The Role of Personal Characteristics in Perceptions of Dangerousness

The literature warns of the problematic nature of predictions of dangerousness. This article discusses two studies investigating the role of personal characteristics-notably race, social class, and criminal history-in evaluations for dangerousness. In the first study, 100 mental health professionals rated altered case history profiles. Analysis of variance revealed that social class and criminal history significantly influenced the raters' evaluations. In the second study, descriptive and discriminant analysis revealed that social power variables distinguished best between 30 forensic hospital patients judged dangerous and 30 others judged nondangerous. Social power variables and a history of violent criminal behavior were found to be of importance in the assessment of dangerousness.