Does Criminal Experience Affect a Person’s Perceptual Deterrence of Sanctions and Controlling Mechanisms in China?

Two notable gaps remain undressed in deterrence literature: (a) few studies on perceptual deterrence were conducted in non-Western societies, and (b) a lack of direct comparison between offenders and nonoffenders. This study investigated the perceived risk levels associated with different sanctions and controlling mechanisms and whether criminal experience affects one's perceived risk levels based on the data drawn from non-offenders and active offenders in China. The study found that most of both offenders and non-offenders either agreed or strongly agreed that capital punishment, imprisonment, and police patrol serve as powerful deterrents to crime. Findings showed that offenders exhibited higher levels of perceived deterrence; personal criminal experience is a significant predictor for the perceived deterrence of neighborhood watches only.