Low Self Control as a Source of Cumulative Disadvantage: A Mediation Analysis

• In Event: Poster Session 2

Abstract

Most research examining self-control focuses on its development, stability, and direct association with crime. By testing the ninth proposition of Pratt’s self-control/life-course theory of offending, the current study engages in a more thorough investigation into the nature of its relationship with crime by considering selection into marital statuses as a mediator. The analysis used a sample (n = 121) of federally sentenced offenders from Ontario, Canada. Results indicated that the hypothesized causal model was inconsistent with the dataset, the mediation pathway being non-significant and trivial in magnitude. These null findings may stem from various methodological limitations, such as the data being cross-sectional, and the reliability of the dependent variable's measurement. Most pressingly, the theories under investigation contend that marriage promotes desistance, something incarcerated people may be less capable of. Further, the nature of their romantic relationships may qualitatively differ from those outside of prison. Future research should look at more theoretically relevant populations and address the current study's methodological constraints to provide more definitive evidence for or against Pratt’s integrated theory.

Author

• Jonah Nielsen, Simon Fraser University