NCJ Number
95638
Journal
American Journal of Police Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Dated: (Spring 1984) Pages: 229-263
Date Published
1984
Length
36 pages
Annotation
The essentials of Bentham's hedonistic calculus are reviewed, and its implications for the study of deterrence are examined by measuring 541 subjects' perceptions of deterrence in relation to marijuana use as well as vehicular speeding.
Abstract
Bentham's theory holds that although members of society share common interests which must be protected, not all individual members have these same interests. The Benthamite rationale suggests that differing perceptions of pain-pleasure must be accounted for in any measurement of deterrence and that a deterrent effect can logically be expected to occur only if the magnitude of perceived pain-in-punishment is greater than the pleasure expected from engaging in an illegal act. Techniques of perceptual survey analysis were used to operationalize Bentham's hedonistic calculus. In addition, several assumptions about the research variables were made; for example, it was assumed that subjects would correctly report the degree to which they were engaging in each illegal act (marjuana use and speeding). A survey instrument was administered to a stratified random sample of 579 subjects attending 2 campuses of a southeastern community college; this yielded responses from 541 subjects. The deterrent residual correctly reported and predicted the likelihood of engaging in both marijuana use and vehicular speeding. Two implications of the study are noted: first, deterrence and social control theory may be related along some conceptual continuum; and second, deterrence should remain a relevant area for innovative research. Two tables and 71 references are included.