Mapping the theoretical pathways from police contact to criminal behavior: a scoping review

Many studies aim to evaluate and explain how and when police contact leads to offending. However, research on this topic is diffuse, drawing from different theoretical frameworks, which has consequently produced many possible mechanisms explaining this association. The current study therefore aims to provide a starting point for organizing the literature on police contact and criminal behavior in order to highlight potential points for theoretical competition, integration, and testing. Specifically, we conducted a systematic scoping review (N = 95 studies) of all quantitative studies that have tested this relationship and assessed the theoretical frameworks used, measurement of key concepts, mediators and moderators, as well as methodological quality. Our results found that studies were primarily based on four major theoretical frameworks: procedural justice theory, strain theory, labeling theory and deterrence theory, with little integration or competition between them. The broad variety in measurements and the relatively small number of studies that were able to adequately address threats to internal validity demonstrated the difficulty in drawing conclusions about the strength of a given theory and where the weight of the evidence lies. We further discuss the need for the development of clear and falsifiable hypotheses, standardization of measurement, and attention to causal inference designs.