Dr. Hart’s primary area of expertise is clinical-forensic psychology. His work focuses on assessment in criminal and civil settings, particularly of violence risk and psychopathic personality disorder. He completed his education at the University of British Columbia, obtaining a BA in 1984, MA in 1987, and PhD in 1993. He started teaching at Simon Fraser University in 1990 and was appointed a regular faculty member in 1994. He has also been a Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, since 2000.
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 1992
We reviewed the extensive institutional files of 604 male federal inmates to determine the impact... more We reviewed the extensive institutional files of 604 male federal inmates to determine the impact of various types of childhood abuse and neglect on violent and aggressive behavior in adulthood. Men who had been abused as children were three times more likely than ...
The potential association between psychosis and violence to others has long been debated. Past re... more The potential association between psychosis and violence to others has long been debated. Past research findings are mixed and appear to depend on numerous potential moderators. As such, the authors conducted a quantitative review (meta-analysis) of research on the association between psychosis and violence. A total of 885 effect sizes (odds ratios) were calculated or estimated from 204 studies on the basis of 166 independent data sets. The central tendency (median) of the effect sizes indicated that psychosis was significantly associated with a 49%-68% increase in the odds of violence. However, there was substantial dispersion among effect sizes. Moderation analyses indicated that the dispersion was attributable in part to methodological factors, such as study design (e.g., community vs. institutional samples), definition and measurement of psychosis (e.g., diagnostic vs. symptom-level measurement, type of symptom), and comparison group (e.g., psychosis compared with externalizing vs. internalizing vs. no mental disorder). The authors discuss these findings in light of potential causal models of the association between psychosis and violence, the role of psychosis in violence risk assessment and management, and recommendations for future research.
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 1997
The impact of court-ordered treatment for wife assault was assessed by monitoring 156 men who had... more The impact of court-ordered treatment for wife assault was assessed by monitoring 156 men who had completed such treatment for up to 11 years (mean = 5.2 years) after treatment completion. Recidivist assault and wife assault was assessed through access to Canadian Police Information Centre data that record crimes committed anywhere in Canada. Comparisons were drawn between this group and
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a crime that is present in all countries, seriously impacts vi... more Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a crime that is present in all countries, seriously impacts victims, and demands a great deal of time and resources from the criminal justice system. The current study examined the use of the Spousal Assault Risk Assessment Guide, 2nd ed. (SARA; Kropp, Hart, Webster, & Eaves, 1995), a structured professional judgment risk assessment and management tool for IPV, by police officers in Sweden over a follow-up of 18 months. SARA risk assessments had significant predictive validity with respect to risk management recommendations made by police, as well as with recidivism as indexed by subsequent contacts with police. Risk management mediated the association between risk assessment and recidivism: High levels of intervention were associated with decreased recidivism in high risk cases, but with increased recidivism in low risk cases. The findings support the potential utility of police-based risk assessment and management of IPV, and in particular the belief that appropriately structured risk assessment and management decisions can prevent violence.
Risk assessment of stalkers is difficult due to the diversity of stalking-related behaviors and t... more Risk assessment of stalkers is difficult due to the diversity of stalking-related behaviors and the lack of research. The authors discuss three problems. First, stalking is a form of targeted violence, that is, violence directed at specific people known to the perpetrator. Second, stalking may include acts that are implicitly or indirectly threatening. Third, stalking can persist for many years,
ABSTRACT Although a great deal of research has focused on the development and validation of viole... more ABSTRACT Although a great deal of research has focused on the development and validation of violence risk (threat) assessment instruments, few studies have examined whether professionals can be trained to use these instruments. The present study evaluated the impact of a violence risk assessment training program on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of 73 criminal justice professionals, including police officers, civilian support staff, and prosecutors. The program covered principles of violence risk assessment, the nature of mental disorder and its association with violence risk, and the use of various structured professional judgment (SPJ) risk assessment instruments. Comparisons of pre- and post-training evaluations indicated significant improvements on measures of knowledge about risk assessment, skills in the analysis of risk in a case vignette, and perceived confidence in conducting violence risk assessments. Findings support the utility of risk assessment training for criminal justice professionals and the utility of SPJ violence risk assessment instruments generally.
... The problems created by giving 'ultimate legal opinions' in conclusor... more ... The problems created by giving 'ultimate legal opinions' in conclusory fashion as part of mental health assessments for the courts were recognized 20 years ago and have been debated vigorously since (Rogers & Ewing, 1989; Slobogin, 1989; Melton et al., 1997). ...
International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 2013
ABSTRACT In recent decades the practice of violence risk assessment and use of violence risk asse... more ABSTRACT In recent decades the practice of violence risk assessment and use of violence risk assessment instruments has become widespread in the criminal justice system. How are courts reacting to these developments? Herein the findings of a survey of Canadian case law are reported. Using Quick Law 35 cases were systematically identified in which judges commented on expert evidence regarding violence risk. Judicial comments were summarized with respect to evaluator qualifications, assessment procedures used, and presentation of findings and opinions. Findings indicate a wide variety of judicial preferences including the skill and knowledge of the evaluator, the type of information used, the description of findings and procedures, and the applicability of legal rules. Although potentially useful to evaluators caution is urged regarding the incorporation of some judicial preferences.
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 1992
We reviewed the extensive institutional files of 604 male federal inmates to determine the impact... more We reviewed the extensive institutional files of 604 male federal inmates to determine the impact of various types of childhood abuse and neglect on violent and aggressive behavior in adulthood. Men who had been abused as children were three times more likely than ...
The potential association between psychosis and violence to others has long been debated. Past re... more The potential association between psychosis and violence to others has long been debated. Past research findings are mixed and appear to depend on numerous potential moderators. As such, the authors conducted a quantitative review (meta-analysis) of research on the association between psychosis and violence. A total of 885 effect sizes (odds ratios) were calculated or estimated from 204 studies on the basis of 166 independent data sets. The central tendency (median) of the effect sizes indicated that psychosis was significantly associated with a 49%-68% increase in the odds of violence. However, there was substantial dispersion among effect sizes. Moderation analyses indicated that the dispersion was attributable in part to methodological factors, such as study design (e.g., community vs. institutional samples), definition and measurement of psychosis (e.g., diagnostic vs. symptom-level measurement, type of symptom), and comparison group (e.g., psychosis compared with externalizing vs. internalizing vs. no mental disorder). The authors discuss these findings in light of potential causal models of the association between psychosis and violence, the role of psychosis in violence risk assessment and management, and recommendations for future research.
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 1997
The impact of court-ordered treatment for wife assault was assessed by monitoring 156 men who had... more The impact of court-ordered treatment for wife assault was assessed by monitoring 156 men who had completed such treatment for up to 11 years (mean = 5.2 years) after treatment completion. Recidivist assault and wife assault was assessed through access to Canadian Police Information Centre data that record crimes committed anywhere in Canada. Comparisons were drawn between this group and
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a crime that is present in all countries, seriously impacts vi... more Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a crime that is present in all countries, seriously impacts victims, and demands a great deal of time and resources from the criminal justice system. The current study examined the use of the Spousal Assault Risk Assessment Guide, 2nd ed. (SARA; Kropp, Hart, Webster, & Eaves, 1995), a structured professional judgment risk assessment and management tool for IPV, by police officers in Sweden over a follow-up of 18 months. SARA risk assessments had significant predictive validity with respect to risk management recommendations made by police, as well as with recidivism as indexed by subsequent contacts with police. Risk management mediated the association between risk assessment and recidivism: High levels of intervention were associated with decreased recidivism in high risk cases, but with increased recidivism in low risk cases. The findings support the potential utility of police-based risk assessment and management of IPV, and in particular the belief that appropriately structured risk assessment and management decisions can prevent violence.
Risk assessment of stalkers is difficult due to the diversity of stalking-related behaviors and t... more Risk assessment of stalkers is difficult due to the diversity of stalking-related behaviors and the lack of research. The authors discuss three problems. First, stalking is a form of targeted violence, that is, violence directed at specific people known to the perpetrator. Second, stalking may include acts that are implicitly or indirectly threatening. Third, stalking can persist for many years,
ABSTRACT Although a great deal of research has focused on the development and validation of viole... more ABSTRACT Although a great deal of research has focused on the development and validation of violence risk (threat) assessment instruments, few studies have examined whether professionals can be trained to use these instruments. The present study evaluated the impact of a violence risk assessment training program on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of 73 criminal justice professionals, including police officers, civilian support staff, and prosecutors. The program covered principles of violence risk assessment, the nature of mental disorder and its association with violence risk, and the use of various structured professional judgment (SPJ) risk assessment instruments. Comparisons of pre- and post-training evaluations indicated significant improvements on measures of knowledge about risk assessment, skills in the analysis of risk in a case vignette, and perceived confidence in conducting violence risk assessments. Findings support the utility of risk assessment training for criminal justice professionals and the utility of SPJ violence risk assessment instruments generally.
... The problems created by giving 'ultimate legal opinions' in conclusor... more ... The problems created by giving 'ultimate legal opinions' in conclusory fashion as part of mental health assessments for the courts were recognized 20 years ago and have been debated vigorously since (Rogers & Ewing, 1989; Slobogin, 1989; Melton et al., 1997). ...
International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 2013
ABSTRACT In recent decades the practice of violence risk assessment and use of violence risk asse... more ABSTRACT In recent decades the practice of violence risk assessment and use of violence risk assessment instruments has become widespread in the criminal justice system. How are courts reacting to these developments? Herein the findings of a survey of Canadian case law are reported. Using Quick Law 35 cases were systematically identified in which judges commented on expert evidence regarding violence risk. Judicial comments were summarized with respect to evaluator qualifications, assessment procedures used, and presentation of findings and opinions. Findings indicate a wide variety of judicial preferences including the skill and knowledge of the evaluator, the type of information used, the description of findings and procedures, and the applicability of legal rules. Although potentially useful to evaluators caution is urged regarding the incorporation of some judicial preferences.
Screening batteries of standard neuropsychological tests were administered to 2 different samples... more Screening batteries of standard neuropsychological tests were administered to 2 different samples (Ns = 90 and 167) of male prison inmates. Scores on the revised Psychopathy Checklist were used to divide inmates in each sample into high, moderate, and low psychopathy groups. There were no group differences in test performance in either of the samples, even when the effects of self-reported psychopathology and substance abuse were taken into account. The overall prevalence of both test-specific and global neuropsychological impairment was low and did not vary significantly across the 3 groups. The results provide no support for traditional brain-damage explanations of psychopathy.
There is a growing interest in the assessment of adolescent psychopathy to enable early treatment... more There is a growing interest in the assessment of adolescent psychopathy to enable early treatment and intervention. Recently, a self-report measure has been developed to assess psychopathic traits in adolescents. The Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD), a self-report measure of psychopathic traits, and the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV), a clinical rating scale, were administered to a sample of 100 incarcerated male adolescent offenders to assess the concurrent validity of the APSD. Results indicated that the APSD had limited concurrent validity with respect to the PCL:YV and that there appears to be a method effect in the measurement of psychopathy. Thus, it appears the APSD did not assess psychopathy in a manner parallel to that of the PCL:YV.
ABSTRACT Purpose Measures of adolescent psychopathy have yet to be examined in offending trajecto... more ABSTRACT Purpose Measures of adolescent psychopathy have yet to be examined in offending trajectory studies. This may explain why identifying etiological differences between individuals following high-rate and moderate-rate offending trajectories has remained elusive. The current study used the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV) to examine psychopathic traits and offending trajectories within a sample of incarcerated offenders. Methods Convictions were measured for Canadian male (n = 243) and female (n = 64) offenders at each year between ages 12 and 28. Semi-parametric group based modeling identified four unique trajectories: adolescence-limited (AL) (27.3% of sample), explosive-onset fast desister (EOFD) (30.6%), high-rate slow desister (HRSD) (14.6%), and high frequency chronic (HFC) (27.5%). Findings Both a three and a four factor model of psychopathy were tested, and both factor structures were positively and significantly associated with the HRSD and HFC trajectories. Regarding individual factors of psychopathy, the ‘Antisocial’ factor of the PCL:YV was the only individual dimension significantly associated with membership in high-rate compared to moderate-rate offending trajectories. Conclusions Psychopathic traits appear more commonly present amongst individuals who follow chronic versus moderate offending trajectories. Implications for early intervention and risk management of offenders are discussed.
The development of the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (... more The development of the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) included 12 field trials to assess proposed revisions. This article provides results from the antisocial personality disorder (APD) field trial that was conducted to obtain data of relevance to the proposals for simplification and for the inclusion of more traditional traits of psychopathy. Provided herein are the results from 4 sites that had sampled from populations of particular relevance to the diagnosis of APD (i.e., prison inmates, psychiatric inpatients, outpatients with substance use disorders, and homeless persons). The results indicated that some items from the 3rd revised Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 1987) could be deleted without affecting the diagnosis. The field trial provided mixed support for the proposal to include more traditional traits of psychopathy.
Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 2009
There is considerable debate about the assessment of psychopathic traits in adolescence due in pa... more There is considerable debate about the assessment of psychopathic traits in adolescence due in part to questions regarding the stability of traits. We investigated the 6-month stability of psychopathic traits in a sample of 83 male adolescent offenders using an augmented protocol for the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version and the self-report Antisocial Process Screening Device. Findings suggested moderate to high stability of psychopathic traits, as indexed by total scores, and low to moderate stability of psychopathic traits at the factor level. The interpersonal and behavioral traits demonstrated greater stability relative to the affective traits, and stability varied by developmental stage, with lower stability in early adolescence. Implications for understanding the developmental expression of psychopathic traits in adolescence, as well as for clinical-forensic practice, are discussed.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1988
... Official parole supervision files provided details of each criminal's behavi... more ... Official parole supervision files provided details of each criminal's behavior during his supervised release. ... Guze's argument that psychiatric diagnosis is not very helpful in predicting criminalbehavior is compro-mised by the use of criteria that permit almost 80% of felons to ...
Page 1. Journal of Interpersonal Violence http://jiv.sagepub.com/ Inpatient and Postdischarge Agg... more Page 1. Journal of Interpersonal Violence http://jiv.sagepub.com/ Inpatient and Postdischarge Aggression in Mentally Disordered Offenders : The Role of Psychopathy KIRK HEILBRUN, STEPHEN D. HART, ROBERT D. HARE ...
This study investigated the relationship between symptom clusters of psychopathy, as measured by ... more This study investigated the relationship between symptom clusters of psychopathy, as measured by the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare 1991), and ability to recognize facial expressions of emotion. Participants were 43 adult male inmates. Facial expressions of emotion were taken from Ekman and Frisen (1976). The present results indicated that there were some significant relationships between facets of psychopathy and processing of disgust facial expressions. The experiment highlighted the importance of studying specific clusters of psychopathic symptoms, as opposed to measures of global symptomatology.
Seagrave and Grisso (2001) questioned the clinical-forensic utility of tests designed to assess j... more Seagrave and Grisso (2001) questioned the clinical-forensic utility of tests designed to assess juvenile psychopathy. They discussed potential problems with such tests and some avenues for future research. We agree with the points made by Seagrave and Grisso, but believe their critique did not go far enough. The "state of the art" with respect to the assessment of juvenile psychopathy is like an Impressionist painting: fine from a distance; but the closer you get, the messier it looks. We conclude that although tests of "juvenile psychopathy" measure something, it is impossible to be sure at this time they are actually measuring psychopathy.
The current study examined psychopathy and nonverbal indicators of deception in an incarcerated s... more The current study examined psychopathy and nonverbal indicators of deception in an incarcerated sample. Nonverbal behaviors were coded from videotapes of 45 male offenders telling true and fabricated stories about crimes. Interpersonal features of psychopathy were associated with inflated views of lying ability, verbosity, and increases in blinking, illustrator use, and speech hesitations. While lying, the more psychopathic offenders spoke faster and demonstrated increases in blinking and head movements. Indicators of deception in offenders were somewhat different from those typically observed in non-offender populations. These findings indicate that personality factors may have an impact on nonverbal indicators of deception in criminal justice settings where the detection of deception is of utmost concern.
Methods. Undergraduate students (N=444) viewed video clips of adult male offenders telling true a... more Methods. Undergraduate students (N=444) viewed video clips of adult male offenders telling true and false stories about crimes. For each story, participants rated indirect measures of deception (thinking hard, nervousness, emotional arousal, and attempting to control behaviour) and ...
... Assessment of Psychopathy in Male \bung Offenders ... We investigated the psychometric proper... more ... Assessment of Psychopathy in Male \bung Offenders ... We investigated the psychometric properties of an 18-item modification of the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL) in a sample of 75 male young offenders incarcerated in a maximum-security institution. ...
Although psychopathic offenders frequently lie and manipulate others, it is unclear what strategi... more Although psychopathic offenders frequently lie and manipulate others, it is unclear what strategies they use and whether there are differences between psychopathic and non-psychopathic offenders. The present study examined the association between psychopathy and verbal ...
This study is the first to our knowledge to examine the cross-language consistency across the ori... more This study is the first to our knowledge to examine the cross-language consistency across the original version of the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathy (CAPP) and a translated version. The CAPP is a lexically based construct map of psychopathy comprising 33 symptoms from 6 broad domains of personality functioning. English-language CAPP prototypicality ratings from 124 mental health workers were compared with ratings from 211 Norwegian mental health workers using the Norwegian translation. High agreement was found across languages in regard to which symptoms where perceived as central to psychopathy or not. Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses (MGCFA) indicated that, overall, the symptoms had similar associations with the 6 proposed underlying dimensions across the 2 language versions. Finally, in general, the probability for a given prototypicality rating on an individual symptom was similar across language version samples at the same level of the underlying trait, as analy...
Previous evaluations of wife assault treatment outcome have focused generically on whether groups... more Previous evaluations of wife assault treatment outcome have focused generically on whether groups "succeed" or not without a clear criterion of what constituted success. The present study examines the question for whom groups generate the greatest reduction in post-treatment abuse and for whom they work least well. It was found that certain types of personality disordered men had the worst post-treatment prognosis. Specifically, men with high scores on borderline personality, antisocial personality, and avoidant personality fared least well after treatment. However, taken as a generic group, men in treatment had significantly reduced post-treatment abusiveness whether reported by themselves or their wives.
APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser c... more APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser configuration. - alerts user that their session is about to expire - display, print, save, export, and email selected records - get My ...
International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 2010
Peer review is a process often viewed as critical to the advancement of science. But, as Norman P... more Peer review is a process often viewed as critical to the advancement of science. But, as Norman Poythress and John Petrila make clear in the lead article of this issue of the International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, it is a process that can go awry. They discuss a dispute that arose concerning publication of an article in a peer-reviewed
One hundred and twenty males and females, participating in same-sex dyads, were assigned at rando... more One hundred and twenty males and females, participating in same-sex dyads, were assigned at random to one offive treatments: four experimental and one control. Half the subjects in the experimental groups were given better scores at the task than their partners, half received ...
Examined the validity of the Referral Decision Scale (RDS), which is a test designed to screen fo... more Examined the validity of the Referral Decision Scale (RDS), which is a test designed to screen for mental disorder in jail inmates, using 790 men admitted to an urban pretrial jail. Ss were rated on standardized rating scales of psychiatric symptomatology on the basis of interviews and/or file reviews. Comparison tests were the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and the Diagnostic Profile. Results indicate that, in general, the RDS had excellent reliability and acceptable validity as a screening measure for serious mental disorder in jail settings, despite making a large number of false positive errors relative to both contemporaneous and subsequent assessments of mental disorder. It is concluded that although the RDS is well suited for use in research, more information is needed before the test should be used for clinical purposes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie, 1996
To examine the prevalence of homelessness and its relationship to mental disorder, criminal behav... more To examine the prevalence of homelessness and its relationship to mental disorder, criminal behaviour, and health care. Interview and file data were collected for 790 male admissions to a large, pretrial jail facility over a 12-month period. A significant relationship was found between homelessness and severe mental disorder as well as between homelessness and prior psychiatric history. There were no significant differences found between the homeless and the nonhomeless on the types of crimes for which they were incarcerated or on contact with health care services within the past year. The findings indicate the need for a link between the jail and community services for homeless individuals.
ABSTRACT The Journal of Threat Assessment and Management (JTAM) is devoted exclusively to the top... more ABSTRACT The Journal of Threat Assessment and Management (JTAM) is devoted exclusively to the topic of violence risk. It focuses on operational or applied issues, that is, the development, implementation, and evaluation of policies, procedures, and programs for assessing and managing violence risk. It strives to promote the values of interdisciplinarity and internationalism, based on the view that preventing violence requires collaborations that cross both professional and geopolitical boundaries. the current editors will do their best to make sure JTAM stays true to its aims and values. This issue includes articles that deal with topics ranging from mental illness and violence to sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and stalking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 2001
Page 1. http://ijo.sagepub.com/ Comparative Criminology International Journal of Offender Therapy... more Page 1. http://ijo.sagepub.com/ Comparative Criminology International Journal of Offender Therapy and http://ijo.sagepub.com/content/45/2/183 The online version of this article can be found at: DOI: 10.1177/0306624X01452005 ...
This introductory chapter sets forth three foundations for threat assessment and management: the ... more This introductory chapter sets forth three foundations for threat assessment and management: the first foundation is the defining of basic concepts, such as threat assessment and threat management; the second foundation outlines the similarities and differences between threat assessment and violence risk assessment; and the third foundation is a detailed overview of research findings, theoretical avenues, measurement instruments, and developments in practice over the past quarter-century. The goals of the chapter are to introduce professional readers to the young scientific field of threat assessment and management and to clarify and guide seasoned professionals toward greater excellence in their work.
Personality disorders and the five-factor model of personality (2nd ed.).
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12 Impulsivity and Psychopathy STEPHEN D. HART REBECCA J. DEMPSTER " Psychopathy" is a ... more 12 Impulsivity and Psychopathy STEPHEN D. HART REBECCA J. DEMPSTER " Psychopathy" is a specific form of personality disorder ... Lack of realistic, long-term goals 2 14. ... 1 Part 2 1. Superficial 7. Impulsive 2. Grandiose 8. Poor behavioral controls 3. Deceitful 9. Lacks goals 4 ...
We examined the long-term risk for stalking recidivism and the predictive validity of ratings mad... more We examined the long-term risk for stalking recidivism and the predictive validity of ratings made using the Guidelines for Stalking Assessment and Management (SAM) in 100 stalking offenders from a forensic clinic. Overall, 45 offenders were convicted of, charged with, or the subject of police investigation for stalking-related offenses during a potential time at risk that averaged 13.47 years. Survival analyses using the Cox proportional hazards model indicated that a composite score of the presence of SAM risk factors was significantly predictive of recidivism and had significant incremental validity relative to total scores on two scales commonly used in violence risk assessment, the Screening Version of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL:SV) and the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG). Overall ratings of risk made using the SAM, however, were not significantly predictive of recidivism. We discuss the potential uses of the SAM in stalking risk assessment and provide recommendations for future research.
A recent article published in the Journal of Personality Disorders (López-Romero et al., 2021) de... more A recent article published in the Journal of Personality Disorders (López-Romero et al., 2021) described the identification of “putative psychopathic personality” in a school cohort of 3-6-year-old children from Spain. This comment offers cautionary considerations of the original article on scientific grounds and critical comments on policy grounds. We caution researchers, policymakers, attorneys, judges, and the general public about the dangers of using this label given present knowledge about the antecedents, early indicators, and stability of the adult disorder of psychopathic personality when assessed in childhood.
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Violence/Violence Risk by Stephen D Hart