Effectiveness of interventions for violent behaviour may be undermined by the presence of neurocognitive impairment, which is known to be common among alcohol and other drug (AOD) users and violent offenders. The current study aimed to examine whether the cognitive functioning of individuals with AOD histories presenting to a specialist addiction neuropsychology service differed according to their offending history (i.e. non-offending, non-violent offending and violent offending), using a retrospective case file audit design. Data were extracted from 190 clients. Tests assessed a breadth of cognitive domains. Violent offenders demonstrated the lowest premorbid IQ out of the three groups, and a significantly higher proportion of violent offenders presented with impaired divided attention and impaired cognitive inhibition compared to non-violent offenders. Rates of impairment across groups were well beyond those expected within the general population. Delivery of both AOD and violence interventions should be adapted to accommodate individuals’ cognitive difficulties.

神经认知障碍的存在可能会削弱暴力行为干预措施的有效性，众所周知，神经认知障碍在酒精和其他药物 (AOD) 使用者和暴力犯罪者中很常见。目前的研究旨在使用回顾性案例档案审计设计，检查具有 AOD 历史的个人向专业成瘾神经心理学服务提出的认知功能是否根据他们的犯罪历史（即非犯罪、非暴力犯罪和暴力犯罪）而有所不同. 数据来自 190 个客户。测试评估了广泛的认知领域。暴力犯罪者在三组中表现出最低的病前智商，与非暴力犯罪者相比，有明显更高比例的暴力犯罪者表现出注意力分散和认知抑制受损。各组的损伤率远远超出一般人群的预期。AOD 和暴力干预措施的实施应适应个人的认知困难。