Citation

Keane C, Gillis AR, Hagan J. Br. J. Criminol. 1989; 29(4): 336-352.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1989, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, Publisher Oxford University Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This research examines the relationship between deviance and control. Deterrence theory suggests that the relationship is negative, but societal reaction arguments view it as positive, since control may amplify rather than deter deviance. We suggest that both viewpoints are credible. Females may be more susceptible to deterrence because of a tendency to be risk aversive, while amplification effects are more likely with males, because they are more inclined to take risks. The analysis focuses on contact with the police as a measure of control and marijuana use as an indicator of deviance among a sample of 835 adolescents from four high schools in the Toronto area, using LISREL to analyse their responses to a structured questionnaire. The data show that among females, marijuana use is a direct predictor of contact with the police, and that contact with the police is a negative predictor of marijuana use, supporting a deterrence argument. For males, the feedback effect of police contact on marijuana use is positive, supporting the amplification argument. Controlling for taste for risk largely eliminates these gender differences, suggesting that the former intervenes between gender and its impact on the effect of contact with the police.