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Title: Self-Control Theory and the Concept of Opportunity: The Case For A More Systematic Union
Resulting in 1 citation.
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Hay, Carter Forrest, Walter |
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Self-Control Theory and the Concept of Opportunity: The Case For A More Systematic Union Criminology 46,4 (November 2008): 1039-1072. Also: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-9125.2008.00135.x/abstract Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79 Publisher: American Society of Criminology Keyword(s): Adolescent Behavior; Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Child Self-Administered Supplement (CSAS); Crime; Delinquency/Gang Activity; Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (HOME); Parent Supervision/Monitoring; Parent-Child Interaction; Parent-Child Relationship/Closeness; Parental Influences; Peers/Peer influence/Peer relations; Sociability/Socialization/Social Interaction Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher. The purpose of this study is to advance the idea that low self-control — one of the strongest known predictors of crime—likely has effects that are conditional on the supply of criminal opportunities. Some scholars initially interpreted the theory to make this exact prediction, but Gottfredson and Hirschi (2003) have rejected this interpretation. They have insisted that the simplistic nature of most crimes ensures that opportunities are limitless and that variation in opportunity simply reflects variation in self-control. We trace the history of this uncertain position of opportunity in self-control theory and argue that it should play a significant role in the theory, even if Gottfredson and Hirschi did not originally envision this. Next, we draw on routine activities theory and applications of it to individual offending to offer a theoretical statement of how opportunity should be incorporated into self-control theory. Last, using data from a national sample of juveniles, we test the arguments that have been made. The analysis suggests that the effects of low self-control on delinquency partially depend on the availability of criminal opportunities, as indicated by the time juveniles spend with their friends or away from the supervision of their parents. |
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Bibliography Citation
Hay, Carter and Walter Forrest. "Self-Control Theory and the Concept of Opportunity: The Case For A More Systematic Union." Criminology 46,4 (November 2008): 1039-1072.
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