ABSTRACT
This chapter examines a traditional deterrence framework as it applies to corporate offenders. It sets out the assumptions of the model, evaluate the empirical evidence, and weigh the strengths and weaknesses of this approach. The chapter explores formal deterrence by drawing on the rational choice perspective. Supplementing the formal and informal costs of punishment in our rational choice model of corporate crime are considerations of moral belief and the perceived legitimacy of the law. Moral beliefs refer to the extent to which persons perceive a particular criminal act to be morally offensive. Important contextual dimensions of the criminal event would be deliberately manipulated in these scenarios, and would provide a specific referent for queries regarding the certainty and severity of sanctions. With these scenarios, researchers would be able to examine the instantaneous relationship between key theoretical variables and self-reported intentions to commit a corporate offense.
