The Utility of the Personality Assessment Screener in Predicting Institutional Misconduct

Inmates currently in the criminal justice system suffer from mental illness at a higher rate than the general public. Higher rates of mental illness are associated with a greater likelihood of violent and non-violent institutional misconduct. As such, it is important to screen and identify individuals who are at-risk for violence and intervene at an earlier stage. The present study examines the utility of the Personality Assessment Screener (PAS), a brief self-report measure that screens for behavioral and affective issues, in predicting institutional misconduct (operationalized as general, aggressive, and physically aggressive infractions). A meta-analytic approach was utilized on four archival datasets that consisted of all-male participants (N = 703) to determine if PAS total, Psychotic Features (PF), Hostile Control (HC), Anger Control (AC), and single item (item 22, “People think I’m aggressive”) scores predicted general, aggressive, and physically aggressive infractions. PAS total scores were predictive of all infraction levels with small to medium effect sizes (ds = .29-.50), suggesting that a global screening measure of psychopathology was effective in predicting institutional misconduct. PF (ds = .49-.65) and AC (ds = .25-.48) were both predictive all infraction levels, suggesting that one’s level of persecutory thinking and features of paranoid psychosis as well as anger management and expression is indicative of institutional misconduct. HC, which measures an interpersonal style characterized by a need for control and an inflated self-image, was effective in predicting aggressive (d = .30) and physically aggressive (d = .26) infractions, but not general infractions. Lastly, item 22, which measures self-perceived aggressiveness, predicted general (d = .13) and aggressive (d = .36) infractions but not physically aggressive infractions (d = .14). Moderator analyses further suggested that follow-up period (measure in months) and institutional setting (general population vs. treatment) were consistent moderators in the ability of PAS scores to predict institutional misconduct. Overall, the present findings suggest that the PAS is an effective tool in predicting institutional misconduct and may be a useful addition in correctional settings to screen for violent and non-violent misbehaviors