Risk-seeking and the time delay to punishment as a function of crime type

This study examined subgroups of criminal offenders based on three crime-type categories: first-degree murderers, second-degree murderers and non-violent offenders. Ninety-nine male African-Americans from a medium security correctional institution (25 first-degree murders, 23 second-degree murders and 51 non-violent offenders) served as subjects. All subjects read four vignettes in which the main character committed an act that could lead to punishment. Subjects were required to indicate on a visual analogue scale how likely it was that the main character in the story would engage in a punishable behavior if the punishment was: (a) immediate and certain; (b) delayed and certain; (c) immediate and probabilistic (p = 0.5) or (d) delayed and probabilistic. Mean values of the responses for each crime type indicated that non-violent offenders were more likely than first- or second-degree murderers to engage in a punishable behavior. These mean values also suggest that non-violent offenders discount punishment at lower rates. A discriminant analysis indicated that a combination of six variables predicted group membership. A trait describing a materialistic risk taker distinguished non-violent offenders from the other two groups.