Journal of Criminal Psychology

Barton, Jennifer; Cumming, Steven R.; Samuels, Anthony; Meade, Tanya

2017 Journal of Criminal Psychology

doi: 10.1108/jcp-03-2017-0012

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is distinguishable from suicide attempts (SAs) on a number of psychological and motivational factors. However, in corrective services settings, NSSI and SA are not clearly distinguished in assessment impacting on intervention. The purpose of this paper is to examine if any attributes differentiate lifetime history of SA+NSSI, NSSI and SA presentations in inmates who had recently been assessed in custody by a risk intervention team.Design/methodology/approachA comprehensive clinical assessment and file review was conducted with 87 male inmates (including a no self-injury control group) in two large correctional centres in New South Wales, Australia, to determine if three self-injury groups differ from the control group and if the three self-injury groups differ from each other across a range of static, trait, environmental and clinical characteristics.FindingsThe SA+NSSI group was most different from the control group (27/59 variables), and from the SA group (10/59 variables), predominantly across trait and clinical correlates. The SA group was least different from the control group (2/59 variables: suicide ideation, childhood physical abuse).Originality/valueIt was found that the presence of SA+NSSI history is an indicator of increased psychopathology. A history of SA only appears not readily associated with psychopathology. The self-injury subgroups reflected different clinical profiles with implications for risk assessment and treatment planning.

Steuerwald, Brian L.; Brown, Allison R.; Mneimne, Malek; Kosson, David

2017 Journal of Criminal Psychology

doi: 10.1108/jcp-02-2017-0007

The purpose of this paper is to test the attenuated-anger and heightened-anger hypotheses of psychopathy by assessing the physiological, behavioral, and subjective measures of anger in individuals with and without psychopathic traits.Design/methodology/approachIn all, 62 male college students were assigned to one of three groups based on evidence of elevated affective-interpersonal (Factor 1) and antisocial lifestyle (Factor 2) traits associated with psychopathy (the IF1+F2 group), evidence of only Factor 2 traits (the F2 only group), or based on the absence of psychopathic traits (the control group), using Gough’s (1957) Socialization scale and a modified, interview only form of Hare’s (1991) Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. To induce anger, participants received unjust criticism about their performance on a computer-based affective lexical decision task and were denied a performance bonus they had reason to expect.FindingsFollowing provocation, the three groups displayed similar increases in blood pressure, pulse, and self-reported anger. The control and IF1+F2 groups also displayed similar retaliation toward the confederate. However, the IF1+F2 group displayed smaller increases on two of three measures of facial muscle activity associated with anger.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to assess anger responsiveness in individuals with psychopathic traits using a powerful anger induction and using physiological, behavioral, and subjective indices of anger. It is also the first to assess both the attenuated-anger and the heightened-anger hypotheses of psychopathy. The findings appear largely inconsistent with both perspectives.

Ellingwood, Holly; Emeno, Karla; Bennell, Craig; Forth, Adelle; Kosson, David; Hare, Robert D.

2017 Journal of Criminal Psychology

doi: 10.1108/jcp-03-2017-0019

The purpose of this paper is to examine the structure of juvenile psychopathy, as measured by the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL: YV).Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of 2,042 male youths from the USA, Canada, and the UK, the study was a conceptual replication of Bishopp and Hare’s (2008) multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis of adult male offenders assessed with the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised.FindingsThe scaling analyses generally replicated those obtained by Bishopp and Hare, providing support for a multidimensional, four-factor model of juvenile psychopathy similar to that obtained with adults. However, a small number of items fell outside their predicted regions. Slight differences in the structure of juvenile psychopathy were found for incarcerated and supervised samples of youth, with the four-factor model breaking down slightly for the supervised sample. Item misplacements may indicate that certain items on the PCL: YV are being misinterpreted, reflect different dimensions for different samples, or cannot be reliably measured. Future research should examine these possibilities, with special attention being paid to supervised samples.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first known attempts to use MDS analysis to examine the psychopathy structures that emerge for male juvenile offenders. The greater nuances afforded by using MDS offer a more comprehensive understanding of psychopathy between incarcerated and supervised youth using the PCL: YV.

Burris, Christopher; Edwards, Sherilyn

2017 Journal of Criminal Psychology

doi: 10.1108/jcp-03-2017-0013

Based on the previously observed link between greater facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) and interpersonal aggression in men (see Haselhuhn et al., 2015), the purpose of this paper is to test whether fWHR could differentiate among male offenders as a function of the relative aggressiveness of the crime for which they had been convicted.Design/methodology/approachfWHR measurements (n=550) were computed based on a large subset of male offenders available on a public domain database. Each offender’s index offense and possible confounding variables such as age, ethnicity, and body mass index were also recorded.FindingsMultiple analyses yielded no evidence of a relationship between male fWHR and the comparative level of violence of their conviction offense.Originality/valueEstablishing an empirical basis for probable parameters of an unknown offender’s facial structure could have a considerable practical value for criminal profiling purposes. fWHR – at least as it has been most frequently assessed – does not appear to be a facial parameter that is useful for this purpose, however.

de Motte, Claire; Bailey, Di; Hunter, Melanie; Bennett, Alice L.

2017 Journal of Criminal Psychology

doi: 10.1108/jcp-01-2017-0004

The purpose of this paper is to describe the pattern of self-harm (SH) and proven prison rule-breaking (PRB) behaviour in prisoners receiving treatment for personality disorders (PDs) within a high security prison.Design/methodology/approachA comparative quantitative case study design supported the understanding of the frequency and pattern of SH and PRB behaviour across two stages of a PD treatment programme for 74 male prisoners. Data obtained from the prison’s records were analysed using dependent t-tests, χ2 test of independence and time-frequency analyses.FindingsInferential statistics showed that the frequency of SH and PRB behaviour statistically increased across two phases of the PD treatment programme; however, the method of SH or type of PRB behaviour engaged in did not change. Mapping the frequencies of incidents using a time-frequency analysis shows the patterns of both behaviours to be erratic, peaking in the latter phase of treatment, yet the frequency of incidents tended to decline over time.Originality/valueThis is the first study to explore SH and PRB behaviours in men across two phases of a PD treatment programme. This study highlights the need for continued psychological support alongside the PD treatment programme with a focus on supporting men in treatment to effectively manage their SH and PRB behaviour.

Lin, Hung-Chu; Yang, Yang; McFatter, Robert; Biggar, Raymond W.; Perkins, Rick

2017 Journal of Criminal Psychology

doi: 10.1108/jcp-09-2016-0024

The purpose of this paper is to examine criminal offenders’ dispositional empathy and relate it to perceived parenting characteristics of primary caregivers (measured as care and overprotection) and inmates’ internal working models of the self and others (measured as attachment anxiety and avoidance, respectively).Design/methodology/approachCompared to a group of 110 college students, the group of 102 inmates indicated lower levels of cognitive and emotional empathy (measured as perspective taking (PT) and empathic concern (EC), respectively). Among inmates, perceived parental care was related to PT; parental overprotection was related to EC.FindingsThe inmates’ data fit a model suggesting a mediational role of attachment anxiety in the relation between perceived parental overprotection and EC. Also, inmates’ attachment avoidance moderated the relation between attachment anxiety and EC, so that the relation only occurred when attachment avoidance was not high. The findings suggested potential protective roles of early parental bonding and positive views of social others in enhancing empathy for justice-involved populations.Originality/valueThe findings shed light on how inmates’ perception of parenting related to both aspects of empathy and how cognitive representations of the self and others potentially underlie the association between perceived parenting and their disposition for EC. To cultivate dispositional empathy as a means of preventing delinquency, it is important to advocate not only parenting characterized as caring and warm, but also cognitive interventions on framing positive working models of social others, particularly for those who perceive their primary caregivers as overprotective and are highly avoidant to social closeness.