Potential for crime and knowledge of legal sanctions

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2152030
AutoresKirk R Williams (University of Memphis), Maynard L Erickson (University of Arizona)
Año1981
Volumen2
Número3
Páginas287-304
Fecha de publicación1981-04-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaDeviant Behavior (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0163-9625 • E-ISSN: 1521-0456
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01639625.1981.9967557
OpenAlexW2097384769
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas27

The importance of knowledge of legal sanctions for deterrence is debatable, but the debate can be resolved only through exploratory research on the subject Using survey data, this research compares individuals in terms of the degree to which they accurately perceive statutory maximum prison sentences for 19 types of crimes. Contrary to expectations, evidence that high‐potential offenders perceived statutory maximums significantly more accurately than low‐potential offenders is rather limited, with most respondents unaware of maximum prison sentences. The empirical results also show that respondents apparently derive their perceptual estimates of the maximums from shared beliefs about what ought to be done to criminal offenders, not knowledge of what actually can be done to them, as indicated by the significant relationships between individual perceptions of maximum prison sentences and individual preferences for those sentences. The implications of those findings for developing and testing a theory of deterrence are discussed

Criminology · Deterrence (psychology · Exploratory research · Perception · Political science · Prison · Sanctions · Social science · Sociology · Statutory law · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Law · Psychology · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending · Social Psychology