NCJ Number
98429
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1985) Pages: 37-58
Date Published
1985
Length
22 pages
Annotation
Self-reported data on the commission of shoplifting, drug use, and theft were analyzed in relation to the subjects' perceived probabilities of arrest for approximately 3,000 French-speaking teenagers of the Montreal (Canada) school population in 1974.
Abstract
In addition to the effect of the subjects' perceptions of the probability of arrest for the three crimes, age, sex, and previous arrest record were also considered. A multivariate log-linear probability model was estimated to test hypotheses regarding the direction and magnitude of bivariate associations among the variables. Evidence was found of a negative association between subjects' perceptions of the probability of arrest for each crime and the frequency of commission of that crime. The perceptions of the probability of arrest for one type of crime were also found to deter the commission of the other two types, holding constant the direct effects. The appendix contains the self-report questionnaire. Tabular study data are provided, and 44 references are listed. (Author abstract modified)