Psychopathy, Personality Disorders, and Violence

The relationship between personality disorders, psychopathy, and aggression/violent crime is a central issue in forensic psychiatry and psychology. It is also relevant in clinical criminology, as it has long been demonstrated that personality factors contribute greatly to recidivism, and they can be decisive when assessing offenders for parole/ probation. In this chapter, we first focus on a historical overview of the main works that led to the development of the concepts of psychopathy and personality, as well as their link to crime and violence. We then focus on the most recent evidence on DSM-5 personality disorders and violence, and their relevance for recurrence prevention.