Antisocial personalities: Measuring prevalence among offenders in South Africa

Abstract

The identification of offenders who meet the criteria for psychopathy, antisocial personality disorder or dissocial personality disorder could be of significant value to help address the violent crime crisis in South Africa. A sample of 500 male maximum security offenders was selected to determine the prevalence of these disorders among South African offenders. Results for the incidence of psychopathy and dissocial personality disorder indicate a similar trend to that found in other countries; whereas the prevalence of antisocial personality disorder contradicts international findings.