R . TITLE Sources of Deterrence : The Perceived Costs of Assault Versus

Recent panel studies of deterrence have reported little evidence that perceptions of legal sanctions promote deterrence. Yet those studies have consistently found that extralegal sanctions "inhibit" criminal involvement. Conclusions drawn from this line of research remain speculative, however, because they are guided by an unnecessarily narrow conception of deterrence, the distinction between legal and extralegal sanctions is unclear, and the analyses conducted gloss over some potentially relevant measurement distinctions. To address these issues, data from one wave of an ongoing national panel study of assaults between adult partners were used to assess the perceived costs associated with the perpetration of assaultive action and the perceived costs associated with being sanctioned (i.e., arrested) for such action. Based on results of the study, it was proposed that the costs seen as flowing from arrest, identified as attachment loss, social stigma, and self-stigma, should be considered part of the deterrence process. Judgments about how engaging in some illegal act might create costs in these three areas for perpetrators are seen as extralegal sources of control, not as part of deterrence. Future research might attempt to assess the controlling power of costs associated with actual and potential arrest for a variety of illegal acts. (Fourteen endnotes are included.) (Author/NB) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** Sources of Deterrence: The Perceived Costs of Assault Versus Arrest Richard Hawkins Department of Sociology Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 75275 Kirk R. Williams Department of Sociology/Anthropology and Family Research Laboratory University of New Hampshire Durham, NH 03824 U E DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Rellearch and Impmvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) his document has been reproduced u received from the person or organization originating it 0 Minor changes have been made improve reproduction duality Points of view or 00iniOnS mated thts document do not necessarily represent officio OEM position or policy "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)" An earlier draft of this paper was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Montreal, November, 1987. This research was supported by a grant from .he National Science Foundation, "Panel Survey of Deterrence Processes" (SES-8520232), principal investigators, Kirk R. Williams an.. Murray A. Straus.