THE SUBJECTS WERE FROM SMALL TOWNS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, INCLUDING THREE WITH PRIMARILY BLUE-COLLAR POPULATIONS AND ONE WITH A UNIVERSITY-DOMINATED, WHITE-COLLAR POPULATION. ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS' RESPONSES TO A QUESTIONNAIRE (NOT INCLUDED) SHOWS THAT YOUTHS WHO HAD BEEN APPREHENDED FOR SHOPLIFTING BY STORE PERSONNEL OR BY THEIR PARENTS WERE MORE LIKELY THAN UNAPPREHENDED SHOPLIFTERS TO CONTINUE SHOPLIFTING AND WERE ALSO MORE LIKELY TO HAVE A DEVIANT SELF-CONCEPT (TO REGARD THEMSELVES AS TROUBLEMAKERS). YOUTHS WHO WERE EXPOSED TO POLICE CONTACT DURING APPREHENSION REPORTED MORE SUBSEQUENT SHOPLIFTING THAN DID YOUTHS WHO WERE HANDLED BY STORE PERSONNEL ALONE. THERE WAS NO RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN APPREHENSION AND REPORTED FEAR OF ANTISHOPLIFTING DEVICES (MIRRORS, CAMERAS, ETC.) USED BY STORES. THE RESPONSE PATTERNS ARE NOT STRONG, BUT MOST ARE IN THE DIRECTION PREDICTED BY LABELING THEORY. THE STRONGEST PATTERNS ARE FOUND FOR FEMALES, WHO APPEAR TO BE MORE VULNERABLE THAN MALES TO LABELING EFFECTS. THE FINDINGS ALSO CAST SUBSTANTIAL DOUBT ON DETERRENCE THEORY. SUPPORTING DATA AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (LKM)