ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — New information from a University of South Florida study could have major impacts on the criminal justice system.

  • Dr. Bryanna Fox of USF teamed with Iowa State researcher
  • Level of psychopathy for homicide offenders 4 times as high as average American
  • USF professors conducting another study at Pasco County Jail

The study looked at the link between psychopathy and people who commit homicide.

There have been 19 studies chronicling more than 2,600 homicide offenders in six countries across eight decades.

But Dr. Bryanna Fox of USF said she was surprised to find what wasn't out there.

"We thought, 'Surely, someone has done this before. You know, they've looked at the overall relationship between psychopathy and homicide.' And no one ever had," said Fox, a USF criminology department assistant professor.

So she and a fellow researcher from Iowa State University conducted the first collective review of that published research.

They found the level of psychopathy for homicide offenders was four times as high as the average American.

Dr. Bryanna Fox, right, worked with a fellow researcher at Iowa State University on the study.

While something long suspected, Fox said it's an important link to have officially established.

"I think it's important for the practitioners as well as the public to understand that people who show personality traits indicative of psychopathy are at the highest risk of committing crimes that are violent, such as homicide," Fox said.

The study notes the most likely policy impact this new research may have is in prevention efforts.

And Fox says it can also benefit a current study she and other USF researchers are conducting at the Pasco County Jail.

“It's going to be really helpful because one of the reasons we're doing this study is to analyze what risk factors contribute to people committing crime and also recidivating," she said.

If all goes well, Fox says the study will not only help Pasco County, but it could also help jails around the country dealing with repeat offenders.