NCJ Number
215190
Journal
Criminal Justice Studies Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2006 Pages: 209-222
Date Published
June 2006
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study explored the attitudes of police officers regarding the academic study of criminology and criminal justice.
Abstract
Overall, results revealed no significant differences in the responses regarding knowledge-based questions by police officers who had attained a degree in criminology/criminal justice (CRCJ respondents) and those who did not attain a degree in criminology/criminal justice (non-CRCJ respondents). In general, however, CRCJ respondents were more likely than non-CRCJ respondents to hold positive attitudes of criminology and criminal justice courses. CRCJ respondents were more likely to believe a Bachelor’s degree in criminology/criminal justice is marketable in today’s job market but were also more likely to agree that criminology and criminal justice courses teach academic-related topics to the exclusion of practical training. The findings hold implication for criminology and criminal justice professors who may consider adding course materials relevant to community policing and problem solving to make the course content more salient to criminal justice careers. Participants were 114 commissioned officers of a North Texas police department who completed self-administered questionnaires measuring their knowledge, attitudes, and perceived utility of the criminology/criminal justice academic field of study. The analysis focused on comparing the responses of CRCJ respondents and non-CRCJ respondents using two-tailed t-test analyses. Future research should continue to examine the perception of criminal justice practitioners towards the study of criminology and criminal justice in institutions of higher learning. Tables, references