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The Hare PCL‐R: Some issues concerning its use and misuse
Author(s) -
Hare Robert D.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
legal and criminological psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.65
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 2044-8333
pISSN - 1355-3259
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8333.1998.tb00353.x
Subject(s) - psychopathy , recidivism , psychology , psychopathy checklist , construct (python library) , checklist , criminal justice , mental health , criminology , poison control , psychiatry , injury prevention , applied psychology , antisocial personality disorder , social psychology , medical emergency , medicine , personality , computer science , cognitive psychology , programming language
The Hare Psychopathy Checklist‐Revised (PCL‐R) and its screening version, the Hare PCL:SV, provide reliable and valid assessments of the traditional clinical construct of psychopathy. They are used widely for research purposes and for making decisions in the mental health and criminal justice systems. They are strong predictors of recidivism and violence in offenders and psychiatric patients, form a key part of current risk assessment procedures, and play an important role in many judicial decisions. However, problems arise when the PCL‐R and PCL:SV are used improperly. In this article I briefly describe these instruments, with emphasis on their use in the criminal justice system. I then discuss some of the concerns I have about their misuse.