Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Access Criminology and Criminal Justice journals now

Click here to sign up for SAGE Journal Email Alerts today!

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by McCarthy, J. G.
Right arrow Articles by Stewart, A. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by McCarthy, J. G.
Right arrow Articles by Stewart, A. L.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Neutralisation as a Process of Graduated Desensitisation: Moral Values of Offenders

Jennifer G. McCarthy

School of Justice Administration, Griffith University, Queensland 4111, Australia

Anna L. Stewart

School of Justice Administration, Griffith University, Queensland 4111, Australia, A.Stewart{at}mailbox.gu.edu.au

This study explored neutralization as a process of graduated desensitization, providing a theoretical link between the opposing tenets of neutralisation theory and the subcultural theory of criminal behaviour Participants were 95 adult male offenders who were categorised according to type of offence (personal or property) and level of offending involvement (low or high). Offenders' excuse acceptance and offence approval were examined for S offence situations. The results indicated offenders' excuse acceptance varied as a function of their level of involvement in crime. Specifically, for property offence situations, low-involvement property offenders reported higher excuse acceptance than did high-involvement property offenders, whereas for personal offence situations, low-involvement personal offenders reported higher excuse acceptance than did high-involvement personal offenders. This finding partially supported the graduated desensitization hypothesis, providing an empirical link between neutralisation and the subcultural theory of criminal behaviour

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Vol. 42, No. 4, 278-290 (1998)
DOI: 10.1177/0306624X9804200402
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 European Journal of CriminologyHome page
G. Froggio, N. Zamaro, and M. Lori
Exploring the Relationship between Strain and Some Neutralization Techniques
European Journal of Criminology, January 1, 2009; 6(1): 73 - 88.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Criminal Justice and BehaviorHome page
I. Cechaviciute and D. T. Kenny
The Relationship Between Neutralizations and Perceived Delinquent Labeling on Criminal History in Young Offenders Serving Community Orders
Criminal Justice and Behavior, June 1, 2007; 34(6): 816 - 829.
[Abstract] [PDF]