You would think parole boards would know better. After all, they deal with bad guys all day, every day, and they’re supposed to decide when criminals are sufficiently rehabilitated to return to society. But a study released in January found that when psychopaths in Canada’s prisons were up for parole, they were 2.5 times more likely to win conditional release than non-psychopaths.
The study was conducted by Dr. Stephen Porter from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia and published in the Journal of Legal and Criminological Psychology. It looked at 310 men who spent at least two years in a Canadian prison between 1995 and 1997. Most had committed violent crimes.
Ninety of the men were classified as psychopaths. They had committed significantly more offenses than the non-psychopaths. The psychopathic child abusers among them had far more charges and convictions than non-psychopathic offenders.
Yet the psychopaths won the get-out-of-jail-free card much more often than ordinary criminals.
“Despite their long and diverse criminal records and much higher risk posed to the community, psychopaths appear to be able to convince decision-makers throughout the correctional system that they can be reintegrated into society successfully,” Dr. Porter wrote.
Oscar award winning performances
How did they do it? Charm and crocodile tears. The researcher said they put on a good show.
“They use non-verbal behavior, a ‘gift of gab,’ and persuasive emotional displays to put on an Oscar award winning performance and move through the correctional system and ultimately parole boards relatively quickly, despite their known diagnosis.”
And apparently, it wasn’t just the members of the parole boards who were fooled—it was everyone who had any input into the parole decision.
“I don’t want to pick on the (National) Parole Board,” Porter said in an interview. “The parole board gets all kinds of information therapy reports and case management reports and so on. So psychopaths are probably putting on a good show for everyone.”
What happened after the psychopaths won their freedom? They committed another crime. On average, they offended again and were returned to prison after one year, compared with two years for non-psychopaths.
Let’s not berate ourselves
Dr. Porter says that the parole boards and psychologists need help in dealing with psychopaths.
“We need to acknowledge that training in this area is essential and that objective file information is much more reliable than trying to assess performance in an interview context,” he said.
So here’s the conclusion for us survivors: We should never again berate ourselves for falling for a psychopath. After all, the professionals who dealt with these predators every day, and had access to their criminal files, were just as clueless as we were.
For more information on this study, see:
BBC: Psychopaths’ ”˜early release con’
Ottawa Citizen: Psychopaths use charm, lies to fool parole officials
Stargazer and Oxy —
Thank-you both so much for your encouraging words! Your words stirred up alot of things I’d like to get into but am too tired right now. Had bad day today (found out he threw away a second computer due to the police investigation — don’t know why that upset me so much but I was shaken up and mad) and needed the encouragement. I’ve now had three recomendations on the Betrayal Bond so I’d better read it! As to the whole anger/ forgiveness thing — wow, this is appropo. For most of this past year I have not been angry at all — sick isn’t it? Occasionally I could get angry but it usually wouldn’t last more than a few hours. I have wanted to be angry (without being bitter/ revengeful) and maybe I’m there now. Angry, I mean. Hopefully not bitter but today it’s been close. Anyway, you know what I mean. Well, guess I rambled a little more than I planned.
Housie and BloggerT —
I looked up the Wellspring site and am thinking seriously of checking more into it. I appreciate the word on it from both of you. Was good to see it seconded, BloggerT.
Thanks again all!
Dear nomore,
There is nothing “wrong” with being ANGRY, it is a normal emotion and spurs you on to action! I figure if “J. C.” can get angry it is okay for me to be!!! LOL
In fact, I got quite angry yesterday—a crew of men working on my land (for a natural gas drilling company) CUT THE FENCE by a locked gate to get entrance instead of coming through another gate that was OPEN—believe me, their crew leader got an ear full, and so did their BOSS who is now being very very contrite! (I’ve had multiple problems with them in the past coming on the property without notification etc.)
Since the problem is now fixed—-my anger spurred me to TAKE ACTION, but I did not let it BLIND ME to what reasonable action would be.
Anger has some really GOOD properties, and it also has some properties that are not so good. Sometimes it can blind us to reality, that’s why some people “over react” with anger.
Many churches teach that anger itself is “bad” which I think is a perversion of the true meaning of the scrpitures of Jesus’ teaching. Just like my egg donor teaching me that forgiveness was defined as “let’s pretend that none of this happened.” NOT SO, and after searching the scriptures FOR MYSELF and also after conferring with others who are ministers, I now define “forgiveness” as getting the BITTERNESS out of my heart toward those persons who have offended me, but it does NOT mean trusting them again. Since they have not shown any signs of repentence and continue to engage in their bad behavior, the chances of trusting them are ZERO.
NC keeps me away from them so that there are no NEW injuries to make me angry or upset me, so now I can live in PEACE and heal from the old injuries, and let the anger go for past injuries. BTW “anger” and “bitterness” are not to me the same thing. To me, bitterness is a long held seething anger and negative attitude over past offenses that can last decades and becomes the focus of the holder’s life. Anger is the righteous indignation for an inury or unfairness. Bitterness is what anger can become if it is held on to forever, but not the same thing. I guess I would discribe “bitterness” as the psychopathic version of anger. LOL Words fail me sometimes when talking about spiritual or emotional concepts or feelings. It’s like trying to “describe” the colors of the rainbow to someone else!
Today was a better day. I shared with my 35 year old son about his dad being a sociopath. I think he was actually relieved – like maybe he wasn’t crazy after all. My sister has been having a p in her life for almost as many years as I (42), and when I read to her from the book I was given at Wellspring (Captive Hearts, Captive Minds), she took her p’s phone # off of her cell and told me she is not going to answer the phone if he calls. See, our recovery spreads, just like the pathology. Thanks, all, for this site being a safe place (just an afterthought – how do we know there aren’t any p’s or s’s on this site?)
Dear Housie,
There are the occasional Ps who actually come here and post but believe me they become apparent and usually we ignore them and they go away. There is actually a P-site(s) on the net where they go to gloat like we come here to heal.
I’m glad your son seemed relieved, because, first of all,think of this, I bet he has not escaped unscathed from your X’s clutches either. Secondly, if he (your son) is not a P as well, then he is concerned for YOUR welfare. Due to the genetic components sometimes women (and men) not only have a spouse who is a P but children who “are just like” the psychopath so it is a double whammy for the victims. I have a friend who was married to a viscious P for almost 50 years. They have 4 adult children together and of the 4, only one is not “on the side of” “daddy-dearest”—I’m not sure if the children are not Ps themselves, but in any case,, they are sure DUPES of the Ps. For Ps who hide their evil abuse from others, i.e. who abuse in secret while keeping up this pretense of being a “Christian” or a “pillar of the community” sometimes the people that they have duped will also turn against the victim and “not believe” the victim. That is also very painful if those dupes are your kids. I am relieved and happy for you that your son apparently accepted your “diagnosis”—-and happy for your sister too!
Yes, the healing CAN spread and just as we have been blessed by healing, we can help others as well by extending voices of support and education to them. Glad you are here, Housie!
housie….
“Thanks, all, for this site being a safe place (just an afterthought – how do we know there aren’t any p’s or s’s on this site?)”
Well, there are no guarantees in life. How do we know there aren’t some next door, at work, etc?
I guess if any show up, we have a lot of support in dealing with them. And Donna has the ability to monitor it if they get out of hand.
This site has earned my trust. And, thanks to this site…I’ve learned responsibility for my safety is in my hands.
I’m glad you had a good day, housie!
PS…I previewed an found Oxy already answered.
Hello all you wonderful folks!
Yes, I still read LF quite often because the articles and proceeding comments are so enlightening, so powerful, so insightful that I would be a flat out fool to miss out on such an education to be gained here.
Thank you, Donna, for posting this particular article. You’re determination, ferocity focused on exposing these sick predators is beyond commendable. It humbles me yet touches and endears you to me even more.
I would like to say that yeah, berating yourself for being “sucker punched” by smooth as silk and molasses psychpaths of the world is basically an unproductive activity and restricts the healing process.
I would say pointless, but I guess it is part of this restorative process and we all probably felt like complete fools for falling for the bullshit.
I have and did but the knowledge, the valuable education I have gained from my years of PDI research cannot be ignored or dismissed. It’s in my head constantly reminding me to be ALERT, to be AWARE, to pay extra special attention to my beloved, GOD given intuition when mingling with strangers.
Therefore, instead of feeling foolish for initially thinking a new person in my life is OK and then them revealing that he/she is a predator……I get pissed!
Complete alternate direction than before I knew what I know now. My anger, my righteous fury is galvanizing for me. The reality slams right in my face and I must confront it or beware of the consequences: safety, welfare, sanity.
My anger towards a suspected predator protects me from his/her machinations. I leave and distance myself immediately although I’m blazing with fury.
It is not logical for a rational, emotionally complex, conscience driven person to waste one more second of their precious life seeking truth from a psychopath. Won’t happen as we ALL can attest to such a thing from our experiences.
Righteous, justified anger is good, folks. And believe me when I say, it in NO WAY disturbs my pure physical and spiritual joy at simply being alive.
YES! I am alive, living and breathing and enjoying life with a gusto and no vile, evil, sick, twisted predator will ever take that away from me. No sirree
I win they lose. End of story.
Hi JaneSmith. I’m glad you are in agreement that we are NOT to blame for another’s sin that blinds them in life.
I am grateful that I never got this blinded. I think the biggest sins I ever did in my life was to argue with loved ones and tell a white lie (compliment someone when I really didn’t think their outfit was that great) and the big one, having sex without being married yet. Ok, there’s a few more, like drinking when I was in my teens and 20s, smoking cigarettes. That’s about it. I’m grateful that the sin of (life’s) lust didn’t grab me into that downward spiral of having this sin blind me totally as it did our EXs.
Glad to chat with you. It’s been a long time.
Peace everyone.
Dear Janie, darling! I have missed you so much!@....... Your post above is wonderful TOWANDA@.......@@.......!!!!!! ((((((hugs))))))) and always my prayers!
Technical issues. I was concerned that I had written something that was innappropriate for LF…haha.
I’m going to re-post what I wrote for Oxy as it was a genuine, sincere expression of my appreciation and respect for her:
Oxybodacious,
You are a shining example of what it means to be a true human being.
You’re an amazing woman with an endless capacity for love, comfort, encouragement and support. I am in awe and humbled by your generous spirit.
God bless you, sweetheart.
And I’m not going to repost what I wrote to Wini because her response to me was a 100 times better than what I wrote.
Maybe she’ll repost her awesome comment again. wink, wink.
Dear Janie,
Thank you sweetie, I miss your wonderful compliments when you are not here posting regularly!!!! (((((hugs))))) (head hung in mock humility!) LOL
I am so glad you are doing well and things continue to go well with you. How is Beverly? Is she well? I miss her too, so much! I know sometimes it is time to “move on” to other things, and I too am “moving on” with REAL LIFE again, with real joy, real hope, real peace, and real love with those people who are truly my friends.
My time here on LF has bee am ‘amazing time! I think fondly back to how your words resonated with me, held me up, helped me to cope when I felt I couldn’t cope any more. Helped me keep going when I was so tired I couldn’t put one emotional foot in front of the other! Thank you so much, dear dear Janie! ((((hugs)))) and always prayers!