Abstract
Building on an extension of self-control theory to criminal justice, the current study explored Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory with data from a sample of 208 male parolees selected from the midwestern United States. Ordered logit regression models linked offender low self-control to an array of outcomes, including social interactions with prison staff, correctional substance abuse, physical assaults against correctional staff, weapon carrying, placement in a disciplinary unit, infraction history, and retaliation against another inmate. Overall, the study demonstrated promising empirical links between low self-control and criminal justice noncompliance as one or both self-control measures (attitudinal Grasmick scale and 3-item disputatiousness scale) were significantly related to every criminal justice outcome net the effects of 20 controls for criminal career, demographic, social background and risk factors, and various correctional risk measures.
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