Does the Perceived Risk of Punishment Deter Criminally Prone Individuals? Rational Choice, Self-Control, and Crime

• NCJ Number: 205799
• Journal: Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 41 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2004 Pages: 180-213
• Author(s): Bradley R. E. Wright; Avshalom Caspi; Terrie E. Moffitt; Ray Paternoster
• Date Published: May 2004
• Length: 34 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the effectiveness of criminal deterrence by testing the relationship between criminal propensity, perceived risk and cost of sanction, and criminal behavior.

Abstract

In general, society relies on a deterrence model to prevent criminal behavior; the formal and informal threat of punishment is used to prevent individuals from engaging in criminal activities. Given the wide reliance on a crime deterrence model and the vast resources spent on punishing offenders, more research should be conducted concerning whether threatened punishments do indeed deter would-be criminals. The current study utilized data from the Dunedin (New Zealand) Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, which involved a birth cohort of 1,002 individuals followed from birth through age 26. Psychological, medical, and sociological information, as well as self-reported delinquent and criminal offending behavior, were gathered as part of this study. The current analysis focused on three measures of criminal propensity (low self-control in childhood, low self-control in adolescence, and self-perceived criminality) and two measures of deterrence perceptions (“getting caught” and “social sanctions”). Results of multivariate analyses indicated that deterrence perceptions had the greatest influence on those study participants regarded as criminally prone. Thus, study members with low self-control and high self-perceived criminality were deterred from engaging in criminal behaviors when they viewed these behaviors as costly and risky. Results also revealed that when criminal propensity was very low, threatened punishments had little deterrent effect, supporting previous research contending that when other inhibitions against criminal behavior are strong, threatened punishments are irrelevant. Based on these findings, the authors propose an “interdependence” model of crime in which many social processes influence criminal behavior depending upon the personal psychological and biological characteristics of individuals. As such, any explanation of crime should address both the individual and the individual’s social situation; making the study of crime intrinsically social-psychological. Tables, figures, notes, references