The Predictive Power of Impulsivity as a Clinical Risk Factor for Criminal Offending

• In Event: Individual and Family Risk Factors: Impact on Development and Maintenance of Antisocial Behaviour

Abstract

Impulsivity, or the ability to control one’s behavior, is central to legal definitions of criminal responsibility and theories of crime. Abundant research demonstrates that low impulse control is associated with a greater likelihood of engaging in antisocial and criminal behavior. The Level of Service Inventory, Ontario Revision (LSI-OR), emphasizes eight risk factors for assessment and classification purposes. However, none of them explicitly include indices of impulsivity. To address this gap, the present study sought to evaluate the predictive power of a standardized measure of impulsivity, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale or BIS. Comparative analyses with psychological intake information and other clinical and actuarial measures of risk were performed on a sample of 300 male offenders serving a custodial sentence in the province of Ontario. Analyses revealed a significant association between the BIS and official measures of criminal offending. Findings from this study support the implementation of impulse-control treatment options for reducing recidivism. The associated policy and practice implications will be discussed within the larger context of evidence-based correctional practice.

Author

• Christopher J. Koegl, Ontario Correctional Institute