Deterrence and Amplification of Juvenile Delinquency by Police Contact: The Importance of Gender and Risk-Orientation

• NCJ Number: 121823
• Journal: British Journal of Criminology Volume: 29 Issue: 4 Dated: (Autumn 1989) Pages: 336-352
• Author(s): C Keane; A R Gills; J Hagan
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 17 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom
• Note: Earlier version of this paper presented at the annual meeting of the Canadian Association of Sociology and Anthropology, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1986

Annotation

The relationship between deviance and control is examined with attention to both deterrence theory, suggesting that the relationship is negative, and societal reaction arguments, viewing it as positive since control may amplify rather than deter deviance.

Abstract

Analysis reveals that both viewpoints are credible. Females may be more susceptible to deterrence because of a risk aversive tendency, while amplification effects are more likely in males, because of an inclination to take risks. A sample of 835 adolescents from four high schools in the Toronto (Ontario) area are analysed focusing on contact with the police as a measure of control and marijuana use as an indicator of deviance. Responses to a structured questionnaire analysed using LISREL support the deterrence argument for females, where marijuana use is a direct predictor of contact with the police and that contact is a negative predictor of marijuana use. The amplification argument is supported for males, where the effect of police contact on marijuana use is positive. When taste for risk is controlled, the gender differences are eliminated. 8 tables, 48 references. (Author abstract modified)