Introduction: Evaluation of mental health in forensic field is relevant in order to plan interventions and diminish institutional risks. The procedure includes the evaluation of psychopathic traits, which should be assessed by reliable and valid instruments.
Objectives: To evaluate the internal congruence of the Chilean version of the PCL-R, and the convergent validity with the PCL: SV, the SRP-III-SF and the IM-P. To explore the utility of the PCL: SV as screening tool.
Material and method: The population of sentenced inmates of the Jail of Los Andes, Chile, was evaluated in a cross sectional study (N=209 inmates of a universe of 235 eligible subjects). Data was obtained from different sources and the interviews were video-recorded. The PCL-R, PCL: SV, IM-P and SRP-III-SF were used.
Results: Cronbach Alpha for the PCL-R total score was 0.97. The correlation of the total PCL-R score with the PCL: SV was 0.87; 0.37 with the SRP-III-SF and 0.75 with the IM-P. Sensibility of the PCL: SV was 1 and specificity 0.90 thus concluding that it is an excellent screening test.