Abstract

The objective of this study was to recognize patterns of personality that command differentiated groups of persistent offenders, determining the relationship between personality variables and the severity of criminal behavior. We studied a sample of 330 male adolescents sanctioned in Chile, evaluated with a multidimensional battery of 5 instruments. Personal variables, measured with MACI, are used to establish clusters using the Biplot analysis technique, the remaining measurements (criminal behavior, risks, resources and mental health) are used to characterize emerging groups and compare them to each other. Five distinct clusters are obtained, whose personality profiles are interpreted, labeling them with the initials AE, EA, PD, TV and ND that recognize the dominant variables in each case; Then they compare each other, establishing a gradient of criminal gravity that is very consistent and where personality variables play an active role in the genesis and maintenance of behavior or as a factor that favors desistance. The results are discussed according to their relevance to the implementation of effective and relevant intervention programs in crime reduction and prevention.