NCJ Number
184087
Journal
Women and Criminal Justice Volume: 11 Issue: 2 Dated: 2000 Pages: 15-44
Editor(s)
Donna C. Hale
Date Published
2000
Length
30 pages
Annotation
Both gender and religion were treated as theoretical constructs in this research study to improve current understanding of factors that may influence attitudes and possibly the decision making of juvenile justice personnel in Iowa.
Abstract
The study sample consisted of juvenile court personnel (juvenile court probation officers, public defenders, prosecutors, and judges) from five urban county court jurisdictions in Iowa and correctional staff from juvenile training schools located in more rural settings. Each respondent was administered a self-report survey during the summer of 1992 or 1994. The total sample for the study included 264 juvenile justice personnel, 41 percent of whom were female. Study questions focused on the relationships between gender and fundamentalist beliefs and attitudes toward correctional orientations. Findings revealed both gender and adherence to biblical literalness and the interrelationship between the two predicted retributive and diversionary attitudes. Associations, however, were not as consistent as predicted and were more complex than portrayed by previous research. Contrary to expectations, findings did not support the belief that males would favor more punitive orientations than females. 59 references, 5 notes, and 6 tables