Psychopathic Criminals: Political, Economic, Developmental, and Treatment Issues

This paper, written in 1995, was motivated by my running groups for violent offenders for two years, as I was preparing for my doctoral internship. I had a master’s degree in clinical psychology and was halfway through my Ph.D. program. My interest was in tying together the applied, academic, political, and economic issues affecting the treatment of criminals. Corrections policies are largely reactions to recent events regarding public awareness of social issues versus economic pressures. When a particularly heinous crime is committed by a parolee incarceration is lengthened and treatment programs are cobbled together. Times of budget crunches lead to early release of prisoners. The direct cost of immobilization is rarely bucked against the indirect cost of crime. As politics drives policy there is little attention paid to long-term stability of offender treatment and management programs. This article was written when public safety was the primary concern and is being posted when government is making cutbacks. Regardless of the times, the issues are presented because, while dollar and prisoner numbers change, the issues are remarkably consistent.