Skip to main content

ETHNOS_APP

Home • Search • Journals • List 0

The Empirical Status of Deterrence Theory

A Meta-Analysis

Bibliographic Data

ID20074701
AuthorsTravis C Pratt (0000-0002-2622-0656, Washington State University), Francis T Cullen (0000-0003-4975-915X, University of Cincinnati), Kristie R Blevins (University of North Carolina at Charlotte), Leah E Daigle (0000-0002-4879-1441, Georgia Southern University), TAMARA D MADENSEN (University of Nevada, Las Vegas)
Year2017
Pages367-395
Publication date2017-07-05
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeCHAPTER
VenueTaking Stock (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.4324/9781315130620-14
OpenAlexW2904296925
ISBN9781315130620
LanguageEN
Citations received95
References cited2

The literature on deterrence theory has undergone a number of changes in recent years. With the rise of new ways of thinking about rational decision-making and offending, four developments have changed the way criminologists view the deterrence perspective: the effectiveness of certain situational crime prevention strategies; the recognition of the importance of the "non-legal costs" of criminal behavior; the integration of deterrence theory with other criminological perspectives, such as social learning and self-control theories; and how the imposition of sanctions can actually lower individuals' perceived estimates of getting caught in the future, known as the "resetting effect". The body of "shaming" research points to the growing recognition of the complex effects that criminal sanctions have on individuals' future criminal behaviour. Even independent of shame, however, research has emerged indicating that individuals who have been punished end up being more inclined to commit future offenses than those who have not been punished

Criminology · Econometrics · Economics · Meta-analysis · Positive economics · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Medicine · Psychology · Internal Medicine

  • The Mediating Effect of Organizational Prestige on Extrinsic Rewards and Employee Retention

    Open Access•Lilian Anthonysamy, Christine Nya-Ling Tan et al.•SAGE Open•2025

  • Policing and Race

    Open Access•Kimberly Barsamian Kahn, Karin D Martins•Social Issues and Policy Review•2016

  • Elaborating the Individual Difference Component in Deterrence Theory

    Alex R Piquero, Raymond Paternoster et al.•Annual Review of Law and Social…•2011

  • Assessing Drug Prohibition and Its Alternatives

    Robert J Maccoun, Peter Reuter•Annual Review of Law and Social…•2011

  • Too early is too soon

    Open Access•Kevin A Wright, Jeffrey W Rosky•Criminology & Public Policy•2011

  • Behavioral criminology and public policy

    Open Access•Thomas A Loughran•Criminology & Public Policy•2019

  • Nudging and the choice architecture of offending decisions

    Open Access•Greg Pogarsky, Shaina Herman•Criminology & Public Policy•2019

  • Improving Civil Gang Injunctions

    Open Access•Karen M Hennigan, David C Sloane•Criminology & Public Policy•2013

  • Broken Windows or Window Dressing? Citizens'(in) Ability to Tell the Difference Between Disorder and Crime

    Open Access•Jacinta M Gau, Travis C Pratt•Criminology & Public Policy•2008

  • Modeling Sanction Choices on Fraudulent Benefit Exchanges in Public Service Delivery

    Open Access•Yushim Kim, Wei Zhong et al.•Journal of Artificial Societies…•2013

  • Toward a multidimensional model of legitimacy

    Florent Varet, Marie Pelé et al.•Psychology Public Policy and Law•2024

  • Legal issues for German-speaking cannabis growers. Results from an online survey

    Open Access•Bernd Werse•International Journal of Drug…•2016

  • Compliance under control

    Open Access•Brooke Mcwherter, Jonathan Bauchet et al.•Ecological Economics•2022

  • Trying Something Old

    Open Access•Lauren C Porter•Law & Social Inquiry•2012

  • A framework for understanding individual response to regulation

    Open Access•Geoff Kaine, Helen Murdoch et al.•Food Policy•2010

  • Understanding change and differential updating of risk perceptions associated with illicit substance use

    Open Access•Floris Van Veen, Simone Sattler et al.•Sociological Spectrum•2024

  • Learning from the Limitations of Deterrence Research

    Michael Tonry•Crime and Justice•2008

  • The Mostly Unintended Effects of Mandatory Penalties

    Michael Tonry•Crime and Justice•2009

  • Religiosity, Delinquency, and the Deterrent Effects of Informal Sanctions

    Andrew L Spivak, Miyuki Fukushima et al.•Deviant Behavior•2011

  • Which Source Possesses the Best Data on the Empirical Aspects of Criminal Events? A Theory of Opportunity and Necessary Conditions

    Scott Jacques•Deviant Behavior•2019

  • Low Self-Control, Perceived Likelihood of Apprehension, and Adolescent Delinquency

    Cashen M Boccio•Deviant Behavior•2025

  • Modeling Updating of Perceived Detection Risk

    Floris Van Veen, Simone Sattler et al.•Deviant Behavior•2020

  • Deterrence Perceptions, Self-Control Ability and the Moral Filter

    Open Access•Helmut Hirtenlehner, Heinz Leitgöb•Deviant Behavior•2024

  • Testing the Deterrent Effects of Personal and Vicarious Experience with Punishment and Punishment Avoidance

    Alicia H Sitren, Brandon K Applegate•Deviant Behavior•2007

  • Testing Deterrence Theory with Offenders

    Alicia H Sitren, Brandon K Applegate•Deviant Behavior•2012

  • On the Conditional Relevance of Controls

    Helmut Hirtenlehner, Beth Hardie•Deviant Behavior•2016

  • Evolution of Fraud-Related Theories

    Open Access•Fathimath Rasheed, Jamaliah Said et al.•Journal of Nusantara Studies…•2023

  • Rethinking Social Welfare Fraud from a Complex Adaptive Systems Perspective

    Open Access•Yushim Kim, Marouli et al.•Administration & Society•2018

  • Expected utility, self-control, morality, and criminal probability

    Open Access•Charles R Tittle, Olena Antonaccio et al.•Social Science Research•2010

  • Social Influences on Cyberbullying Behaviors Among Middle and High School Students

    Open Access•Sameer Hinduja, Justin W Patchin•Journal of Youth and Adolescence•2013

  • What works (or doesn't) in a DUI court? An example of expedited case processing

    Open Access•Jeffrey A Bouffard, Leana A Bouffard•Journal of Criminal Justice•2011

  • Revisiting the generality of rational choice theory

    Open Access•James V Ray, Thomas Baker et al.•Journal of Criminal Justice•2020

  • No change is a good change? Restrictive deterrence in illegal drug markets

    Open Access•Owen Gallupe, Martin Bouchard et al.•Journal of Criminal Justice•2011

  • Examining the stability and predictors of deterrability across multiple offense types within a sample of convicted felons

    Open Access•Jeffrey A Bouffard, Jeff A Bouffard et al.•Journal of Criminal Justice•2018

  • Advancing restrictive deterrence

    Open Access•Kim Moeller, H Copes et al.•Journal of Criminal Justice•2016

  • A partial assessment of South Carolina's Project Safe Neighborhoods strategy

    Open Access•J C Barnes, Megan C Kurlychek et al.•Journal of Criminal Justice•2010

  • Do school disciplinary policies have positive social impacts? Examining the attenuating effects of school policies on the relationship between personal and peer delinquency

    Open Access•G M Zimmerman, Carter Rees•Journal of Criminal Justice•2014

  • Assessing the perceived benefits—criminal offending relationship

    Open Access•Thomas Baker, Alex R Piquero•Journal of Criminal Justice•2010

  • Beeinflussen Sanktionsrisikoeinschätzungen das delinquente Handeln junger Menschen oder ist es umgekehrt

    Open Access•Daniel Seddig, Helmut Hirtenlehner et al.•KZfSS Kölner Zeitschrift für…•2017

  • Restrictive Deterrent Effects of a Warning Banner in an Attacked Computer System

    Open Access•David Maimon, Mariel Alper et al.•Criminology•2014

  • Testing a Bayesian Learning Theory of Deterrence Among Serious Juvenile Offenders

    Open Access•SHAMENA ANWAR, Thomas A Loughran•Criminology•2011

  • Supermax Incarceration and Recidivism

    Open Access•Daniel P Mears, William D Bales•Criminology•2009

  • The Victimization–termination Link

    Open Access•Scott Jacques, Richard Wright•Criminology•2008

  • Perceived arrest risk, psychic rewards, and offense specialization

    Open Access•Kyle J Thomas, Thomas A Loughran et al.•Criminology•2020

  • Prevention of Crime and Delinquency

    Open Access•Kristine Levan, David A Mackey•International Encyclopedia of the…•2015

  • Deterrence Theory

    Open Access•Mark C Stafford•International Encyclopedia of the…•2015

  • Compliance with the Law in Slovenia

    Open Access•Michael D Reisig, Justice Tankebe et al.•European Journal on Criminal…•2014

  • Sanctions, Perceptions, and Crime

    Open Access•R Apel•Journal of Quantitative Criminology•2013

  • The Impact of Psychological Science on Policing in the United States

    Open Access•T R Tyler, Phillip Atiba Goff et al.•Psychological Science in the…•2015

  • The criminogenic and psychological effects of police stops on adolescent black and Latino boys

    Open Access•Josefina Del Toro, Juan Del Toro et al.•Proceedings of the National…•2019

  • Cross-National Predictors of Crime

    Open Access•Amy E Nivette•Homicide Studies•2011

  • Cooperation With the Police Against Corruption

    Open Access•Justice Tankebe•The British Journal of Criminology•2019

  • Following the evidence-base or exacerbating harms? An autoethnography of a London metropolitan police officer

    Julia Ryland, Benjamin D Scher•Journal of Criminological…•2024

  • Установки приверженности масочному режиму российских респондентов в период пандемии Covid-19

    Open Access•М А Падун, С С Белова et al.•Психология. Журнал Высшей школы…•2021

  • Belief in the Code of the Street and Individual Involvement in Offending

    Open Access•Richard K Moule, B Fox•Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice•2021

  • Dramaturgical self-efficacy and opportunity structures for white-collar crime

    Open Access•Oskar Engdahl•Crime Law and Social Change•2022

  • Criminal Self-Efficacy and Perceptions of Risk and Reward among Women Methamphetamine Manufacturers

    Open Access•Jessica R Deitzer, Lindsay Leban et al.•Justice Quarterly•2022

  • First Things First

    Open Access•Tisha King•Journal of Business Ethics•2025

  • Relational and instrumental perspectives on compliance with the law among people experiencing homelessness

    Arabella Kyprianides, Ben Bradford et al.•Law and Human Behavior•2022

  • Individual Differences, Cost Perceptions, and Deterrence of Drunk Driving Among Samples of Incarcerated Individuals

    Open Access•Jeffrey A Bouffard, Alicia H Sitren•Crime & Delinquency•2025

  • Deterring the Drunk Driver

    Open Access•Richard J Stringer•Crime & Delinquency•2024

  • Retracted Article

    Open Access•Naqib Ullah Khan, Peng Zhongyi et al.•Humanities and Social Sciences…•2024

  • The Role of Cannabis Policies and Perceptions of Penalties on the Association Between Adolescent Social Bonds and Cannabis Use

    Kelsi Moscrop-Blake, Wanda E Leal•Substance Use & Misuse•2025

  • Rethinking cybercrime prevention in the age of the internet

    Open Access•Thomas J Holt, Kevin F Steinmetz•Crime Law and Social Change•2025

  • Identification Problems in Probabilistic Measures of Perceived Arrest Risk

    Open Access•Benjamin C Hamilton•Journal of Quantitative Criminology•2024

  • Die unklare Beziehung von Normakzeptanz und Sanktionsrisikobeurteilung. Gerechtigkeitsglaube oder moralfestigende Normverdeutlichung

    Open Access•Helmut Hirtenlehner•Zeitschrift für Rechtssoziologie•2022

  • To Punish or Not to Punish? The Impact of Tax Fraud Punishment on Observers’ Tax Compliance

    Open Access•Jonathan Farrar, Tisha King•Journal of Business Ethics•2023

  • A Classification System to Guide Treatment Needs for Juveniles Who Have Engaged in Abusive Sexual Behavior

    Open Access•Amanda Beltrani, Tamara Kang et al.•Criminal Justice and Behavior•2023

  • Strafschnelligkeit – die in der empirischen Forschung vernachlässigte Dimension der negativen Generalprävention Bisherige Evidenzen und neue Befunde

    Open Access•Helmut Hirtenlehner, Heinz Leitgöb•Monatsschrift für Kriminologie…•2024

  • Eine mikrosoziologisch inspirierte empirische Annäherung an die positive Generalprävention

    Open Access•Helmut Hirtenlehner, Jost Reinecke et al.•Monatsschrift für Kriminologie…•2023

  • Differenzielle Abschreckbarkeit als Evidenzgrundlage negativer Generalprävention – Eine Bestandsaufnahme der kriminologischen Wissensbasis

    Open Access•Helmut Hirtenlehner•Monatsschrift für Kriminologie…•2020

  • The Influence of Formal and Informal Sanctions on Offending

    Open Access•Amanda Heitkamp, Thomas J Mowen•Crime & Delinquency•2024

  • Do arrests (and killings) deter violent extremism? A comparative analysis

    Open Access•Michael Wolfowicz, Esther Salama•Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism…•2024

  • Morality, Rationality and Academic Dishonesty

    Open Access•John K Cochran•International Journal of…•2015

  • Beyond the Half‐Empty Glass

    Open Access•Kristy Holtfreter, Natasha Pusch et al.•Regulation & Governance•2025

  • Like aspirin for arthritis”

    Open Access•David Décary-Hétu, Camille Faubert et al.•Criminology & Public Policy•2023

  • Why do borrowers default on online loans? An inquiry of their psychology mechanism

    Open Access•Xiaolun Wang, Yunjie Xu et al.•Internet Research•2020

  • How Much Do We Really Know about Criminal Deterrence

    Raymond Paternoster•Deterrence•2019

  • Character, Circumstances, and Criminal Careers

    Per‐olof H Wikström, Per-Olof H Wikström et al.•Character, Circumstances, and…•2024

  • Modern Control Theory and the Limits of Criminal Justice

    Open Access•Michael R Gottfredson, Michael Gottfredson et al.•Modern Control Theory and the…•2019

  • Doing Justice, Preventing Crime

    Michael Tonry•Doing Justice, Preventing Crime•2020

  • Does the Modernization of Environmental Enforcement Reduce Toxic Releases? An Examination of Self-policing, Criminal Prosecutions, and Toxic Releases in the United States, 1988-2014

    Paul B Stretesky, M Lynch et al.•Sociological Spectrum•2017

  • Determinants of digital piracy using deterrence, social learning and neutralization perspectives

    Byung Lee, Byung Moo Lee et al.•International Journal of…•2019

  • State coercion, moral attitudes, and tax compliance

    Open Access•B G Robbins, Edgar Kiser•Social Science Research•2020

  • Mandatory minimum sentencing policies and cocaine use in the U.S., 1985–2013

    Open Access•Lauryn Saxe Walker, Briana Mezuk•BMC International Health and…•2018

  • The Empirical Status of Social Learning Theory

    Travis C Pratt, Francis T Cullen et al.•Justice Quarterly•2009

  • Revisiting Deterrence

    Open Access•Patricia G Erickson, Mark van der Maas et al.•Czech Sociological Review•2013

  • Mixed methods evaluation of a jail diversion program

    Open Access•Krista R Mehari, Savannah Morgan et al.•Journal of Community Psychology•2024

  • Decoupling Policy and Practice in the Fight Against Wildlife Smuggling

    Chang-Ryung Han, Hans Nelen•The British Journal of Criminology•2017

  • Arrests and convictions but not sentence length deter terrorism in 28 European Union member states

    Open Access•Michael Wolfowicz, Gian Maria Campedelli et al.•Nature Human Behaviour•2023

  • Do Criminalization Policies Impact Local Homelessness

    Open Access•Hannah Lebovits, Andrew Sullivan•Policy Studies Journal•2025

  • Compliance under distrust

    Open Access•Juan P Mendoza, Jacco L Wielhouwer•Journal of Public Administration…•2025

  • Rational Choice on a Hacker Forum

    Open Access•Danielle Stibbe, Stijn Ruiter et al.•Deviant Behavior•2025

  • Cinquante années d’étude du crime dans la revue Criminologie

    Open Access•Rémi Boivin, Rémi Boivin1•Criminologie•2018

  • The role of faculty in reducing academic dishonesty among engineering students

    Igor Chirikov, Evgeniia Shmeleva et al.•Studies in Higher Education•2020

Unique citing works95
Citations per year5
Citation span2007 - 2025 (19)
Citation velocityrecent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 51
Ethnos_APP • Open Source Project • MIT License • Frontend v2.0.0 • Privacy and Cookies • API Documentation: api.ethnos.app/docs • API Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17049435 • Frontend Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17050053 • cruz.rio.br • Expectantes Misericordiae