The present study investigated the possibility that the sometimes reported absence of significant differences in the MMPI scores of a criminal population with and without treatment could be attributed partly to the unsuitability of the MMPI as a measure of change. Specifically, it was hypothesized that a large proportion of items used to diagnose criminality refer to completed and irrevocable past events and are therefore insensitive to changes brought about by treatment. Results were generally supportive of the hypothesis. Implications for evaluation and interpretation of findings were discussed.
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