Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is a pervasive and persistent pattern of behaviour and emotional response, with poor prognosis and difficult treatment. It is characterised by a failure to conform to lawful and ethical behaviour along with an egocentric, callous lack of concern for others characterized by deceitfulness, irresponsibility, manipulativeness, risk taking, and high levels of impulsivity. In the scope of ASPD, aggression is a common symptom, and most times patients end up in criminal behaviour. One study found that the Portuguese translated version of IPAS has adequate psychometric properties, allowing the measurement of impulsive and premeditated dimensions of aggression.

Aggression as it relates to ASPD

Given the extensive findings regarding ASPD and crime, several researchers have investigated the presence and severity of aggression in patients with ASPD

Scripps College

Crime is common amongst people with ASPD, with a peak in the late teens. Additionally, the younger ASPD populace tends to commit more serious crimes. It was also found that longer periods of imprisonment contribute to higher remission rates.

Crime and ASPD

As previously stated, there are strong indicators that individuals with antisocial personality disorder are commonly involved in the criminal justice system

The intersection between criminal activity and antisocial personality disorder 

References for Crime and ASPD

Aggression

Inmates with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) comprise a large part of the prison population. Treating ASPD in a correctional setting is difficult and highly stressful for correctional psychotherapists; however, a team of experts then conducted a literature review and ultimately suggested that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an effective rehabilitation method for reducing recidivism in both juveniles and adults

Treatment of ASPD in Prison

In State v. Meiser, 506 P.3d 402 (Or. 2022), the Supreme Court of Oregon considered whether a defendant entering an insanity plea is required by state law to prove that his asserted insanity was caused exclusively by a qualifying mental disorder and not in any way by a co-occurring personality disorder. Given the high rate of comorbid personality disorders, the state supreme court’s ruling in Meiser has the potential to affect many defendants in Oregon considering a plea of guilty except for insanity. In the absence of a known limit, the forensic mental health evaluator can aid the trier of fact in parsing the relative contributions of qualifying and nonqualifying disorders to the defendant’s mental state at the time of the crime. 

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