The compensatory effects of inner and outer controls

Abstract

Internal and external controls have been firmly established as factors restraining criminal activity, but surprisingly little is known about their concrete interplay. Inspired by recent theoretical developments, such as Situational Action Theory or the life-course model of interdependence, this work addresses the question whether the crime-reducing impact of outer controls is conditioned by the level of inner controls. Analyses of a student survey from Slovenia reveal that external regulatory mechanisms exercise a greater effect when internal restraints decrease in size. This finding points to a compensatory relationship between controls located in different domains. Inner and outer controls may substitute for one another to a certain extent.

Deterrence and the Moral Context: Is the Impact of Perceived Sanction Risk Dependent on Best Friends’ Moral Beliefs?

“…Inspired by evidence that external and internal control tend to substitute for one another (Hirtenlehner & Mesko, 2019), we furthermore think that both outer and inner controls become influential as soon as a permeable moral filter enables the perception of crime as a viable action alternative. Hence, we do not agree with the proposition that the impact of deterrence is limited to the combination of weak personal and strong contextual morality.…”

“…Besides self-control, personal morals have received most attention as potential moderator of an individual's responsiveness to deterrent cues (e.g., Gallupe & Baron, 2014;Hirtenlehner & Hardie, 2016;Hirtenlehner & Mesko, 2019;Kroneberg et al, 2010;Pauwels et al, 2011;Piquero et al, 2016;Svensson, 2015, Wenzel, 2004. A slight majority of the relevant studies show that perceived sanction risk is more consequential among those of weak morality.…”

“…For our purposes, evidence regarding a dependency of deterrent effects on moral factors is particularly instructive. With a view to the role of an individual's own law-relevant morality, several studies show that perceived sanction risk exerts a greater influence on the level of criminal activity among individuals with weak personal morality (Hirtenlehner & Hardie, 2016;Hirtenlehner & Mesko, 2019;Kroneberg et al, 2010;Svensson, 2015;Wenzel, 2004). The underlying argument normally is that those who have not internalized a society's moral rules are more likely to consider crime for action, which renders deterrence relevant as a potentially restraining force.…”

Differential Self-control Effects: Moral Filtering and the Subsidiary Relevance of Self-control

“…Our position is that both internal and external controls become important as soon as either a crime-conducive personal morality or an antisocial moral context (or both) weaken the moral filter, plainly because having crime on the radar demands for controls to counteract its attractiveness. Compatible with this perspective, empirical research has established a complementary working of internal and external controls: outer regulatory forces seem to exert a greater effect when inner restraints are weak and vice versa (Agnew, 2003;Gerich, 2014;Hirtenlehner & Mesko, 2019;Wright et al, 2001). Findings of this kind suggest that different types of control may substitute for one another.…”

“…In line with the original formulation of the principle of the conditional relevance of controls, several studies show that perceived sanction risk exerts a greater influence on offending among individuals holding crime-encouraging moral beliefs (Hirtenlehner & Hardie, 2016;Hirtenlehner & Mesko, 2019;Kroneberg et al, 2010;Svensson, 2015). Whether the size of the sanction risk effect depends also on the nature of the moral context has received less empirical attention.…”