SOP 214.04-att-2: TCU CTSFORM – Criminal Thinking Scales: Scales and Item Scoring Guide

SOP 214.04
Attachment 2

02/20/25
Page 1 of 2
# TCU CTSFORM – Criminal Thinking Scales _Scales and Item Scoring Guide_

Scoring Instructions . Items shown below from this assessment are _re-grouped by_
~~_scales_~~ ~~, and response c~~ ategories are 1=Strongly Disagree to 5=Strongly Agree. Scores
for _each scale_ are calculated as follows (and no more than half of the items for any
scale can be missing).

Find and reverse the scoring for _reflected items_ (i.e., those designated with ®) by –

a. subtracting the response value (1 to 5) for this item from

“6”, (e.g., if the response is “2”, the _revised_ score is “4”

[i.e., 6-2=4]),
2. Sum the response values of all non-missing items for each scale,
3. ~~Divide the sum of item re~~ sponses by the number of items included (yielding an average),
4. Multiply this average by 10 (in order to _rescale_ the score so it ranges from 10

~~to 50) (e.g., an averag~~ e response of “2.6” for a scale therefore becomes a
score of “26”).

A. Entitlement (EN)*

9. You have paid your dues in life and are justified in taking what you want.
22. You feel you are above the law.
23. It is okay to commit crime in order to pay for the things you need.
24. Society owes you a better life.
32. Your good behavior should allow you to be irresponsible sometimes.
33. It is okay to commit crime in order to live the life you deserve.

B. Justification (JU)*

7. You rationalize your actions with statements like

“Everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn’t I?”
11. When being asked about the motives for engaging in crime,

you point out how hard your life has been.
16. You find yourself blaming the victims of some of your crimes.
25. Breaking the law is no big deal as long as you do not physically harm someone.
26. You find yourself blaming society and external circumstances for the

problems in your life.
35. You justify the crimes you commit by telling yourself that if you

had not done it, someone else would have.

C. Power Orientation (PO)*

4. When people tell you what to do, you become aggressive.
10. When not in control of a situation, you feel the need to exert power over others.
13. You argue with others over relatively trivial matters.
14. If someone disrespects you then you have to straighten

them out, even if you have to get physical.
15. You like to be in control.
20. You think you have to pay back people who mess with you.
28. The only way to protect yourself is to be ready to fight.

Retention Schedule: This form shall be utilized per the scoring instructions until revised or obsolete.

TCU CTS-sg (1/11)

© Copyright 2011 TCU Institute of Behavioral Research, Fort Worth, Texas. All rights reserved.

SOP 214.04
Attachment 2

02/20/25
Page 2 of 2

D. Cold Heartedness (CH)

1. You get upset when you hear about someone who has lost everything

in a natural disaster. ®
6. Seeing someone cry makes you sad. ®
12. You are sometimes so moved by an experience that you feel emotions

you cannot describe. ®
17. You feel people are important to you. ®
27. You worry when a friend is having problems. ®

E. Criminal Rationalization (CN)

5. Anything can be fixed in court if you have the right connections.
8. Bankers, lawyers, and politicians get away with breaking the law every day.
18. This country’s justice system was designed to treat everyone equally. ®
19. Police do worse things than do the “criminals” they lock up.
30. It is unfair that you are locked-up when bankers, lawyers, and politicians

get away with their crimes.
34. Prosecutors often tell witnesses to lie in court.

F. Personal Irresponsibility (PI)

2. You are locked-up because you had a run of bad luck.
3. The real reason you are locked-up is because of your race.
21. Nothing you do here is going to make a difference in the way you are treated.
29. You are not to blame for everything you have done.
31. Laws are just a way to keep poor people down.
36. You may be a criminal, but your environment made you that way.

*A revised “Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS)” scale, taken from

Walters, G. D. (1998). _Changing lives of crime and drugs: Intervening with substance-_
_abusing offenders_ . New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Retention Schedule: This form shall be utilized per the scoring instructions until revised or obsolete.

TCU CTS-sg (1/11)

© Copyright 2011 TCU Institute of Behavioral Research, Fort Worth, Texas. All rights reserved.