U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Self-Reported Intentions to Offend: All Talk and No Action?

NCJ Number
241646
Journal
American Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 37 Issue: 4 Dated: Winter 2012 Pages: 523-543
Author(s)
M. Lyn Exum; Michael G. Turner; Jennifer L. Hartman
Date Published
2012
Length
21 pages
Annotation
To study criminal decisionmaking, researchers commonly present hypothetical offending scenarios to participants and record their self-reported intentions to offend (SRIO).
Abstract
To study criminal decisionmaking, researchers commonly present hypothetical offending scenarios to participants and record their self-reported intentions to offend (SRIO). These SRIO scores are treated as an indicator of participants' predisposition to commit the act described in the scenario. Drawing from the field of clinical measurement, the current study examines the diagnostic accuracy of SRIO scores by comparing participants' intentions to acquire illegal music files from a designated distributor to their actual attempts to acquire such files. Approximately 7 percent of participants who read about a (bogus) music piracy opportunity reported strongand at times definitiveintentions to seek out the illegal files. However, in actuality, no one in the study engaged in this behavior. Clinimetric indicators suggest that SRIO scores are better at predicting abstention from crime than actual criminal participation. Abstract published by arrangement with Springer.