Psychopathy and sexual offending over the life course: An exploratory longitudinal investigation

Abstract Although much attention has been given to the relationship between psychopathy and sexual offending, very little of such research examined this link from a developmental criminology perspective. This perspective can help further explicate the relationship between psychopathy and sex offending by inspecting whether psychopathy influences the timing and continuity of sexual offending. Using prospective longitudinal data on incarcerated adolescent males followed into adulthood (n = 413), higher scores on the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV) were associated with adjudication for a sex offense in adolescence but not in adulthood. As well, PCL:YV scores were not associated with repeated adjudications for sexual offenses. Rather, sexual offending was a small part of a more versatile pattern of offending. Future research should examine whether the relationship between psychopathy and sexual offending is stronger for sexual offenses for scenarios that involve deception, manipulation, a sense of entitlement, and impulsive behavior.