Suchergebnisse

The core hypothesis of deterrence theory--that the rate of law violation is inversely related to the threat of legal punishment--has not been integrated with other crime & deviance perspectives; the proven deterrence has not been linked with SE/demographic categories of the population. Such a relationship is observed in data of self-reports of speed law violations of 187 adults drawn in a random survey of a Midwest city. Two simple models are offered & tested to bring the relationship to zero. Both these models utilize the deterrence hypothesis: the first holds that a perceived punishment threat operates as an intervening variable; the relationship between the SE/demographic variable & frequency of violation should be reduced substantially by controlling for the perceived risk of being apprehended & punished. The second model states that the effect (ie, regression coefficient) of perceived risk of punishment on frequency of violation should be considerably smaller among individuals with the SE/demographic characteristic associated with high frequency of violation. Questions are raised which cannot be answered entirely within the confines of deterrence theory, therefore, results are discussed within the conceptual frameworks of both labeling & differential association perspectives. Using the data as an illustration & to formulate hypotheses for future research, deterrence theory & those discussed here, should be approached as complementary models rather than be viewed as conflicting explanations. 1 Table. Modified Authors' Summary.