About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

LOG IN
LOG IN


61 Crime & Delinquency 3 (2015)

handle is hein.journals/cadq61 and id is 1 raw text is: Article An Examination of the Interaction Between Morality and Deterrence in Offending: A Research Note Crime & Delinquency 2015, Vol. 61(1) 3-18 @ The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0011128713486068 cad.sagepub.com OSAGE Robert Svensson' Abstract This study examines whether deterrence and morality interact in the explanation of adolescent offending. On the basis of the Situational Action Theory, the author hypothesizes that deterrence is more effective in preventing offending among individuals with low levels of morality than among individuals with high levels of morality. To test this hypothesis, self- report data are used from a sample of young adolescents in Halmstad, Sweden (N = 891). The findings provide strong support for the hypothesis that the effect of deterrence (measured as the perceived risk of getting caught, that is, certainty) on offending is dependent on the individual's level of morality, indicating that deterrence has a significantly stronger effect on offending for individuals with low levels of morality than for individuals with higher levels of morality. Keywords deterrence, morality, interaction, adolescent offending, Situational Action Theory 'Malmo University, Sweden Corresponding Author: Robert Svensson, Department of Criminology, Malmo University, SE-205 06 Malma, Sweden. Email: robert.svensson@mah.se