NCJ Number
92446
Journal
Social Forces Volume: 62 Issue: 2 Dated: (December 1983) Pages: 359-374
Date Published
1983
Length
16 pages
Annotation
In the recent controversy concerning the ralationship between social class and criminality, the distinction between the more serious offenses included in the Uniform Crime Reports and the less serious offenses included in self-report research has emerged as a crucial issue.
Abstract
Only one previous study has been reported which uses the self-report method to examine the relationship between SES and involvement in less serious offenses among adults, and that study suggests that the relationship is positive. In the present research, we draw on deterrence theory to account for such a positive relationship. Our first hypothesis predicts that high SES persons perceive a lower certainty of legal punishment for committing these offenses, a hypothesis consistent with radical criminology, which in turn explains their greater involvement. The second hypothesis, linked to the concept of marginal utility, proposes that high SES persons are less deterred by the threat of legal punishment for these offenses. Our survey of a random sample of 353 adults provides support for both hypotheses. (Publisher abstract)