Does the perceived risk of punishment deter criminally prone individuals? Rational choice, self-control, and crime

Society's efforts to deter crime with punishment may be ineffective because those individuals most prone to commit crime often act impulsively, with little thought for the future, and so they may be unmoved by the threat of later punishment. Deterrence messages they receive, therefore, may fall...

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Bibliographic Details
Contributors: Wright, Bradley R. Enter (Other) ; Caspi, Avshalom (Other) ; Moffitt, Terrie E. (Other) ; Paternoster, Raymond (Other) ; Paternoster, Raymond 1952-2017
Format: Electronic/Print Article
Language:English
Published: 2004
In: Journal of research in crime and delinquency
Year: 2004, Volume: 41, Issue: 2, Pages: 180-213
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
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Availability in Tübingen:Present in Tübingen.
IFK: In: Z 31
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Keywords:
Abschreckungstheorie
Entdeckungsrisiko
Kosten
Kriminalität
Kriminalitätsneigung
Sozialisation
Täterpersönlichkeit
Description
Summary:Society's efforts to deter crime with punishment may be ineffective because those individuals most prone to commit crime often act impulsively, with little thought for the future, and so they may be unmoved by the threat of later punishment. Deterrence messages they receive, therefore, may fall on deaf ears. This article examines this issue by testing the relationship between criminal propensity, perceived risks and costs of punishment, and criminal behavior. The authors analyzed data from the Dunedin New Zealand Study, a longitudinal study of individuals from birth through age26N = 1,002. They found that in fact, deterrence perceptions had their greatest impact on criminally prone study members
ISSN:0022-4278
DOI:10.1177/0022427803260263