Risk Factors for Institutional Misconduct among Incarcerated Women: an Examination of the Criterion-Related Validity of the Personality Assessment Inventory

Although widely researched in male offender samples, relatively little is known about the clinical utility of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991) among female prisoners. In this study, we examined the utility of various theoretically relevant PAI scales to predict 3 types of institutional misconduct (general, aggressive/defiant, and covert infractions) in a sample of 113 female inmates incarcerated for at least 1 year. The Antisocial Features (ANT) scale was the most consistent and effective predictor of misbehavior, with limited evidence to suggest that other PAI scales could demonstrate any incremental validity beyond this measure. More important, ANT continued to be associated with institutional misconduct even after controlling for criminal background variables such as prior convictions and a history of violence.