DELINQUENT'S PERCEPTIONS OF SELF AND JUDGE PRIOR TO AND FOLLOWING JUVENILE COURT HEARINGS

• NCJ Number: 48549
• Journal: Quarterly Volume: 34 Issue: 4 - V 35, N 1 Dated: (DECEMBER 1977 - MARCH 1978) Pages: 19-27
• Author(s): P J WERRELL
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 9 pages
• Corporate Author: Pennsylvania Assoc on Probation, Parole & Correction
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN TO EXAMINE DIFFERENCES IN THE FEELINGS AND ATTITUDES -- BY AGE, SOCIOECONOMIC CLASS, AND HISTORY -- OF JUVENILES PRIOR TO AND FOLLOWING THE JUVENILE COURT HEARING.

Abstract

THE POPULATION CONSISTED OF 33 BOYS WHO APPEARED BEFORE A SINGLE JUDGE ON DELINQUENCY PETITIONS. OF THESE JUVENILES, 22 WERE FIRST OFFENDERS AND 11 HAD AT LEAST 1 PREVIOUS COURT APPEARENCE; 13 WERE BETWEEN 13 AND 15 YEARS OLD AND 20 WERE BETWEEN 16 AND 17; ALTHOUGH 16 FELL IN THE LOWER CLASS RANGE, 17 WERE CLASSIFIED AS MIDDLE OR UPPER CLASS. A SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL DESIGNED TO ASSESS ATTITUDES TOWARD AND PERCEPTIONS OF BOTH THE SELF AND THE JUDGE WAS ADMINISTERED TO EACH SUBJECT IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AGAIN AFTER HIS HEARING. ALTHOUGH FEW STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND, A NUMBER OF INTERESTING TRENDS USEFUL TO JUVENILE JUSTICE PROFESSIONALS ARE NOTED. ALTHOUGH RECIDIVISTS TEND TO EVALUATE THEMSELVES SOMEWHAT HIGHER THAN FIRST OFFENDERS PRIOR TO THE HEARING, FIRST OFFENDERS TEND TO EVALUATE THEMSELVES SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER AFTER THE HEARING THAN DO RECIDIVISTS. COMPARED TO FIRST OFFENDERS, RECIDIVISTS TEND TO VIEW THEMSELVES AS MORE POTENT AFTER THE HEARING. RATINGS OF THE POTENCY OF THE JUDGE TEND TO BE QUITE SIMILAR FOR BOTH GROUPS, BUT RECIDIVISTS LEVY SIGNIFICANTLY MORE BLAME ON THE JUDGE FOR HARSH TREATMENT THAN DO FIRST OFFENDERS. LOWER CLASS OFFENDERS TEND TO EVALUATE THEMSELVES HIGHER PRIOR TO THE HEARING, WHILE MIDDLE AND UPPER CLASS OFFENDERS EVALUATE THEMSELVES MORE HIGHLY AFTER THE HEARING. THE LOWER CLASS OFFENDER TENDED TO SEE HIMSELF AS SLIGHTLY LESS POTENT AFTER THE HEARING THAN DID THE MIDDLE AND UPPER CLASS OFFENDERS. LOWER CLASS SUBJECTS ALSO SHOWED A TENDENCY TO EVALUATE THE JUDGE HIGHER BEFORE THE HEARING THAN DID MIDDLE AND UPPER CLASS SUBJECTS WHO TENDED TO EVALUATE THE JUDGE MORE HIGHLY AFTER. IT WAS ALSO FOUND THAT YOUNGER BOYS TENDED TO VIEW THEMSELVES MORE POSITIVELY BUT AS LESS POTENT BOTH PRIOR TO AND FOLLOWING THE HEARING THAN DID THEIR OLDER COUNTERPARTS. YOUNGER BOYS ALSO TENDED TO EVALUATE THE JUDGE MORE HIGHLY BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER THE HEARING THAN DID OLDER BOYS. POSSIBLE REASONS FOR THESE DIFFERENCES ARE BRIEFLY DISCUSSED. A GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED.