Citation

Larsen RR, Koch P, Jalava J, Griffiths S. J. Threat Assess. Manag. 2022; 9(4): 260-286.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/tam0000184

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Psychopathic personality disorder, or psychopathy, is a psychiatric diagnosis associated with callous personality traits and chronic antisocial behaviors. During the past 2 decades, psychopathy assessments have been routinely utilized to inform violence prediction, threat management, sentencing, parole, etc. However, recent empirical research has questioned the reliability and utility of psychopathy assessments, sparking concerns about the ethics of their use. The present contribution adds to this ethical discourse, arguing that forensic mental health practitioners should refrain from using psychopathy assessments because they violate two of the most fundamental ethical standards in their disciplines to "promote well-being" and "to do no harm," traditionally labeled the principle of beneficence and the principle of nonmaleficence. Indeed, psychopathy assessments provide no clear benefit to the patient, and there are de facto and potential harms causally associated with their intended use, which are evidentially not outweighed by any significant social benefits. The article concludes by recommending a near-universal cessation of psychopathy assessments, a recommendation that is especially pressing due to the availability of alternative assessment strategies and the risk of professional-ethical sanctions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Language: en