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The Paradoxical Impact of Criminal Sanctions: Some Microstructural Findings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2024

Sheldon Ekland-Olson ,
John Lieb  and
Louis Zurcher
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Abstract

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Field data from a longitudinal study of drug dealing reveal the importance of interpersonal networks in determining the impact of criminal sanctions. The level of perceived sanction severity was in large measure dependent on the degree of disruption created in interpersonal relations and on the resilience of these relations in adapting to the sanctioning process. Perceived certainty of sanctions was likewise dependent on characteristics of interpersonal interactions. Perceived certainty and severity of sanctions combined to define the level of fear. Sanction-induced fear increased network density and closure. These network properties were largely responsible for the paradoxical impact of sanctions. The relevance of these findings for deterrence research is noted throughout.

Type
Research Article
Information
Law & Society Review , Volume 18 , Issue 2 , 1984 , pp. 159 - 178
Copyright
Copyright © 1984 by The Law and Society Association

Footnotes

*

This research was supported in part by a grant from the Hogg Foundation, University of Texas, Austin. Suggestions from Richard Lempert and an anonymous reviewer have helped clarify our argument. We are grateful for both the support and the suggestions.

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