Personality and Reconviction in Crime: A Three-year Follow-up Study of Male Criminal Recidivists

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to identify personality characteristics associated with reconviction and reimprisonment in severely criminal male subjects. A further objective was to assess whether personality traits are useful for identifying those offenders who cease versus continue a criminal career. Using KSP, EPQ-I and SSS inventories, self-reported personality traits were investigated in 100 incarcerated male recidivists (age range 30–38 years) and non-criminal male comparisons. Follow-up data were obtained three years after release from prison. The subjects were grouped according to reconviction level, yielding four groups: Ss totally free of convictions (FC), Ss convicted but not imprisoned (CNP), Ss with one to three prison convictions (TCP), and Ss with four or more prison convictions (FCP). Results indicated that the study group differed markedly from the non-criminals with regard to most personality traits, while there were few significant differences between the conviction groups. However, the FC Ss had lower scores than the FCP Ss on the EPQ Psychoticism and SSS Disinhibition scales when previous time spent in prison and age at the first examination session were controlled for. They also had higher scores on KSP Guilt. Furthermore, logistic regression analysis indicated that the higher the extraversion and psychic anxiety, the less likely it was for the individual to have been reimprisoned at follow-up. In contrast, the higher the irritability and monotony avoidance the more likely it was for the person to have been reimprisoned.