ADOLESCENT ATTITUDES TOWARD THE POLICE - A SURVEY OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS (FROM JUVENILE DELINQUENCY - LITTLE BROTHER GROWS UP, 1977 BY THEODORE N FERDINAND - SEE NCJ-44943)

• NCJ Number: 44947
• Author(s): L T WINFREE; C T GRIFFITHS
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 21 pages
• Corporate Author: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

JUVENILE ATTITUDES TOWARD THE POLICE ARE EXPLORED; INSIGHT INTO THE WAYS IN WHICH ADOLESCENTS FORM THEIR IMPRESSION OF THE POLICE IS PROVIDED BASED ON FINDINGS OBTAINED FROM SELF-REPORTING QUESTIONNAIRES.

Abstract

A SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED IN 1974 OF 869 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM SEATTLE, PORTLAND, SAN FRANCISCO, LOS ANGELES, AND SAN DIEGO AND FROM A RURAL WESTERN STATE. IT WAS FOUND THAT SEX, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, RESIDENCE PATTERN, AND MINORITY STATUS OF THE ADOLESCENT HAVE LITTLE EFFECT UPON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THEIR CONTACTS WITH THE POLICE, THEIR PRESTIGE RATINGS OF THE POLICEMAN'S JOB, OR THEIR ATTITUDES TOWARD THE POLICE. POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE CONTACTS WITH THE POLICE AND THE PRESTIGE RATINGS THEMSELVES, HOWEVER, APPEAR TO BE FAIRLY CRITICAL IN SHAPING ADOLESCENT ATTITUDES TOWARD THE POLICE. IN FACT, THE ELIMINATION OF THE VARIABLES OF SEX, MINORITY STATUS, RESIDENCE PATTERN, AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS FROM THE MODEL BARELY DECREASES THE AMOUNT OF VARIANCE EXPLAINED IN THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE. A REVISED MODEL REVEALED SEVERAL ADDITIONAL FINDINGS. THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE CONTACTS ARE ONLY WEAKLY ASSOCIATED. FIRST, IT APPEARS THAT HAVING NEGATIVE CONTACTS WITH THE POLICE DOES NOT PRECLUDE ONE FROM HAVING POSITIVE CONTACTS. SECOND, THE PRESTIGE RATINGS, WHILE EXHIBITING THE STRONGEST PATH WITH ATTITUDES TOWARD THE POLICE, ARE VIRTUALLY UNEXPLAINED BY THE CONTACT VARIABLES. ONLY 4 PERCENT OF THE VARIANCE IN THE PRESTIGE RATING VARIABLE IS ACCOUNTED FOR BY THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE CONTACTS WITH THE POLICE. A FINAL FINDING SUGGESTS THAT THE PATH BETWEEN NEGATIVE POLICE CONTACTS REPORTED AND ATTITUDES IS NEARLY TWICE THE SIZE AS THAT FOR POSITIVE POLICE CONTACTS AND ATTITUDES (-.27 VERSUS .15); IT APPEARS THAT NEGATIVE CONTACTS WITH THE POLICE, REGARDLESS OF THEIR ORIGIN, ARE ALMOST TWICE AS IMPORTANT IN DETERMINING JUVENILE ATTITUDES TOWARD THE POLICE AS POSITIVE CONTACTS. SUPPORTING DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED).