The present study explored the utility of two measures of criminal attitudes—the Criminal Sentiments Scale-Modified (CSS-M) and the Pride in Delinquency scale (PID)—among a sample of 114 Canadian federally incarcerated offenders. The study examined the psychometric properties and construct validity of the measures, administered as part of a prerelease psychological assessment. The results indicated that both are reliable and valid measures of criminal attitudes. Implications of the findings with respect to theory and practice are considered.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Agnew, R. , & Peters, A.A.R. (1986). The techniques of neutralization: An analysis of predisposing and situational factors. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 13, 87-97.
2.
Ajzen, I. , & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitude and predicting social behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
3.
Allport, G. W. (1935). Attitudes. In C. Murchison (Ed.), Handbook of social psychology (pp. 789-844). Worcester, MA: Clark University Press.
4.
Altman, I. , & Taylor, D. A. (1973). Social penetration: The development of interpersonal relationships. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
5.
Andrews, D. A. , & Bonta, J. (1994). The psychology of criminal conduct. Cincinnati, OH: Anderson.
6.
Andrews, D. A. , & Bonta, J. (1995). The Level of Service Inventory-Revised. Toronto, Canada: Multi-Health Systems.
7.
Andrews, D. A. , Wormith, J. S., & Kiessling, J. J. (1985). Self-reported criminal propensity and criminal behavior: Threats to the validity of assessments of attitudes and personality. Ottawa, Canada: Ministry of the Solicitor General of Canada.
8.
Ball, R. A. (1983). Development of basic norm violation: Neutralization and self-concept within a male cohort. Criminology, 21, 75-94.
9.
Brodsky, S. L. , & Smitherman, H. O. (1983). Handbook of scales for research in crime and delinquency. New York: Plenum.
10.
Cleckley, H. (1976). The mask of sanity (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: C. V. Mosby.
11.
Gendreau, P. (1995, June). Thinking clearly about assessing criminal behavior. Paper presented at the annual convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, Charlottetown, Canada.
12.
Gendreau, P. , Andrews, D. A., Goggin, C., & Chanteloupe, F. (1992). The development of clinical and policy guidelines for the prediction of criminal behavior in criminal justice settings. Ottawa, Canada: Ministry of the Solicitor General Canada.
13.
Gendreau, P. , Grant, B. A., Leipciger, M., & Collins, C. (1979). Norms and recidivism rates for the MMPI and selected experimental scales on a Canadian delinquent sample. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science, 11, 21-31.
14.
Gendreau, P. , Irvine, M., & Knight, S. (1973). Evaluating response set styles on the MMPI with prisoners: Faking good adjustment and maladjustment. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science, 5, 183-194.
15.
Hann, R. B. , & Harman, W. G. (1988). Release risk prediction: A test of the Nuffield scoring system. Ottawa, Canada: Ministry of the Solicitor General of Canada.
16.
Hare, R. D. (1985). Comparison of the procedures for the assessment of psychopathy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 7-16.
17.
Hare, R. D. (1991). The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. Toronto, Canada: Multi-Health Systems.
18.
Harpur, T. J. , Hakstian, A. R., & Hare, R. D. (1988). Factor structure of the Psychopathy Checklist. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 741-747.
19.
Hathaway, S. , & McKinley, J. C. (1943). Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. New York: Psychological Corporation.
20.
Loza, W. , & Simourd, D. J. (1994). Psychometric evaluation of the Level of Supervision Inventory (LSI) among male Canadian federal offenders. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 21, 468-480.
21.
Motiuk, L. L. , & Porporino, F. J. (1988). Offender risk/need assessments: A study of conditional releases. Ottawa, Canada: Correctional Service of Canada.
22.
Mylonas, A. D. , & Reckless, W. C. (1963). Prisoners' attitudes toward law and legal institutions. Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology, and Police Science, 54, 479-484.
23.
Nettler, G. (1978). Explaining crime. New York: McGraw-Hill.
24.
Nuffield, J. (1982). Parole decision making in Canada. Ottawa, Canada: Ministry of the Solicitor General of Canada.
25.
Reckless, W. C. (1967). The crime problem. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
26.
Roy, R. E. , & Wormith, J. S. (1985). The effects of incarceration: Measuring criminal sentiments. Ottawa, Canada: Ministry of the Solicitor General of Canada.
27.
Shields, I. W. , & Simourd, D. J. (1991). Predicting predatory behavior in a population of young offenders. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 18, 180-194.
28.
Shields, I. W. , & Whitehall, G. C. (1991, December). The Pride in Delinquency Scale. Paper presented at the eastern Ontario correctional psychologists' winter conference, Burritts Rapids, Canada.
29.
Shields, I. W. , & Whitehall, G. C. (1994). Neutralization and delinquency among teenagers. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 21, 223-235.
30.
Simourd, L. , & Andrews, D. A. (1994). Correlates of delinquency: A look at gender differences. Forum on Correctional Research, 6, 26-31.
31.
Sutherland, E. H. (1947). Principles of criminology (6th. ed.). Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott.
32.
Sykes, G. M. , & Matza, D. (1957). Techniques of neutralization: A theory of delinquency. American Sociological Review, 22, 664-670.
33.
Weekes, J. R. , Morrison, S. J., Millson, W. A., & Fettig, D. M. (1995). A comparison of Native, Metis, and Caucasian offender profiles on the MCMI. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science, 27, 187-198.
34.
Welsh, W. N. , & Gordon, A. (1991). Cognitive mediators of aggression: Test of a causal model. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 18, 125-145.
35.
Wong, S. (1985). Criminal and institutional behaviors of psychopaths. Ottawa, Canada: Ministry of the Solicitor General of Canada.
36.
Wormith, J. S. , & Andrews, D. A. (1984). Criminal sentiments and criminal behavior: A construct validation. Ottawa, Canada: Ministry of the Solicitor General of Canada.
37.
Wormith, J. S. , & Andrews, D. A. (1995, June). The development and validation of three measures of criminal sentiments and their role in the assessment of offender attitudes. Paper presented at the annual convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, Charlottetown, Canada.
38.
Wormith, J. S. , & Goldstone, C. S. (1984). The clinical and statistical prediction of recidivism. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 11, 3-34.