NCJ Number
73827
Date Published
1980
Length
44 pages
Annotation
Criminal justice as an academic discipline was evaluated by surveying the professional level of its educators, ranking selected publications, and examining the relationship between professional level and journal productivity.
Abstract
Criminal justice programs on the university level have dramatically increased over the last 15 years, but have not gained acceptance from the traditional academic disciplines. Criminal justice educators have failed to promote themselves as academicians and should take corrective steps toward professionalization if they are to compete successfully against other university programs. Data for this project was derived from responses of 1,028 of the 1,274 members of the American Society of Criminology (ASC) and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) to mailed questionnaires containing 69 items. Professionalism was assessed by questions on the use of a professional organization's resources and beliefs in public service, autonomy, and self-regulation within professions, as well as a sense of calling to the field. Respondents were asked to rank a series of criminal justice publications and show the frequency with which they had published in each. Analysis of the data indicated that criminal justice educators could be viewed as moderately professional. Considerable variation existed in the ranking of journals, although there was general agreement on the lowest weighted journals. Both ASC and ASC/ACJS members ranked the publications with a sociological orientation higher than did ACJS members, while the latter weighed the criminal justice publications more highly. The relationship between professional level and productivity was negligible. Tables, footnotes, and 9 references are included. The appendixes provide the survey questionnaire and the modified form of Hall's professional scale used in the study. (Author abstract modified)