PCRA OFFENDER SECTION

Name:   BOP/Reg. No.:

Directions:   
The following items, if answered honestly, are designed to help you better understand your thinking and behavior. Please take the time to complete each of the 80 items on this inventory using the four-point scale defined below:
4 = strongly agree (SA)
3 = agree (A)
2 = uncertain (U)
1 = disagree (D)

1. I will allow nothing to get in the way of me getting what I want.
2. I find myself blaming society and external circumstances for the problems I have had in my life.
3. Change can be scary.
4. Even though I may start out with the best of intentions I have trouble remaining focused and staying "on track".
5. There is nothing I can't do if I try hard enough.
6. When pressured by life's problems, I have said "the hell with it" and followed this up by using drugs or engaging in crime.
7. It's unsettling not knowing what the future holds.
8. I have found myself blaming the victims of some of my crimes by saying things like "they deserved what they got" or "they should have known better".
9. One of the first things I consider in sizing up another person is whether they look strong or weak.
10. I occasionally think of things too horrible to talk about.
11. I am afraid of losing my mind.
12. The way I look at it, I've paid my dues and am therefore justified in taking what I want.
13. The more I got away with crime the more I thought there was no way thepolice or authorities would ever catch up with me.
14. I believe that breaking the law is no big deal as long as you don't physically hurt someone.
15. I have helped out friends and family with money acquired illegally.
16. I am uncritical of my thoughts and ideas to the point that I ignore the problems and difficulties associated with these plans until it is too late.
17. It is unfair that I have been imprisoned for my crimes when bank presidents, lawyers, and politicians get away with all sorts of illegal and unethical behavior every day.
18. I find myself arguing with others over relatively trivial matters.
19. I can honestly say that the welfare of my victims was something I took into account when I committed my crimes.
20. When frustrated I find myself saying "screw it" and then engaging in some irresponsible or irrational act.
21. New challenges and situations make me nervous.
22. Even when I got caught for a crime, I would convince myself that there was no way they would convict me or send me to prison.
23. I find myself taking shortcuts, even if I know these shortcuts will interfere with my ability to achieve certain long-term goals.
24. When not in control of a situation I feel weak and helpless and experience a desire to exert power over others.
25. Despite the criminal life I have led, deep down I am basically a good person.
26. I will frequently start an activity, project, or job but then never finish it.
27. I regularly hear voices and see visions which others do not hear or see.
28. When it's all said and done, society owes me.
29. I have said to myself more than once that if it wasn't for someone "snitching" on me I would have never gotten caught.
30.
 I tend to let things go which should probably be attended to, based on my belief that they will work themselves out.
31. I have used alcohol or drugs to eliminate fear or apprehension before committing a crime.
32. I have made mistakes in life.
33. On the streets, I would tell myself I needed to rob or steal in order to continue living the life I had coming.
34. I like to be on center stage in my relationships and conversations with others, controlling things as much as possible.
35. When questioned about my motives for engaging in crime, I have justified my behavior by pointing out how hard my life has been.
36. I have trouble following through on good initial intentions.
37. I find myself expressing tender feelings toward animals or little children in order to make myself feel better after committing a crime or engaging in irresponsible behavior.
38. There have been times in my life when I felt I was above the law.
39. It seems that I have trouble concentrating on the simplest of tasks.
40. I tend to act impulsively under stress.
41. Why should I be made to appear worthless in front of friends and family when it is so easy to take from others.
42. I have often not tried something out of fear that I might fail.
43. I tend to put off until tomorrow what should have been done today.
44. Although I have always realized that I might get caught for a crime, I would tell myself that there was "no way they would catch me this time".
45. I have justified selling drugs, burglarizing homes, or robbing banks by telling myself that if I didn't do it someone else would.
46. I find it difficult to commit myself to something I am not sure of because of fear.
47. People have difficulty understanding me because I tend to jump around from subject to subject when talking.
48. There is nothing more frightening than change.
49. Nobody tells me what to do and if they try I will respond with intimidation, threats, or I might even get physically aggressive.
50. When I commit a crime or act irresponsibly I will perform a "good deed" or do something nice for someone as a way of making up for the harm I have caused.
51. I have difficulty critically evaluating my thoughts, ideas, and plans.
52. Nobody before or after can do it better than me because I am stronger, smarter, or slicker than most people.
53. I have rationalized my irresponsible actions with such statements as "everybody else is doing it so why shouldn't I".
54. If challenged I will sometimes go along by saying "yeah, you're right", even when I know the other person is wrong, because it's easier than arguing with them about it.
55. Fear of change has made it difficult for me to be successful in life.
56. The way I look at it I'm not really a criminal because I never intended to hurt anyone.
57. I still find myself saying "the hell with working a regular job, I'll just take it".
58. I sometimes wish I could take back certain things I have said or done.
59. Looking back over my life I can see now that I lacked direction and consistency of purpose.
60. Strange odors, for which there is no explanation, come to me for no apparent reason.
61. When on the streets, I believed I could use drugs and avoid the negative consequences (addiction, compulsive use) that I observed in others.
62. I tend to be rather easily sidetracked so that I rarely finish what I start.
63. If there is a short-cut or easy way around something I will find it.
64. I have trouble controlling my angry feelings.
65. I believe that I am a special person and that my situation deserves special consideration.
66. There is nothing worse than being seen as weak or helpless.
67. I view the positive things I have done for others as making up for the negative things.
68. Even when I set goals, I frequently do not obtain them because I am distracted by events going on around me.
69. There have been times when I tried to change but was prevented from doing so because of fear.
70. When frustrated, I will throw rational thought to the wind with such statements as "screw it" or "the hell with it".
71. I have told myself that I would never have had to engage in crime if I had had a good job.
72. I can see that my life would be more satisfying if I could learn to make better decisions.
73. There have been times when I have felt entitled to break the law in order to pay for a vacation, new car, or expensive clothing that I told myself I needed.
74. I rarely considered the consequences of my actions when I was in the community.
75. A significant portion of my life on the streets was spent trying to control people and situations.
76. When I first began breaking the law, I was very cautious, but as time went by and I didn't get caught, I became overconfident and convinced myself that I could do just about anything and get away with it.
77. As I look back on it now, I was a pretty good guy even though I was involved in crime.
78. There have been times when I have made plans to do something with my family and then cancelled these plans so that I could hang out with my friends, use drugs, or commit crimes.
79. I tend to push problems to the side rather than dealing with them.
80. I have used good behavior (abstaining from crime for a period of time) or various situations (fight with a spouse) to give myself permission to commit a crime or engage in other irresponsible activities such as using drugs.