Male criminals with organic brain syndrome: Two distinct types based on age at first arrest

Objective: This study examined whether criminals with organic brain syndrom e could be divided into two distinct types. The authors proposed that early starters (onset of criminal activity by age 18) would display a persistent , long-tasting pattern of deviance that was largely independent of their br ain disorder, whereas late starters (onset at age 19 or after) would exhibi t deviant behaviors that began late in life and were more directly related to their brain disorder. Method: Subjects were 1,130 male criminal offenders drawn from a birth coho rt of all individuals born between January 1, 1944, and December 31, 1947, in Denmark. The main study group included all men with both a history of cr iminal arrest and a hospitalization for organic brain syndrome (N = 565). I n addition, for a subset of analyses, the authors examined a randomly selec ted, same-size comparison group of men with a history of criminal arrest wh o were not hospitalized for organic brain syndrome. Data were available on all arrests and all psychiatric hospitalizations for individuals in this co hort through the age of 44. Results: Among those with organic brain syndrome, early starters were signi ficantly more likely than late starters to 1) be arrested before the onset of organic brain syndrome, 2) show a higher rate of offending before but no t after the onset of organic brain syndrome, 3) be both recidivists and vio lent recidivists, and 4) have a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorde r. Conclusions: Male criminals with organic brain syndrome can be meaningfully divided into two distinct types on the basis of age at first arrest. Early starters show a more global, persistent, and stable pattern of offending t han late starters. These results have implications for treatment and risk a ssessment.