COMPARING SWEDISH ADOLESCENTS’ CRIMINAL INTENTIONS AND ACTUAL CRIMINAL BEHAVIOURS: DO THEY CORRESPOND? -A TEST OF THE SITUATIONAL ACTION THEORY

Abstract: It is of importance to direct resources to prevention since crime is costly both for the offender, possible victims and of society and its citizens at large. In general, prevention programs and the types of interventions are not well understood. It is therefore of necessity to find and study potential causal mechanisms that could aid and enable better preventive measures. This study investigates such mechanisms by testing one of the key aspects of the Situational Action Theory: the perception-choice process. This study relies on data gathered within the frames of Malmö Individual and Neighbourhood Development study (MINDS). Through scenario research and self-reported crime data the correspondence between criminal intentions and actual criminal behaviours are investigated. Relevant personal and situational characteristics are examined in order to provide insights about crime propensity and the role of motivation and controls in intended and actual action outcomes. The result show that Swedish adolescents’ criminal intentions correspond with self-reported actual criminal behaviours to a large extent. The result further indicates clear tendencies of correspondence between level of propensity and prevalence of criminal intentions and actual criminal behaviours.