@article{ref1,
title="The interaction between self-control and perceived sanction risk: an analysis from the viewpoint of different theories",
journal="Criminal justice review",
year="2020",
author="Hirtenlehner, Helmut",
volume="45",
number="1",
pages="104-128",
abstract="The present article studies the interplay of self-control and perceived sanction risk in crime causation. Several hypotheses are formulated. The General Theory of Crime suggests that sanction certainty effects are greater for individuals of high self-control. Their inability to devote thought to the negative long-term consequences of their behavior renders persons characterized by low self-control immune to the risk of formal punishment. From Situational Action Theory (SAT), it follows that sanction certainty effects are larger for persons with low self-control ability. Individuals with a poor capacity for self-control will more often feel tempted to engage in criminal behavior, which brings perceived sanction risk into play as a potential deterrent. The theory's emphasis on the moral filter as a determinant of the nature of the perceived action alternatives implies additionally that the self-control/deterrence interaction may be stronger for those holding weak law-consistent moral beliefs. The various hypotheses are tested using longitudinal data from the British Peterborough Adolescent and Young Adult Development Study. <br><br>RESULTS provide more support for the propositions derived from SAT. An individual's level of self-control conditions the impact of perceived sanction risk, with sanction certainty estimates being most influential among adolescents of low self-control. There is also some indication of a three-way interaction according to which the observed interplay of self-control and deterrence is most pronounced among persons characterized by weak morality.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0734-0168",
doi="10.1177/0734016819876347",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0734016819876347"
}