Deterrence dynamics and gender: Extending the deterrence/rational choice model

Traditional studies of deterrence and rational choice processes included "formal" or "legal" sanctions (i.e., arrest, conviction, and incarceration) meant to influence the likelihood of whether people will engage in criminal or deviant acts. More recent studies include these formal sanctions as well as a limited range of "informal" or "extra-legal" sanctions which also appear to have some influence on decisions to participate, or not participate, in criminal or deviant behavior. Informal sanctions typically incorporated in studies of deterrence and rational choice processes include shame (or self-stigma), embarrassment, attachment costs, commitment costs, material rewards, and loss of respect of significant others. Recent research on emotional states suggest that affective responses to the commission of crimes may also affect people's likelihood of offending. However, the existing literature of rational choice models of offending is devoid of studies which integrate formal, informal, and affective costs and/or benefits. Also, very little research has been done which addresses gender differences in the rational choice processes. The female inmate population is the fastest growing population in the U.S. correctional system. This is especially true in the Mississippi prison system, where the female inmate population is expected to increase three-fold between 1996 and 2006, and where the average length of stay for female inmates is expected to increase by more than fifty percent during this same decade. Because of these increases, more attention must be given to this unique population by researchers, particularly in the area of deterrence. Results from a survey of 726 incarcerated offenders (363 males and 363 females) in a Mississippi Correctional facility explore the effect of formal, informal, and affective reinforcers on inmates' self-reported likelihood of re-offending after release. Results contribute to the eventual development of a more comprehensive, integrated model of rational choice that includes a variety of costs and benefits, and offer support for the consideration of gender differences in deterrence and rational choice models.