The Utility of the Megargee-Bohn Typology in a Forensic Psychiatric Hospital

The utility of the Megargee-Bohn MMPI typology (Megargee & Bohn, 1979) was examined in 1007 male forensic psychiatric inpatients. The 10 profile types were identified although the proportions differed as expected from the original sample. Comparison of demographic, clinical, and forensic characteristics revealed significant differences between 9 of the profile types. Our findings indicate that the typology can reliably and usefully describe different categories of patients in our setting. The typology can also be used to make inferences about treatment needs. Our findings support the continued development of an MMPI-based actuarial system for criminal populations as has been done for psychiatric populations.