Does Contact with the Justice System Influence Situational Action Theory's Causes of Crime? A Study of English and German Juveniles

To explore why system contact often has no crime-preventative effect, the current study examined effects of juvenile justice on Situational Action Theory's (SAT) causes crime, including personal morals, deviant peer associations, and detection risk perceptions. The analysis is based a sample English (Peterborough Adolescent Young Adult Development Study) German (Crime in modern City study) juveniles. Propensity score matching was applied to estimate whether lenient contacts influenced crime year after contact. treatment effect estimates are mostly insignificant relatively small. few significant suggest that official slightly increased associations decreased feelings moral guilt. Overall, findings may have as it does not (Germany), or only (England) affect SAT's crime. Previous studies, primarily U.S. data, reported more substantial operated crime-amplifying direction. It speculated less impact can be attributed overall lenient, diversion-oriented handling offenders.