Integrating Celerity, Impulsivity, and Extralegal Sanction Threats Into a Model of General Deterrence: Theory and Evidence

• NCJ Number: 191997
• Journal: Criminology Volume: 39 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2001 Pages: 865-892
• Author(s): Daniel S. Nagin; Greg Pogarsky
• Date Published: November 2001
• Length: 28 pages
• Grant Number(s): SES-9911370
• Sponsoring Agency: National Science Foundation
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study integrated extralegal consequences from conviction and impulsivity into the traditional deterrence framework involving certainty, severity, and swiftness of sanctions.

Abstract

The study tested the model with 252 University of Arizona students, who completed a survey concerning drinking and driving. Results revealed that variation in the certainty and severity of sanctions predicted offending, variation in swiftness did not. The extralegal consequences from conviction appeared to be at least as great a deterrent as the legal consequences. Moreover, the influence of sanction severity diminished with an individual’s present-orientation. Furthermore, the certainty of punishment was a far more robust deterrent to offending than was the severity of punishment. Findings suggested the desirability of further research and indicated the usefulness of integrating core decision making concepts into a deterrence model to generate a better-informed theory and more sensible policies. Tables, figure, footnotes, and 46 references (Author abstract modified)