AGGRESSIVE AND SIMPLE SOCIOPATHS - TEN YEARS LATER (FROM BIOLOGY AND CRIME, P 65-76, BY C R JEFFERY - SEE NCJ-71010)

• NCJ Number: 66760
• Author(s): P S DYNES; E W CARLSON; H E ALLEN
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 12 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PRESENTED AT THE PANEL 'AGGRESSION AND VIOLENCE BIOLOGY OR SOCIETY?' OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY, DALLAS, TEXAS, 1978

Annotation

THIS RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF THE PERIOD 1967-77 EXAMINED THE CRIMINAL CAREERS OF SOCIOPATHIC AND NONSOCIOPATHIC FELONS THROUGH THEIR PREINSTITUTIONAL, INSTITUTIONAL, AND POSTINSTITUTIONAL PHASES.

Abstract

THIS RESEARCH COMPLETED THE PANEL DESIGN AND LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF 277 CONSECUTIVE ADMISSIONS TO THE OHIO PENITENTIARY BEGUN IN 1967. FINAL DATA ON ONLY 233 OF THE ADMISSIONS HAVE BEEN COLLECTED DUE TO TEMPORAL AND ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS. THE STUDIES (INCLUDING THOSE BY ALLEN AND GALTON) WERE DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE THE IMPACT OF SOCIOPATHY ON CRIMINAL CAREERS. CLASSIFICATION PROCEDURES DIVIDED THE INMATES INTO HOSTILE SOCIOPATHS (HIGH ON THE LYKKEN ANXIETY SCALE), SIMPLE SOCIOPATHS (LOW ON THE LYKKEN ANXIETY SCALE), MIXED SUBJECTS, AND NONSOCIOPATHS OR NORMALS. THE AGGREGATE PERFORMANCE OF THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS DID NOT REVEAL ANY UNEXPECTED FINDINGS. YET, WHEN THE GROUP WAS SUBDIVIDED INTO THE FOUR CATEGORIES, SEVERAL FINDINGS EMERGED. FIRST, SIMPLE SOCIOPATHS TOOK LONGER TO BE RELEASED FROM PRISON, A FINDING CONTRARY TO THAT OF AN EARLIER STUDY. THE SIMPLES' MORE LENGTHY INCARCERATIONS AND MORE FREQUENT PAROLE DENIALS COULD MOST LIKELY BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE PAROLE BOARD BASING ITS DECISION ON THEIR LENGTHY CRIMINAL RECORDS. SECOND, BOTH SIMPLE AND HOSTILE SOCIOPATHS WERE MOST LIKELY TO ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTY WHILE ON PAROLE. BOTH TYPES OF SOCIOPATHS WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE ARRESTED THAN WERE MIXED OR NORMAL TYPES. SIMPLES WERE MOST LIKELY TO BE PAROLE VIOLATORS AND HOSTILES WERE MOST LIKELY TO BE AT LARGE OR ABSCOND. THRID, BOTH SIMPLE AND HOSTILE SOCIOPATHS WERE MORE THAN TWICE AS LIKELY TO BE RECOMMITTED TO AN INSTITUTION (A FINDING NOTED AT THE OUTSET OF THE STUDY). THESE RESULTS OFFER EVIDENCE THAT TYPOLOGIES OF PERSISTENTLY ANTISOCIAL INDIVIDUALS CAN BE CONSTRUCTED AND IMPLEMENTED. THE SOCIOPATH SEEMS TO BE A SOCIALLY ABNORMAL INDIVIDUAL AND HIS CONDITION APPEARS TO BE RELATED TO HIS CRIMINAL CAREER. WHETHER HIS PROBLEMS CAN BE FURTHER LINKED TO BIOLOGICAL ABNORMALITIES MUST AWAIT THE COURTS' DECISION TO ALLOW FURTHER BIOLOGICAL TESTING. CERTAINLY THE DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES TO LESSEN THE SOCIOPATH'S DISRUPTIONS WILL DEPEND ON THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE PROBLEM IS BIOLOGICAL, SOCIAL, OR BOTH. NOTES AND 24 REFERENCES ARE SUPPLIED. (MHP)