The study was prompted by recognition that perceptual deterrence research is limited by its use of samples with high stakes in conformity and its failure to examine the relationships among the threat of legal sanctions, informal social sanctions, and internalized norms. Some previous results have suggested that the perceived certainty of legal sanctions deters crime, little is known about the perceptions of inner-city teenagers responsible for a disproportionate amount of recorded crime. Data for the present research were collected through a self-report questionnaire completed by 298 students in grades 9-12 in 7 high schools in a large northeastern city. Results revealed that the risk of arrest was not related to self-reported delinquency, even at the bivariate level. In addition, multivariate analyses indicated that peers, adult models, and the severity of parents' punishment were the significant predictors of behavior. The results also supported the hypothesis that internalized norms mediate the impact of social sanctions associated with delinquency. Tables, figure, notes, and 67 references (Author abstract modified)