Risk/Benefit Calculations, Moral Evaluations, and Alcohol Use: Exploring the Alcohol-Crime Connection

Abstract

This research explored whether alcohol consumption is related to social-psychological processes that occupy a central place in criminological theories. A quasi-experiment was conducted at college parties to examine the connections between alcohol consumption and moral definitions, risk calculations, and the perceived desirability of crime. Those who did not drink at the parties arrived with the highest perceptions of sanction risk. Preparty levels of moral definitions or perceived desirability of crime did not predict the amount of alcohol consumed. However, heavier drinking during the parties tempered moral condemnation of criminal acts, enhanced the desirability of criminal behavior, and relaxed perceptions of risk regarding crime.