Abstract
The aim of the present study is to investigate the utility of The Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU) in predicting criminal recidivism among a sample of incarcerated male juvenile delinquents. Participants (N = 228, M = 16.38 years, SD = 1.26 years) from juvenile detention centers were followed during a two-year period and categorized as recidivists or non-recidivists. Area under the curve (AUC) results showed that the ICU total score and its Callousness and Uncaring dimensions significantly predicted general recidivism. However, binary logistic regression models controlling for age of first detention, past frequency of crimes, and conduct disorder symptoms found that neither the ICU total nor its dimensions predicted general or violent recidivism. Findings indicate that callous-unemotional traits as measured by the ICU self-report have limited incremental utility in terms of predicting recidivism among this sample of detained male youth offenders.