Psychopathy Subtypes Among African American County Jail Inmates

• NCJ Number: 225569
• Journal: Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 35 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2008 Pages: 1484-1499
• Author(s): Marc T. Swogger; Zach Walsh; David S. Kosson
• Date Published: December 2008
• Length: 16 pages
• Grant Number(s): MH49111; MH57714
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Since a recent taxonomic study found evidence for primary and secondary psychopath subgroups in a sample of European-American offenders, the current study used cluster analysis in an effort to replicate these findings in a sample of African-American offenders.

Abstract

The findings of the current study indicate that distinctive subgroups of inmates with psychopathic features similar to those obtained in prior studies of ethnically diverse and European-American samples can also be identified among African-American offenders. The primary psychopath group was characterized by high levels of the interpersonal and affective traits of psychopathy as well as by lower levels of anxiety. This group resembles the primary psychopath groups identified in previous studies of criminal subtypes. The current study also identified a secondary psychopathic group, which was similar to secondary psychopaths identified in other studies due to their high scores on the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) Lifestyle Factor and high anxiety levels, as well as high levels of drug and alcohol abuse relative to primary psychopaths. Contrary to the authors' prediction, members of the secondary psychopath cluster did not have lower scores than primary psychopaths on the Affective dimension of the PCL-R, suggesting similar levels of callousness and emotional shallowness in the two groups. As hypothesized, the current study also identified a cluster of criminals characterized by low scores on most measures of psychopathology. This is also consistent with findings from other samples. Study participants were 262 African-American male county jail inmates selected by the following criteria: between 18 and 44 years old, convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, and having data available on measures used for cluster derivation. Inmates who exhibited overt psychotic symptoms, were unable to read English, or used psychotropic medication at the time of contact were excluded. Measures used for cluster derivation and external validation and profiling are described. 2 tables, 1 figure, and 66 references