1987/03/01 by J M Dabbs, Robert L. Frady, T. Carr +1 · 1 citation
Medicine · Psychology · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Hormonal and reproductive studies #Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior #Sexual Differentiation and Disorders #Prison #Testosterone (patch) #Psychology #Suicide prevention #Poison control #Criminology #Medicine #Medical emergency #Endocrinology
paper · doi:10.1097/00006842-198703000-00007
openalex publication_date 1987/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Free testosterone was measured in the saliva of 89 male prison inmates. Inmates with higher testosterone concentrations had more often been convicted of violent crimes. The relationship was most striking at the extremes of the testosterone distribution, where 9 out of 11 inmates with the lowest testosterone concentrations had committed nonviolent crimes, and 10 out of 11 inmates with the highest testosterone concentrations had committed violent crimes. Among the inmates convicted of nonviolent crimes, those higher in testosterone received longer times to serve before parole and longer punishments for disciplinary infractions in prison. In the housing unit where peer ratings were most reliable, inmates rated as tougher by their peers were higher in testosterone.