Effects of Criminal Punishment on Perceived Threat of Punishment: Toward an Understanding of Specific Deterrence

This study examines the relationship between the experience of punishment for crime and the perceived threat of punishment. The study uses data from a survey of criminal offenders to test whether punishment is associated with levels of perceived threat. Punishment is found to be weakly associated with perceived threat for most offenders. Other factors, including educational attainment, beliefs about immunity from punishment, and persons' offense histories are strongly associated with threat perceptions. The implications of these findings for the study of deterrence and criminal recidivism are discussed.