Bonding to Bamboo: A Social Control Explanation of Chinese Crime

Michael A. Cretacci

SUNY-Buffalo State, United States of America / Jianghan University Law School, China

Craig Rivera

Niagara University, United States of America

Yandong Gao

Zhejiang University, Guanghua Law School, China

Liu Zheng

Hainan University Law School, China

Abstract:

The primary purpose of this study was to ascertain whether an expanded version of Hirschi's social bond, which included several peer related measures, could serve as a partial explanation of general, property, and violent crime, among Chinese university students. Utilizing data randomly collected from two major Chinese institutions, in two geographically disparate regions of Mainland China, we included traditional measures of parental and school attachment, school commitment, and belief. However, in an attempt to begin discussion regarding the impact of different types of peer variables in an international setting, we also included conventional peer attachment, delinquent peer attachment, number of religious peers, and peer commitment. We also included a number of demographic and behavioral controls which included age, gender, residential location, smoking, sexual activity, and alcohol consumption. Results indicated that parental and school attachment predicted a lower likelihood of involvement in general crime, while delinquent peer attachment predicted higher levels.

Keyword:

Social Bond, Social Control, China, Crime, Delinquency.