Such an approach can answer significant questions about the importance of legal sanctions relative to other variables. In this research, a three-variable inhibitory model suggested by Grasmich and Green (1980) was tested using panel data from a large sample of adolescents. Internalized normative constraint was found to be the strongest predictor of subsequent delinquency. However, perceptions of the risk of both formal and informal sanctions add significantly to the model's explanatory power. Interaction effects were noted that suggest sanction threats may have a compensatory effect where internal constraints are weak. (Publisher abstract)