The role of criminal cognitions and personality traits in non-violent recidivism: Empirical investigation within a prison sample

Abstract

The observation that many offenders re-engage in crime following their initial incarceration, and the effect this crime has on the prison system and society in general, has lead criminologists to investigate the factors that are associated with re-engagement in crime and based on these factors to attempt to estimate the risk that an individual will reoffend. Given the increased attention given to dangerousness in the criminal justice system, much research has focused on the prediction of violent recidivism. Less attention has been given to the study of non-violent recidivism; however, it has been demonstrated that there is no distinction between the variables that are predictive of violent and general recidivism (Bonta, Harman, Hann, and Cormier, 1996; Gendreau, Little, and Goggin, 1996). The purpose of the current study is to investigate the predictors of non-violent recidivism, in particular the role of criminal cognitions and personality factors in non-violent recidivism