The primary assessment tool for psychopathy is the Hare Psychopathy Checklist. Because psychopathy is conceptualized as a personality disorder with enduring traits, treatment should center on a risk-management approach, in which the offender improves his self-management skills and avoids high-risk situations in the community. The research on treatment effectiveness with psychopaths, and even the issue of whether psychopaths can be treated at all, remains unresolved. Like treatment programs for low-functioning offenders, treatment programs for psychopaths should recognize and compensate for these offenders' social and emotional deficits. 30 notes