The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised: PCL-R Testimony and Forensic Practice

ABSTRACT

The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 1991) was originally developed as a research tool for assessing psychopathy among incarcerated offenders. The past decade has witnessed a growing interest in the use of the PCL-R in applied settings. In response, authors have offered guidelines for the instrument's adaptation to clinical and forensic assessment (Bodholdt, Richards, & Gacono, 2000; Gacono & Hutton, 1994; Gacono, 1998; Gacono, 2000a; Hare, 1998). In this article, we outline key issues that impact the forensic use of the PCL-R. First, we analyze the admissibility of PCL-R testimony by available legal and professional standards. While the PCL-R weathers tests and standards for admissibility, errors in its application may compromise the admissibility or utility of PCL-R findings. In a second section, these considerations are discussed in offering standards for professional practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Psychopathy Checklist-Revised
• PCL-R
• forensic assessment
• forensic use