The Big Picture

The article explores the relationship between race, personality, and crime, particularly focusing on antisocial and psychopathic personality disorders. The authors critique the use of these personality disorders to explain racial disparities in crime involvement, particularly among African Americans. They argue that existing research often conflates antisocial behavior with personality disorders and overlooks the significant role of environmental factors, such as social class and historical circumstances, rather than genetic factors, in shaping these disparities.
What We Did

The authors conducted a critical review of existing literature that links personality disorders with criminal behavior across different racial and ethnic groups. They examined studies on antisocial and psychopathic personality disorders, the distribution of these disorders across racial lines, and their purported connection to crime, highlighting methodological flaws and the oversimplification of complex relationships between race, personality, and criminal behavior.

1

Lack of Empirical Support for Racial Differences

The review found that claims of racial differences in the prevalence of antisocial and psychopathic personality disorders as explanations for crime involvement lack empirical support.

2

Adolescence and Antisocial Behavior

The authors highlight that antisocial behavior is common in adolescence and does not necessarily lead to the development of personality disorders in adulthood.

3

Environmental Factors as Significant Predictors

Environmental factors, such as adverse family conditions, community disadvantage, and social isolation, are identified as more significant predictors of criminal behavior than inherent personality traits.

Understanding the true drivers of criminal behavior is crucial for developing fair and effective criminal justice policies. Misattributing crime involvement to racialized personality disorders perpetuates stereotypes and ignores the broader social and environmental contexts that influence behavior. Recognizing the role of systemic factors rather than inherent traits can help address racial disparities in the criminal justice system and support more equitable interventions.

The authors suggest that future research should:

1

Differentiate clearly between antisocial behavior and personality disorders.

2

Consider environmental and contextual factors, such as community disadvantage and social exclusion, in studies of race, personality, and crime.

3

Avoid using personality disorders as proxies for criminal behavior, and instead, focus on how social and environmental influences intersect with race and crime.

4

Develop nuanced, culturally sensitive diagnostic criteria for personality disorders that account for the diverse experiences of different racial and ethnic groups.

About the Study

This study is a rejoinder that critiques the methodological approaches and conclusions of existing research linking race, personality, and crime. It emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between antisocial behaviors and personality disorders and highlights the influence of environmental factors on the development of these disorders and subsequent criminal behavior. The article argues for a more comprehensive and contextually aware understanding of the factors that contribute to racial disparities in crime. The full APA citation is: Threadcraft-Walker, W., & Henderson, H. (2018). Reflections on race, personality, and crime. Journal of Criminal Justice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2018.05.005