Neutralisation as a Process of Graduated Desensitisation: Moral Values of Offenders

This study explored neutralisation as a process of graduated desensitisation providing a theoretical link between the opposing tenets of neutralisation theory and the subcultural theory of criminal behaviour. Participants were 95 adult male offenders who were categorised according to type of offending (personal and property) and level of offending involvement (low and high). Offenders’ excuse acceptance and offence approval were examined for five offence situations. The results indicated offenders’ excuse acceptance varied as a function of their level of involvement in crime. Specifically, for property offence situations, low involvement property offenders reported higher excuse acceptance than high involvement property offenders, while for personal offence situations, low personal offenders reported higher excuse acceptance than high involvement personal offenders. This finding partially supported the graduated desensitisation hypothesis providing an empirical link between neutralisation and the subcultural theory of criminal behaviour.