NCJ Number
150590
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 11 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1994) Pages: 281-312
Date Published
1994
Length
32 pages
Annotation
Using two-wave survey data from students at a large State university, this study examined the effects of factors taken from social learning theory and social control theory on perceptions of the risk of formal sanction related to courtship violence.
Abstract
Results revealed that these factors had more influence on the perceived certainty of sanctions than on the perceived severity of sanctions, as well as more influence on the perceived certainty of arrest than on the perception that the police simply would be summoned to the scene. The analysis also compared the responses of males and females. Findings revealed that females perceptions of the certainty of arrest were lower than males¦ perceptions. For males, the prior use of violence was related to a lower perceived certainly. Also, males who were more strongly attached to parents and peers had higher perceptions of severity of sanctions than did other males. In both genders, moral beliefs significantly influenced the perceived certainty of arrest. The results are consistent with the need to increase the credibility of criminal justice intervention and support current proactive strategies such as educational programs on dating violence. Tables, footnotes, appended survey instrument and table, and 75 references