| Violent crimes have been devastating our society for decades. Although crime rates are declining, the recidivism rates are at an all time high (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2013). In 2013, there was a reported 1,165,000 violent crimes in the United States. (FBI, 2013). This brings forth the notion that this is a recurring issue, and further research is needed to increase our understanding of this underserved and vulnerable violent offender population. Although there has been an abundance of research conducted on violent criminals and non-offenders who suffer from brain impairment, no known study has compared these two very distinct groups based on personality measures.;Brain impairments that take place in the frontal lobe can bring forth many negative side effects. Accounting for the executive functioning deficits associated with sustaining a brain impairment and its effects on impulsivity, emotional lability, and judgment are paramount for clinicians working with this population. According to an article published in the Scientific American (Harmon, 2012), the rate of brain impairment in the United States is at least seven times higher for incarcerated adults. Although not everyone with a brain impairment become violent, inmates are more likely to have sustained a brain impairment than the general population (Winslade, 2003). The objective of this quantitative study is to examine the differences and similarities between the personality profiles of violent offenders and brain impaired non-offenders. The contribution of the present study is to expand mental health practitioner's conceptualization of violent offenders and promote prevention and well as early stage intervention in an effort to lower criminal behavior. |
