RT Article
T1 Do Intensified Police Controls Change Perceptions of Apprehension Probability: A Field Experiment
JF Crime & delinquency
VO 66
IS 8
SP 1115
OP 1136
A1 Terpstra, Bo L.
A2 Velthoven, Ben van
A2 Wijck, Peter van
LA English
YR 2020
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1724806564
AB The perceived sanction risk is an essential element in the theory of deterrence to link criminal policy and criminal behavior. Previous research has not made clear how or even if individuals update their perceived sanction risk in response to changes in actual criminal policy. This study presents the first field experiment on the updating of the perceived probability of apprehension. On one location the police intensified moped traffic controls during a period of 6 months, while the control intensity on a comparable location remained unchanged. Difference-in-difference estimates reveal that the increased police activity caused an upward revision of the perceived probability of apprehension of offenses such as operating a mobile phone while driving or driving under the influence of alcohol.
K1 Deterrence
K1 Probability of apprehension
K1 Field experiment
K1 Perception
DO 10.1177/0011128719833354