Who tells the truth? Former inmates' self-reported arrests vs. official records

Purpose: Self-reports are integral to the understanding of a variety of behavioral phenomena, with arrest history being no exception. The current study investigated how accurate self-reports of arrest are when compared to official arrest records, and we also assessed several new predictors of self-report accuracy. Methods: In a sample of 339 former jail inmates, we examined agreement between self-reported arrests and official records. We also examined whether self-reported arrest accuracy was associated with substance use frequency and dependence, impression management, psychopathy, paranoia, criminal thinking, intelligence, and interview type (i.e., on time vs. delayed). Results: Most (80%) participants accurately reported whether or not they had been arrested in the year following release from jail. Only one of 25 variables significantly predicted self-report accuracy: criminal thinking. Participants who scored low on criminal thinking were more likely than those who scored high on criminal thinking to under-report arrests. Discrepancies between self-reports and official records of arrests were unrelated to substance use frequency and dependence, impression management, paranoia, and intelligence. Conclusions: Results strongly support the validity of self-reported arrest data.

Duke Scholars

Author Daniel Blalock Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine & Neur ...