Personality And Criminal Trajectories In Young Adults Held In Chilean Prisons

Aim: The study is framed in evolutionary criminology, analyzing the role of personality, risk and criminal history in the development of persistent criminal trajectories observed in young adulthood. Personality variables observed with the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-III), criminal risk levels according to the Risk-Need-Responsivity model (RNR), and criminal trajectory according to the Multidimensional Model of Differentiated Intervention with Adolescents (MMIDA) are identified. Method: 200 young men (18 to 26 years old) held in two Chilean prisons took part. All voluntarily responded to two instruments (MCMI-III and EDA-A) in individual applications and penitentiary professionals assessed the risk instrument (IGI). Results: A cluster analysis was performed with the scores obtained on the MCMI-III, establishing 5 groupings that define and describe risk levels and criminal history, comparing them conceptually with the typology of the MMIDA. Discussion: It was concluded in 4 clusters that central characteristics of the types defined by the MMIDA in adolescents are preserved, whereas in the fifth differences attributable to neuropsychological maturation processes inherent to the age are observed. The results are discussed, demonstrating the need to recognize the period of youth, beyond 18 years, as a phase that requires specialized interventions from the youth penal system, given their greater neuropsychological plasticity and receptivity to interventions.