--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Justice departments and parole boards all…" description: "\"“Justice departments and parole boards all over the world have accepted his contention that psychopaths are quite simply incurable and everyone should ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/jon-ronson-1772_psychopath_justice-departments-and-parole-boards-al_236479.jpg" --- # Justice departments and parole boards all over the world… ![“Justice departments and parole boards all over the world have accepted his contention that psychopaths are quite simply incurable and everyone should concentrate their energies instead on learning how to root them out using his PCL-R Checklist, which he has spent a lifetime refining. His was not…” quote by Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/jon-ronson-1772_psychopath_justice-departments-and-parole-boards-al_236479.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/jon-ronson-1772_psychopath_justice-departments-and-parole-boards-al_236479.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/jon-ronson-1772_psychopath_justice-departments-and-parole-boards-al_236479.jpg) > ““Justice departments and parole boards all over the world have accepted his contention that psychopaths are quite simply incurable and everyone should concentrate their energies instead on learning how to root them out using his PCL-R Checklist, which he has spent a lifetime refining. His was not the only psychopath checklist around, but it was by far the most extensively used.”” [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Psychopaths are deemed incurable, prompting focus on detection via the PCL‑R checklist, the most widely used tool. **In simple terms:** Psychopaths seen as untreatable, so we aim to identify them. Key Takeaway Prioritize accurate assessment over futile treatment. Themes psychology crime diagnosis ethics Mood cautious analytical Type critical informative When to use this quote - clinical practice - law enforcement - corporate hiring - public policy Key Concepts PCL‑R risk assessment labeling Questions to Reflect On - Can we improve treatment options? - How do we balance safety with stigma? A Different Perspective Reliance on a checklist may overlook individual nuance and rehabilitation potential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contention Psychopaths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contention-psychopaths-2381594/) [Psychopath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychopath/) [Psychopath Checklist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychopath-checklist-2381592/) [Psychopaths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychopaths/) [Psychopaths Quite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychopaths-quite-2381595/) [Refining Psychopath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refining-psychopath-2381593/) ## Related quotes > [ “Psychopaths \[make\] the world go around...society \[is\] an expression of that particular sort of madness...I've always believed society to be a fundamentally rational thing,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/psychopaths-make-the-world-go-around-society-is-an-expression-of-that/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“I vaguely remembered hearing psychologists say there was a preponderance of psychopaths at the top—in the corporate and political worlds—a clinical absence of empathy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/i-vaguely-remembered-hearing-psychologists-say-there-was-a/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [No matter how much lip service those committed to power (psychopaths) may pay to the principle of equality (empaths), they can never approach their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arno-gruen/no-matter-how-much-lip-service-those-committed-to-power-psychopaths/) [Arno Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arno-gruen/) > [“I think it is more helpful to characterize criminal psychopaths as “unsuccessful psychopaths”.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-lobaczewski/i-think-it-is-more-helpful-to-characterize-criminal-psychopaths-as/) [Andrzej Lobaczewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-lobaczewski/) > [Psychopaths don't have that charming skill set. They definitely manipulate, but they do it through focused, unskilled means. They're more obsessive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-heusinger/psychopaths-don-t-have-that-charming-skill-set-they-definitely/) [Patrick Heusinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-heusinger/) > [Even psychopaths have emotions. Then again, maybe not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ramirez/even-psychopaths-have-emotions-then-again-maybe-not/) [Richard Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ramirez/) > [We are all born with an innate understanding of interpersonal equity - the idea that if you lend me your rake today, I'll respond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/we-are-all-born-with-an-innate-understanding-of-interpersonal-equity/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [One of the problems with studies that examine the effects of violent imagery is that they typically use mentally healthy psychology students. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-dietz/one-of-the-problems-with-studies-that-examine-the-effects-of-violent/) [Park Dietz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-dietz/) > [Too many people hold the idea that psychopaths are essentially killers or convicts. The general public hasn't been educated to see beyond the social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hare/too-many-people-hold-the-idea-that-psychopaths-are-essentially/) [Robert D. Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hare/) > [“To be sure, if psychopaths do recognize that actions that are harmful are proscribed, this raises a question about why psychopaths and control criminals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-nichols/to-be-sure-if-psychopaths-do-recognize-that-actions-that-are-harmful/) [Shaun Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-nichols/) > [If I have a mission in life, it is to convince people that everyone is morally motivated - everyone except for psychopaths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/if-i-have-a-mission-in-life-it-is-to-convince-people-that-everyone-is/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [“Prisons are full of sociopaths and psychopaths, but when questioned, the imprisoned sociopath will honestly admit that they will commit any number of crimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanya-thompson/prisons-are-full-of-sociopaths-and-psychopaths-but-when-questioned/) [Tanya Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanya-thompson/) > [It is the cult of self that is killing the United States. This cult has within it the classic traits of psychopaths: superficial charm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/it-is-the-cult-of-self-that-is-killing-the-united-states-this-cult/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [Language and words for psychopaths are only word deep; there is no emotional colouring behind it. A psychopath can use a word like, ‘I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hare/language-and-words-for-psychopaths-are-only-word-deep-there-is-no/) [Robert D. Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hare/) > [“We’re used to the film versions of psychopaths. The clearly crazies. But most psychopaths are clever. They have to be. They know how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-penny/we-re-used-to-the-film-versions-of-psychopaths-the-clearly-crazies/) [Louise Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-penny/) ## More by Jon Ronson > [Sometimes labeling is only useful, like with OCD. Once you're labeled you can be treated. On other occasions labeling leads to tyranny, like with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/sometimes-labeling-is-only-useful-like-with-ocd-once-you-re-labeled/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“I wonder if I’ve got any of the 374 mental disorders,” I thought. I opened the manual again. And I instantly diagnosed myself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/i-wonder-if-i-ve-got-any-of-the-374-mental-disorders-i-thought-i/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Trying to prove you’re not a psychopath is even harder than trying to prove you’re not mentally ill,’ said Tony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/trying-to-prove-you-re-not-a-psychopath-is-even-harder-than-trying-to/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“It may very well be that the frotteurist is a helpless victim in the clutches of his obsession, but it’s equally possible that he’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-may-very-well-be-that-the-frotteurist-is-a-helpless-victim-in-the/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“We are defining the boundaries of normality by tearing apart the people outside of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/we-are-defining-the-boundaries-of-normality-by-tearing-apart-the/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [My worryingly paradoxical thought process could be summarized thus: Thank God I don't believe in the secret rulers of the world. Imagine what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/my-worryingly-paradoxical-thought-process-could-be-summarized-thus/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Friends are the fruitcake of life - some nutty, some soaked in alcohol, some sweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/friends-are-the-fruitcake-of-life-some-nutty-some-soaked-in-alcohol/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“The consensus from the beginning was that only 1 percent of humans had it, but the chaos they caused was so far-reaching it could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/the-consensus-from-the-beginning-was-that-only-1-percent-of-humans/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“That's an incredibly depressing thought," I said "that if you're in a room and at one end lies madness and at the other end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/that-s-an-incredibly-depressing-thought-i-said-that-if-you-re-in-a/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [The world outside Twitter was great. I read books. I reconnected with people I knew from real life and met them for drinks in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/the-world-outside-twitter-was-great-i-read-books-i-reconnected-with/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“What a brilliant cover story. In a success-obsessed society like this one, what's the best rock to hide something under? It's the rock called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/what-a-brilliant-cover-story-in-a-success-obsessed-society-like-this/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Guy Savelli's role in the War on Terror began when half-a-dozen strangers, within days of one another, contacted him via e-mail and telephone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/guy-savelli-s-role-in-the-war-on-terror-began-when-half-a-dozen/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [My paranoia never ends, but I haven't been paranoid about being spied on my shadowy forces for some time now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/my-paranoia-never-ends-but-i-haven-t-been-paranoid-about-being-spied/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“It is an awful lot harder, Tony told me, to convince people you’re sane than it is to convince them you’re crazy. “I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-is-an-awful-lot-harder-tony-told-me-to-convince-people-you-re-sane/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [It is slightly chilling to realize there are rational, functional people up there employed to spot, nurture, and exploit those down here among us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-is-slightly-chilling-to-realize-there-are-rational-functional/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) [Explore all 209 Jon Ronson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) ## More Psychopath quotes > [Trying to prove you’re not a psychopath is even harder than trying to prove you’re not mentally ill,’ said Tony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/trying-to-prove-you-re-not-a-psychopath-is-even-harder-than-trying-to/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [I would hesitate to tell people to stop being kind or sympathetic to sociopath. But just like loyalty, some things that can be taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/i-would-hesitate-to-tell-people-to-stop-being-kind-or-sympathetic-to/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [“Nothing shows lack of conscience better than bold-faced lying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-shows-lack-of-conscience-better-than-bold-faced-lying/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [McCain might have suffered hardships in his life, but what had happened to him had nothing to do with his background or his color;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/mccain-might-have-suffered-hardships-in-his-life-but-what-had/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [“We’re used to the film versions of psychopaths. The clearly crazies. But most psychopaths are clever. They have to be. They know how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-penny/we-re-used-to-the-film-versions-of-psychopaths-the-clearly-crazies/) [Louise Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-penny/) > [It is not difficult to destroy Islam. Islam is the pumped up ego of a megalomaniac psychopath. Muhammad was a narcissist madman. Just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-sina/it-is-not-difficult-to-destroy-islam-islam-is-the-pumped-up-ego-of-a/) [Ali Sina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-sina/) > [“I'm not a psychopath, I'm a high-functioning sociopath. Do your research.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-moffat/i-m-not-a-psychopath-i-m-a-high-functioning-sociopath-do-your-research/) [Steven Moffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-moffat/) > [“Let’s take a quick look at what a psychopath is. Although the American Psychiatric Association (APA) no longer uses this term, much of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kirkconnell/let-s-take-a-quick-look-at-what-a-psychopath-is-although-the-american/) [Robert Kirkconnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kirkconnell/) > [Language and words for psychopaths are only word deep; there is no emotional colouring behind it. A psychopath can use a word like, ‘I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hare/language-and-words-for-psychopaths-are-only-word-deep-there-is-no/) [Robert D. Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hare/) > [Usually sociopaths will look down upon us for that very reason - that we're gullible. We're weak. One person told me that he thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/usually-sociopaths-will-look-down-upon-us-for-that-very-reason-that/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [It is the cult of self that is killing the United States. This cult has within it the classic traits of psychopaths: superficial charm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/it-is-the-cult-of-self-that-is-killing-the-united-states-this-cult/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [“Prisons are full of sociopaths and psychopaths, but when questioned, the imprisoned sociopath will honestly admit that they will commit any number of crimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanya-thompson/prisons-are-full-of-sociopaths-and-psychopaths-but-when-questioned/) [Tanya Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanya-thompson/) > [When someone like myself points out the rather obvious and compelling evidence that God is cruel and unjust, because he visits suffering on innocent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/when-someone-like-myself-points-out-the-rather-obvious-and-compelling/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Sociopaths are more complicated psychopaths; the difference between a sociopath and a psychopath is a sociopath is incredibly charming. There are a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-heusinger/sociopaths-are-more-complicated-psychopaths-the-difference-between-a/) [Patrick Heusinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-heusinger/) > [The show's writers had peppered the piece with words like "savage," "wild," and "animalistic." What bullshit. Show me the animal that kills for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/the-show-s-writers-had-peppered-the-piece-with-words-like-savage-wild/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) [Browse all 337 Psychopath quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychopath/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Justice departments and parole boards all over the world have accepted his contention that psychopaths are quite simply incurable and everyone should concentrate their energies instead on learning how to root them out using his PCL-R Checklist, which he has spent a lifetime refining. 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