The relationship between psychopathy and conviction rates: Examining the conviction-to-charge ratio

Although it is well established that individuals with psychopathic traits commit more crimes than individuals without psychopathic traits, the association between psychopathy and success in the criminal justice system (CJS) is less understood. We addressed this issue by examining relationships betwe...

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Authors: Millspaugh, Sara B. (Author) ; Vaudreuil, Elena T. (Author) ; Walsh, Zach (Author) ; Kosson, David S. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2022
In: Psychology, crime & law
Year: 2022, Volume: 28, Issue: 4, Pages: 315-341
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Summary:Although it is well established that individuals with psychopathic traits commit more crimes than individuals without psychopathic traits, the association between psychopathy and success in the criminal justice system (CJS) is less understood. We addressed this issue by examining relationships between psychopathic traits and the conviction-to-charge ratio (CCR) in 355 incarcerated adult male offenders who were also assessed on the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. This study was unique in examining a comprehensive dataset of state and federal criminal records. No relationships between CCR and psychopathy ratings were found in the present study. However, scores on a modified CCR that included sets of charges without dispositions yielded both unique and zero-order relationships between interpersonal features and conviction rates. These results suggest that the interpersonal traits may be uniquely associated with some indices of decreased success in the CJS. Future research should examine what is driving this unique relationship.
ISSN:1477-2744
DOI:10.1080/1068316X.2021.1909015