SELF-CONTROL AND CRIMINAL OPPORTUNITY - CROSS-SECTIONAL TEST OF THE GENERAL-THEORY OF CRIME

In this study, the authors tested two hypotheses drawn from the genera l 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 sel f-control used was a 23-item self-report index. To measure criminal op portunity, two proxy variables were used: gender and crime-involved fr iends. Crime measures included number of criminal acts of force and nu mber of criminal acts of fraud reported in a 6-month recall period by a sample of 522 criminal offenders. Self-control was lower among offen ders reporting more crimes of force and fraud, but the variance explai ned by self-control was low in each case. The relationship between sel f-control and fraud crimes was contingent on criminal opportunity, but the relationship between self-control and force crimes was not. Impli cations of these findings for the general theory of crime are reviewed .