Towards Action-oriented Criteria in Risk Assessment

Abstract

Autonomic measures move beyond self-reports of psychological functioning and may be less prone to bias and measure related errors. This study examined physiological reactions of 64 male offenders diagnosed as personality disorders. According to order by the local court they were subjected to an extensive psychological and neuropsychiatric assessment with regard to release decision making. The results show that violence risk of the PCL-SV, especially Factor 2 (antisocial life style), correlates with the characteristic physiological and cognitive deficits of psychopathy. The predictive relevance of these correlating deficits was also investigated and confirmed in a follow-up study. We conclude that the definition of a personality specific action and life style may be of great assistance in risk assessment. The role of the basal ganglia as neurobiological substrate is also discussed.