Suggestions for Implementation and Use of the Psychopathy Checklists in Forensic and Clinical Practice

For over 30 years, I have used the Psychopathy Checklists in research and applied contexts. My research in the 1980s contributed to a dissertation (Gacono, 1988) and several articles (see Gacono & Meloy, 1994). Research has always informed my understanding of the PCL-R's usefulness. In 1988, this knowledge led to the PCL-R's implementation at Atascadero State Hospital (ASH). Integrating the PCL-R into policy, within what, at the time, was the largest North American maximum-security forensic hospital, was both novel and challenging.