The reliability, validity, and factor structure of a modified version of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) for adolescents was investigated, completed using file information only, in a sample of incarcerated Black and White male adolescents. Interrater reliability and internal consistency were high, and confirmatory factor analyses and coefficients of congruence showed that the factor structure in this sample resembled the 2-factor solution found in adults. No significant racial differences were found for reliability or mean PCL-R scores. In addition, relationships between PCL-R scores and psychometric measures and behavioral indicators of maladjustment were similar to those previously found in adult populations. The construct of psychopathy, as defined by the PCL-R modified for use with adolescents, appears applicable to both Black and White adolescent male offenders. The study gives evidence for the structural and substantive validity of the modified PCL-R in this population. The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 1991) has proven reliable and useful in subgrouping adult offenders who are incarcerated, White, and male. This study examined the usefulness of this instrument with a population of incarcerated Black and White male adolescent offenders. The Criminal Psychopath Although most psychologists, and many lay people, profess to know what psychopathy is, the process of diagnosing psychopathy for clinical and research purposes has been varied (Hare, 1985). Cleckley's seminal work, The Mask of Sanity (1976), considered by many to have captured the essence of psychopathy, has greatly influenced the conceptualizations of clinicians as well as guided much modern research on psychopathy. Cleckley, in narrowing and refining the term psychopathy, described the disorder through a list of specific traits. Hare (1991) developed the revised Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R), a 20-item diagnostic scale explicitly tied to Cleckley's classic work, as a means of identifying individuals with psychopathy in a criminal offender population. The structural validity of the PCL-R has been established in adult male offenders through studies demonstrating high interrater reliability and high internal consistency (Hare, 1991). Harpur, Hakstian, and Hare (1988) factor analyzed the original PCL (Hare, 1980) and identified an oblique two-factor struc
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.