TREATMENT OF DELINQUENT YOUTH - THE INFLUENCE OF THE JUVENILE PROBATION OFFICER'S PERCEPTIONS OF SELF AND WORK

• NCJ Number: 66014
• Journal: Criminology Volume: 17 Issue: 4 Dated: (FEBRUARY 1980) Pages: 505-514
• Author(s): E A ANDERSON; G B SPANIER
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 10 pages
• Corporate Author: American Soc of Criminology
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE RELATIVE INFLUENCES OF THE JUVENILE PROBATION OFFICER'S PERCEPTIONS OF SELF AND WORK ON HIS/HER OPINIONS OF DELINQUENCY AND DECISIONS MADE REGARDING JUVENILES ARE EXAMINED.

Abstract

AN UNDERSTANDING OF DELINQUENCY REQUIRES AN EXAMINATION OF DECISIONS MADE BY PERSONS IN THE JUVENILE SYSTEM WHO LABEL YOUTH AS DELINQUENT. THIS STUDY EXAMINES WHETHER RECOMMENDATIONS BY JUVENILE PROBATION OFFICERS HAVE BEEN INFLUENCED BY THE OFFICERS' PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR WORK AND THEMSELVES. BIVARIATE CORRELATION AND MULTIPLE REGRESSION WERE THE PRIMARY METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS. THE SUBJECTS WERE ALL FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME JUVENILE PROBATION OFFICERS WORKING IN A PENNSYLVANIA JUVENILE PROBATION OFFICE DURING FEBRUARY, 1975. QUESTIONNAIRES WERE SELF-ADMINISTERED. OF SOME 390 QUESTIONNAIRES SENT TO 66 DEPARTMENTS, 276 WERE RETURNED. AFTER ELIMINATION OF INCOMPLETE QUESTIONNAIRES, 182 MALES AND 73 FEMALES (A 65 PERCENT COMPLETION RATE) WERE LEFT FOR ANALYSIS. THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE, TREATMENT AND SERVICE ROLE, WITH PRONOUNCED THERAPEUTIC AND REHABILITATIVE ELEMENTS, WAS OPERATIONALIZED WITH A TREATMENT-SERVICE INDEX. RESPONDENTS WERE ASKED TO INDICATE THE FUNCTIONS PERCEIVED TO BE OF GREATEST AND LEAST IMPORTANCE IN THEIR JOBS. THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE, LABELING JUVENILE ACTS DELINQUENT, WAS OPERATIONALIZED BY ASKING RESPONDENTS TO DECIDE WHETHER CERTAIN DESCRIBED ACTS SHOULD BE LABELED DELINQUENT. THE VARIABLE, JUVENILE DELINQUENT CHARACTERISTICS, WAS OPERATIONALIZED WITH A DELINQUENT CHARACTERISTIC INDEX. RECOMMENDATIONS WHICH ARE REHABILITATIVE IN NATURE WERE OPERATIONALIZED THROUGH THE USE OF A LIST OF POSSIBLE DISPOSITIONS. AS PREDICTED, JUVENILE PROBATION OFFICERS WHO PERCEIVE THEIR MAJOR ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES TO BE TREATMENT AND SERVICE ARE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS LIKELY TO LABEL ACTS DELINQUENT THAN THOSE OFFICERS WHO PERCEIVE THEIR MAJOR ROLE TO BE RECOMMENDING LEGAL DISPOSITIONS. THE PROPOSED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE JUVENILE PROBATION OFFICER'S PERCEPTION OF HIS/HER ROLE AND REACTION TO JUVENILE CHARACTERISTICS WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT. FURTHER RESEARCH SHOULD BE DONE TO IDENTIFY VARIABLES WHICH HAVE A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON AN OFFICER'S COMMITMENT TO TREATMENT AND SERVICE. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)