Psychopaths scam parole boards into releasing them before non-psychopathic peers
Psychopathic criminals are about 2.5 times more likely to get a conditional release than peers without the personality disorder, according to researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Psychopaths—who tend to possess a lack of remorse—use their superficial charm to convince parole boards into releasing them early, the report suggests. The study, published in Legal and Criminological Psychology, looked at 300 men who were in a Canadian prison for at least two years from 1995 to 1997. In that group, the 90 classified as psychopaths had committed more offences, were more likely to reoffend and were returned to prison after one year, while non-psychopaths tended to return after two. “We need to acknowledge that psychopathy is largely unchangeable,” Dr. Stephen Porter, who led the research, told the BBC. “It isn’t possible to miraculously create a ‘conscience’ in adults who have not had a conscience previously.”