Hare Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (2nd Edition) (PCL–R)

The Hare Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (2nd edition, PCL–R) is a 20-item rating scale for the measurement of the clinical construct of psychopathy. Although it was designed for use in research, its explanatory and predictive features have led to its widespread use within the criminal justice system. This entry describes the development of the PCL–R, its psychometric properties, and its use in the criminal justice system.

The PCL–R had its origins in the late 1970s at a time when a variety of clinical and self-report methods were being used to define what ostensibly was psychopathy. There was little evidence that these methods were conceptually or empirically related to one another, with the result that many research findings obtained with one method could not be replicated with other methods. ...