NCJ Number
92961
Date Published
1978
Length
74 pages
Annotation
This examination of the effect of college education on law enforcement students' attitudes toward rule of law failed to prove that education will produce more equitable enforcement of the law through proper use of discretionary power.
Abstract
Previous studies attempting to verify the positive impact of education on police attitudes and behavior have met with mixed results. This study administered an attitude questionnaire known as the Rule of Law scale developed by Snarr to all undergraduate law enforcement students at Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Ky., during the fall semester of 1975. Respondents also completed demographic questionnaires. The final sample of 668 cases consisted of 37 percent freshmen, 24 percent sophomores, 21 percent juniors, and 18 percent seniors. Of the group, 71 percent were male, 91 percent white, and 9 percent black. Students majoring in criminal justice comprised 94 percent. Zero-order analysis showed a negligible positive association between level of education and rule of law score, and additional tests revealed no association or a negligible negative association between these variables. A negligible positive association was found between the level of general education and the rule of law score. Controlling for police/nonpolice orientation provided differing directional tendencies which held for both law enforcement and general education. The nonpolice-oriented students displayed a very slight positive increase in their attitude toward the rule of law as their educational level increased, while the police-oriented students displayed the opposite tendency. Tables, 69 footnotes, approximately 30 references, and the questionnaires are supplied.