Citation

Van Vugt E, Gibbs J, Stams GJ, Bijleveld C, Hendriks J, van der Laan P. Int. J. Offender Ther. Comp. Criminol. 2011; 55(8): 1234-1250.

Affiliation

1University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0306624X11396441

PMID

22114168

Abstract

A meta-analysis of 19 studies (N = 15,992 offenders) showed a significant inverse relation between more mature moral development and recidivism. Moderator analyses revealed a larger effect size for moral cognition (r = .20) than for moral emotion (r = .11). Effect sizes for production measures (r = .57) were much larger than for recognition measures (r = .16) and unstructured (clinical) judgment (r = .10). Larger effect sizes were found for female delinquents (r = .32) than for male delinquents (r = .21). Only small differences in effect sizes were found between juvenile delinquents (r = .10) and adult delinquents (r = .16). Finally, self-report measures of recidivism revealed much larger effect sizes (r = .32) than official reports of recidivism (r = .09). The discussion focuses on the theoretical and practical meaning of the magnitude of the effect size for the relation between moral development and recidivism.

Language: en