Forensic Psychology & Criminology

A cross-disciplinary method within the framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB, Ajzen & Fishbein, 2005) and the motivators of crime identified by Agnew (1995) was  utilised to propose a model of adolescent criminal intentions, namely the Intention to Transgress (ITT) model. The aim was to develop a new approach that would inform a school based crime prevention intervention. A survey of 512 youths attending South Australian high schools or detained in a youth detention facility, aged 15-18, allowed an empirical test of the hypothesised ITT model, using three criminal activities of drug taking, fighting and stealing. Using structural equation modelling, the ITT model was found to consistently fit the drug taking, fighting and stealing data, suggesting that transgressional attitudes, subjective norms, perceived control and negative affect are important proximal factors related to adolescents’ drug taking, stealing and fighting intentions. However, the model showed that moral norms and reputation enhancement played more of a distal role. It is argued that proximal elements should be the focus of adolescent crime prevention interventions.