NCJ Number
53495
Journal
American Journal of Community Psychology Volume: 5 Issue: 4 Dated: (DECEMBER 1977) Pages: 373-383
Date Published
1977
Length
11 pages
Annotation
THE ROLES OF ASSAULT AND ALCOHOL ABUSE IN INTERPERSONAL CONFLICTS IS EXAMINED IN THIS 1977 ARTICLE, USING DATA OBTAINED BY NORWALK, CONN., POLICE OFFICERS WHO RESPONDED TO 344 DISPUTES DURING FOUR MONTHS IN 1972.
Abstract
THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO TEST THE APPLICABILITY OF EARLIER STUDIES (BARD AND ZACKER, 1974; BARD, ZACKER, AND RUTTER, 1972) CONDUCTED IN INNER-CITY, LOW-INCOME AREAS TO A BROADER RANGE OF PEOPLE. BECAUSE OF ITS POPULATION (79,113 IN 1970), ECONOMIC DIVERSITY, RACIAL COMPOSITION (12.4 PERCENT NONWHITE), AND AGE DISTRIBUTION, NORWALK WAS CONSIDERED REPRESENTATIVE OF A LARGE NUMBER OF AMERICAN CITIES. DATA WAS OBTAINED BY TWO THIRDS OF THE POLICE OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO THE 4 P.M. TO 12 P.M. SHIFT (THE PERIOD IN WHICH MOST DISPUTES ARE REPORTED). OF THE 344 DISPUTES INVESTIGATED, 45 PERCENT OF THE PARTIES INVOLVED IN THE DISPUTE WERE RELATIVES, 10.5 PERCENT WERE FRIENDS, AND 21 PERCENT WERE NEIGHBORS. FINDINGS SHOWED THAT ASSAULTS DO NOT USUALLY PRECEDE THE ARRIVAL OF POLICE IN DISPUTES, RATHER POLICE ARE SUMMONED TO PREVENT DESTRUCTIVE ESCALATION OF THE CONFLICT. ASSAULTS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH CLOSENESS IN RELATIONSHIPS AND ARE RELATED MORE TO POVERTY THAN TO RACE. HOWEVER, ASSAULTS ARE AS LIKELY TO OCCUR IN MIDDLE-CLASS SMALL CITIES AS IN POOR INNER-CITY AREAS. DISPUTES ARE USUALLY NOT INFLUENCED BY ALCOHOL USE, AND ASSAULTIVENESS IS NOT RELATED TO ALCOHOL USE IN THESE DISPUTES. IN ADDITION, THIS STUDY SHOWS THAT POLICE OFFICERS AND SOCIAL SCIENTISTS CAN WORK EFFECTIVELY IN ADDRESSING MAJOR SOCIAL PROBLEMS. STATISTICAL TABLES AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (KCP)