NCJ Number
138189
Journal
Personality and Individual Differences Volume: 13 Issue: 4 Dated: (1992) Pages: 483-485
Date Published
1992
Length
3 pages
Annotation
A study of 92 prisoners in the Dhaka, Bangladesh, Central Jail used the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and categorized respondents according to age and nature of crime committed in order to evaluate psychosocial factors in criminality.
Abstract
Subjects ranged in age from 20 to 43 years. They were tested individually in a secluded prison room and were assured that participating had nothing to do with their imprisonment. Different offense groups (murder, robbery, and possession of illegal arms) scored higher on psychoticism, neuroticism, and an extraversion scale than a normative group. The possession-of-illegal-arms category gave the highest psychoticism score, followed by the murder category. People who possessed illegal arms seemed to have various evil and inimical motives, including deliberate attempts on human lives. Younger offenders scored considerably higher on psychoticism than older offenders, indicating young people were usually more tough, outgoing, and adventurous and less bothered by social desirability. Overall, study findings indicated that the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire is appropriate for use with the Bangladesh population. 12 references and 3 tables