NCJ Number
145962
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 37 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1993) Pages: 221-229
Date Published
1993
Length
9 pages
Annotation
The authors set forth a practical approach to predicting threatening behavior by psychopaths in an inpatient setting.
Abstract
Among 20 male patients at a maximum-security treatment unit in a forensic hospital, nine were diagnosed as psychopaths. Patients' verbal reports to staff about others' transgressions were analyzed as "power plays," or attempts to manipulate surroundings. A central point is that psychopaths characteristically will alter their behavior to frustrate attempts to predict them; accurate prediction of misbehavior and timely intervention would therefore cause psychopaths not to do the misdeed. Only the psychopathic patients made reports--and only about other psychopaths. As the content of their reports escalated in seriousness, the senior author predicted that there would soon be reports of death threats, weapons possession, and/or escape attempts. The former two happened. The less effective of two intervention strategies was transferring the main power player to another unit. The more effective was exposing the power game; immediately, transgression reports returned to normal. 2 tables and 14 references