crimes, excluding minor traffic offenses. Of males, 60% and of females, 25% were registered for offending. For males, prevalence peaked in late adolescence, while for females, there was no peak age. Offending frequency remained stable for male offenders but was lower among adolescent female offenders. All crime types overlapped each other. Crime accumulated: 1% committed 34% of male and 56% of female offenses. In conclusion, the adolescent peak in offending reflects peaking prevalence among males, not females, nor frequency of offending among offenders. The crime problem is focused on two key groups: late adolescent males and the few males and females in whom crime concentrates.     

The childhood-onset neuropsychiatric background to adulthood psychopathic traits and personality disorders

Childhood conduct disorder (CD) and adult psychopathic traits according to the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R) were the closest psychiatric covariates to repeated violent crimes and aggression among offenders under forensic psychiatric investigation in Sweden. As psychopathy is not included in the present psychiatric diagnostic systems, we compared total and factor PCL-R scores to Axis I disorders, including childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorders, and to Axis II personality disorders, to establish the convergence of psychopathic traits with other psychiatric diagnoses, and to identify possible unique features. Psychopathic traits were positively correlated with bipolar mood disorder and negatively with unipolar depression. The total PCL-R scores as well as the Factor 2 (unemotionality) and Factor 3 (behavioral dyscontrol) scores were significantly correlated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Asperger's syndrome/high-functioning autistic traits, CD, substance abuse, and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition Cluster B personality disorders. The interpersonal Factor 1 showed none of these correlations and may capture features that are specific to psychopathy, distinguishing core psychopathy from other diagnostic definitions.