Date of Graduation

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts in Criminology

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Sociology and Criminology

Advisor/Mentor

Ham, Lindsay S.

Committee Member

Agnton, Alexia

Second Committee Member

Scaptura, Maria Nicole

Third Committee Member

Brown, Lucy M.

Abstract

Introduction: The present study focuses on how shame and guilt can be used as a deterrent for substance use and substance-related crime recidivism. This research is significant because of on-going alcohol and other drug crime recidivism in the United States. About 68% of drug-involved offenders have been found to recidivate within three years of their release from prison. Understanding how guilt and shame affect one's drug use and crime recidivism is important in recovery. This study was influenced by Braithwaite's theory of reintegrative shaming: using shame and guilt as the specific deterrent for recidivism. Methods: Based on this theory, I developed vignettes to manipulate feelings of shame and guilt in the participant as a function of the degree to which the crime was publicly known versus private. Four vignettes are included: 2 drunk-driving (private and public) and 2 driving under the influence of marijuana (private and public), all of which were first piloted with students and experts. After the participant read their randomly assigned vignette, they were asked questions regarding their levels of shame and guilt (5-point scale), and likelihood to use the substance and likelihood to engage in the behavior again (7-point scale). I hypothesized that (H1) elevated levels of shame and guilt would be correlated with lower levels of likelihood to use and likelihood to engage in the behavior again, (H2) public factors would induce more shame than would private factors, and private factors would produce more guilt than public factors, and (H3) public factors would cause decreased likelihood to use and to engage in the behavior again than would private factors. Results: Shame and guilt were negatively correlated with the likelihood to engage in the behavior again (ps < .001), but not likelihood to use the substance again. Public and private factors did not have significant main effects on levels of shame and guilt, and they were not significantly different across substance type conditions. There was no significant main effect on public and privacy factors on the likelihood to use again or the likelihood to engage in the behavior again. There were significant main effects of the substance type on the likelihood to use again across conditions, F (1,303) = 13.778, p< .001. Conclusion: Results do not fully support the hypotheses or Braithwaite’s theory. However, future research can continue to understand how these results may differ among individuals with more severe drug-related crimes and use, and among other populations who have interacted with the criminal justice system (i.e., drug court participants, incarcerated adults).

Keywords

Shame; Guilt; Reintegrative Shaming; Recidivism; Intoxicated Driving; Vignettes

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