NCJ Number
19326
Date Published
1973
Length
117 pages
Annotation
AN ASSESSMENT OF NINE POLICE-SCHOOL LIAISON PROGRAMS IN TERMS OF THEIR IMPACT ON ATTITUDES HELD BY STUDENTS TOWARDS POLICE AND THEIR IMPACT ON JUVENILE DELINQUENCY.
Abstract
ALTHOUGH THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF SCHOOL LIAISON PROGRAMS IS TO PREVENT JUVENILE DELINQUENCY, THE AUTHORS WERE NOT ABLE TO EVALUATE THE PROGRAMS ON THIS BASIS BECAUSE THE DATA ARE INADEQUATELY COLLECTED AND ASSEMBLED. THEIR ONLY RECOURSE WAS TO ADMINISTER ATTITUDE SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES TO STUDENTS WHOSE SCHOOLS HAD LIAISON OFFICER PROGRAMS AND TO A CONTROL GROUP OF STUDENTS. THE PORTUNE ATTITUDE TOWARD POLICE SCALE AND THE BOUMA-WILLIAMS PERCEPTION OF POLICE PREJUDICE SCALE WERE THE INSTRUMENTS EMPLOYED. DATA REGARDING ATTITUDES WERE GENERALLY INCONCLUSIVE. ATTITUDES OF EIGHTH, TENTH, AND ELEVENTH GRADE BOYS WERE GENERALLY BETTER IN LIAISON SCHOOLS THAN IN SCHOOLS WITH NO PROGRAMS (BUT THE DATA FOR TENTH AND ELEVENTH GRADE BOYS CAME FROM ONLY ONE SCHOOL). ATTITUDES OF GIRLS WERE GENERALLY BETTER THAN BOYS, BUT THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GIRLS IN LIAISON SCHOOLS AND THE CONTROL GROUP OF GIRLS. OFFICERS WHO SAW THEIR ROLE AS A PREVENTATIVE ONE GENERALLY INCULCATED BETTER ATTITUDES THAN THOSE WHO CONCENTRATED ON LAW ENFORCEMENT. RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ARE OFFERED TO FACILITATE DATA COLLECTION AND TO MEASURE PROGRAM OBJECTIVES MORE ACCURATELY.