The Influence of Perceived Criminal Sanctions and Moral Disengagement on the Intention to Commit Corruption

Misnan Aljawi, Rahmayanti Rahmayanti, Ishak Ali Muda

Abstract


Corruption is a crime that has serious impacts on governance and public trust, requiring an approach that integrates both legal and psychological perspectives. This study aims to analyze the effects of perceived criminal sanctions and moral disengagement on the intention to commit corruption. The research employed a quantitative approach with an explanatory research design using a cross-sectional survey. Data were collected through Likert-scale questionnaires measuring perceived criminal sanctions, moral disengagement, and the intention to commit corruption. The research instruments met the validity and reliability criteria, with Cronbach's Alpha values exceeding 0.70. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics through multiple linear regression or Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), depending on the characteristics of the data. The findings indicate that perceived criminal sanctions reduce the intention to commit corruption, whereas moral disengagement increases such intentions, and both variables simultaneously have a significant effect on corruptive intentions. This study concludes that corruption prevention should be strengthened through the enhancement of integrity, moral self-regulation, and anti-corruption education supported by a legal psychology approach. The findings are expected to serve as a basis for developing evidence-based corruption prevention policies in Indonesia.


Keywords


perceived criminal punishment, moral disengagement, corruption intention, legal psychology, corruption prevention.

Full Text:

PDF

References


Abraham, J., Suleeman, J., & Takwin, B. (2023). Moral disengagement and corruption behavior: A systematic review of psychological mechanisms underlying corruption. Journal of Financial Crime, 30(4), 1123–1138.

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211.

Bandura, A. (1999). Moral disengagement in the perpetration of inhumanities. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 3(3), 193–209.

Detert, J. R., Treviño, L. K., & Sweitzer, V. L. (2008). Moral disengagement in ethical decision making: A study of antecedents and outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(2), 374–391.

Gorsira, M., Denkers, A., & Huisman, W. (2018). Both sides of the coin: Motives for corruption among public officials and business employees. Journal of Business Ethics, 151(1), 179–194.

Kish-Gephart, J. J., Harrison, D. A., & Treviño, L. K. (2010). Bad apples, bad cases, and bad barrels: Meta-analytic evidence about sources of unethical decisions at work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(1), 1–31.

Luo, A., & Bussey, K. (2023). Moral disengagement and antisocial behavior: A meta-analysis. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 71, 101875.

Nagin, D. S. (2013). Deterrence in the twenty-first century. Crime and Justice, 42(1), 199–263.

Piquero, A. R., Jennings, W. G., & Farrington, D. P. (2011). On the malleability of self-control: Theoretical and policy implications regarding a general theory of crime. Justice Quarterly, 27(6), 803–834.

Pratt, T. C., Cullen, F. T., Sellers, C. S., Thomas Winfree Jr., L., Madensen, T. D., Daigle, L. E., Fearn, N. E., & Gau, J. M. (2010). The empirical status of deterrence theory: A meta-analysis. Taking Stock: The Status of Criminological Theory, Advances in Criminological Theory, 15, 367–395.

Rabl, T., & Kühlmann, T. M. (2008). Understanding corruption in organizations: Development and empirical assessment of an action model. Journal of Business Ethics, 82(2), 477–495.

Treviño, L. K., den Nieuwenboer, N. A., & Kish-Gephart, J. J. (2014). (Un)ethical behavior in organizations. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 635–660.

Weißmüller, K. S., & Zuber, C. I. (2023). Understanding corruption in the public sector: A systematic review of behavioral and institutional determinants. Public Administration Review, 83(5), 1184–1201.

Welsh, B. C., & Farrington, D. P. (2014). Effects of closed-circuit television surveillance on crime. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 10(1), 1–72.

Zahra, S. A., Priem, R. L., & Rasheed, A. A. (2005). The antecedents and consequences of top management fraud. Journal of Management, 31(6), 803–828.

Transparency International. (2024). Corruption Perceptions Index 2024. Transparency International Research Report.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2023). Global Report on Corruption and Economic Crime. Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.58836/jpma.v17i2.30929

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

 

Creative Commons License

Jurnal Penelitian Medan Agama

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.