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
has determined that a differential diagnosis between 2 types of school phobia can be made on the basis of any 7 of 10 differential symptoms. The rapid treatment program for Type 1, the neurotic crisis type of school phobia, is presented in 6 steps which extend over a 3-d. period. All 50 cases over the past 8 yrs responded to the treatment with a complete remission of school phobia symptoms. Follow-up study indicates no evidence of any outbreaks of substitute symptoms.
This article presents a comprehensive descriptive study of incarcerated juvenile sexual offenders and an analysis of group differences between sexual and nonsexual offenders. The study utilized a large sample (N = 156) with a properly defined comparison group, standardized psychometric measures, and substantial institutional and therapeutic record reviews. The sample was described and compared on measures of delinquent history, intelligence, academic achievement, and psychopathology. The goal of the research was to identify characteristics unique to sexual offenders that could lead to etiological theories about why juvenile offenders act out as they do. The research results did not reveal a meaningful pattern of differences between the groups on the variables measured. The data supported the conclusion that sexual offending by incarcerated juveniles is likely to be but one expression of antisocial, violent behavior by these juveniles. The similarities are indicative of commensurate therapeutic needs for both types of offenders. In addition to sexual offender specific treatment, these juveniles should receive treatment that targets other aspects of their antisocial, violent behavior.
This study of 100 adolescent males incarcerated in a secure residential training school in Florida found no statistical differences in frequency or intensity of sexual or physical victimization between groups divided according to the crimes they committed; all groups had individuals who were repeatedly victimized. Neither sexual nor physical victimization appears to be a necessary or sufficient reason for victimizing others. This study suggests that the relationship between being a victim of sexual or physical abuse and subsequent offending is not direct; other factors must be in operation. One final, surprising finding is that offenders in all four groups were impaired in sexual identity.
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