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Views of Formal and Informal Crime Control and Their Correlates in China

University of Toledo, Ohio

Eric G. Lambert

Wayne State University, Detroit, MI

For thousands of years, traditional China relied on a morality-based system of informal, socially enforced control. After its 1978 economic reforms, China embraced a more Western model of social control, based on laws and enforced by official governmental controlling organizations. However, few studies have examined correlates of formal and informal social control in a quantitative manner. This study analyzed data from 109 purposively selected residents in Hubei province and found that increased mobility was related to a belief that formal control was more effective. Collectivism was inversely related to the attitude that formal sanctions are a powerful deterrent to crime. Finally, satisfaction with police was positively related both to the belief in the deterrent value of formal sanctions and of informal sanctions.

Key Words: informal social control • formal social control • China

International Criminal Justice Review, Vol. 19, No. 1, 5-24 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1057567708331001


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