The role of criminal cognitions and personality traits in non-violent recidivism: Empirical investigation within a prison sample

The observation that many offenders re-engage in crime following their initial
incarceration, and the effect this crime has on the prison system and society in general, has
lead criminologists to investigate the factors that are associated with re-engagement in crime
and based on these factors to attempt to estimate the risk that an individual will reoffend.
Given the increased attention given to dangerousness in the criminal justice system, much
research has focused on the prediction of violent recidivism. Less attention has been given to
the study of non-violent recidivism; however, it has been demonstrated that there is no
distinction between the variables that are predictive of violent and general recidivism (Bonta,
Harman, Hann, and Cormier, 1996; Gendreau, Little, and Goggin, 1996). The purpose of the
current study is to investigate the predictors of non-violent recidivism, in particular the role
of criminal cognitions and personality factors in non-violent recidivism.