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Abstract

The rehabilitation of criminal psychopaths has long been a contentious issue in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, law and criminal justice. Psychopathy, characterised by distinct emotional dysfunction, lack of empathy, manipulativeness, and antisocial behaviour, has presented significant challenges to traditional therapeutic methods. This paper examines the potential for rehabilitating and treating criminal psychopaths by integrating recent advances in neurobiological, psychological, and behavioural research. Despite historical pessimism regarding treatment efficacy, emerging evidence suggests that targeted interventions which consider the unique affective and interpersonal traits, subtypes of psychopathy and individualised interventions, can yield promising results. This review critiques the limitations of the current diagnostic framework, which categorises psychopathy under antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) in the DSM-5, arguing for the recognition of psychopathy as an individual diagnosis. By exploring the interplay between nature vs nurture, this review highlights innovative therapeutic strategies and models, including compassion based, reward driven, neurobiological, and pharmacological interventions, tailored to the psychopathic profile. The research also highlights the importance of early identification and intervention, using neurodevelopmental insights to mitigate the progression of psychopathic traits. While complete rehabilitation remains a formidable challenge, a nuanced understanding of psychopathy and personalised treatment approaches offer a direction towards reducing recidivism and improving outcomes for individuals with this complex disorder. This review calls for a paradigm shift in the approach to psychopathy, endorsing a comprehensive, evidence-based framework which integrates diagnostic refinement, early intervention, and innovative treatment models to address the rehabilitative needs of criminal psychopaths.

Course: Criminal Justice - MSc - C2681F

Date Deposited: 2024-11-21

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14573.html