Variables of the criminal deterrence theory: An examination of gain.

摘要

For over 4,000 years, governments have been using punishment for social control. In recent centuries, the mechanics of that approach were explained by utilitarianism. In the 1800s, the most noted criminologist of England completely dismissed the gain side of the decision equation as beyond government control. Only recently, a few studies examining the criminal deterrence theory acknowledged the gain side of foundational utilitarian thinking. That gain was operationalized in terms of money alone. This study empirically surveyed convicted burglars and robbers between the ages of 18 and 25 years seeking to determine if money characterized their perceived gain from their crimes. Fun, power, pride, respect, and revenge were also included as an option for their selection. For this sample, money was not the only perceived gain. All of the other gain variables were both statistically and substantively present in the thought processes of many of the surveyed criminals.