| Abstract | Among people involved with the justice system, criminal thinking patterns are modifiable service needs that can be influenced as a part of treatment to ameliorate clients’ risk for recidivism. Self-report measures that can measure criminal thinking patterns allow correctional staff and treatment providers to identify clients’ individual needs and make more informed decisions about appropriate treatment options. The present study developed a revised measure of criminal thinking based on the Texas Christian University Criminal Thinking Scales. Using a sample of 797 people currently incarcerated, results showed the revised 29-item instrument assessed criminal thinking patterns in five key areas: 1) Power Orientation, 2) Justification, 3) Insensitivity to Impact of Crime, 4) Grandiosity, and 5) Response Disinhibition. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the resultant five-factor solution and weak measurement invariance was assumed for assigned sex at birth (male vs. female). Implications and future directions are discussed. |
