Subtypes of incarcerated delinquents constructed via cluster analysis

The MMPI and Jesness Inventory were used to construct groupings of juvenile delinquents homogeneous with respect to personality characteristics. Subjects were 191 incarcerated juvenile delinquents, aged 12 to 19. All participants had been adjudicated on one or more serious offenses. Five subtypes of delinquents were identified. They included an alienated, unsocialized group, an insecure-anxious group, a group reporting limited difficulties with peers but alienated from adults, a group with no apparent emotional disturbance, and a group with multiple elevations. Significant differences between clusters with regard to self-reported explosiveness, suicidality, gang activities, substance abuse, history of sexual abuse, and delusions and hallucinations were identified. Discriminant function analysis was then used to support the generalizability of the classification system to an independent sample. Eighty per cent of the second sample were accurately classified. The subtypes identified are compared to delinquent classification systems developed previously.