Citation

Cuervo K, Villanueva L, Born M, Gavray C. Psychiatry Psychol. Law. 2018; 25(1): 72-85.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Law, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13218719.2017.1347935

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Situational action theory (SAT) has emphasized the interaction between individual and social influences on youth crime involvement. In this study, attitudes towards violence, self-control and perception of neighbourhood are tested in order to determine to what extent they predict versatility in violent and non-violent offences. In order to attain this goal, 2309 Belgian youths aged from 12 to 18 years were administered the Self-report Delinquency Questionnaire. When the offences are divided into violent and non-violent versatilities, the results show differences in the factors that predict delinquency; whereas attitudes towards violence and self-control predict all type of offences, the perception of neighbourhood is only a predictive factor for non-violent offences. External and internal factors need to be included in order to predict the widest range of criminal versatility, since committing a crime involves making choices that depend on the perceived alternatives.

Keywords: Juvenile justice

Language: en

Keywords

crime; neighbourhood; self-control; self-reported delinquency; situational action theory; versatility, violent/non-violent offences