@article{ref1,
title="Self-control and criminal opportunity: cross-sectional test of the general theory of crime",
journal="Criminal justice and behavior",
year="1998",
author="Turner, Susan and Longshore, Douglas",
volume="25",
number="1",
pages="81-98",
abstract="In this study, the authors tested two hypotheses drawn from the general theory of crime. The first hypothesis is that low self-control is a major individual-level cause of crime. The second, that the effect of self-control is contingent on criminal opportunity. The measure of self-control used was a 23-item self-report index. To measure criminal opportunity, two proxy variables were used: gender and crime-involved friends. Crime measures included number of criminal acts of force and number of criminal acts of fraud reported in a 6-month recall period by a sample of 522 criminal offenders. Self-control was lower among offenders reporting more crimes of force and fraud, but the variance explained by self-control was low in each case. The relationship between self-control and fraud crimes was contingent on criminal opportunity, but the relationship between self-control and force crimes was not. Implications of these findings for the general theory of crime are reviewed.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0093-8548",
doi="10.1177/0093854898025001005",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0093854898025001005"
}