NCJ Number
55445
Date Published
1978
Length
391 pages
Annotation
TO STUDY CONFLICT BETWEEN POLICE AND PROBATION OFFICERS, 1,457 POLICE AND PROBATION OFFICERS FROM NASSAU COUNTY, N.Y., ALBUQUERQUE, N. MEX., AND SAN JOSE, CALIF., WERE INTERVIEWED IN A FIELD SURVEY.
Abstract
THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO VERIFY THE FINDINGS OF A PREVIOUS CONFERENCE ON POLICE-PROBATION CONFLICT. THAT CONFERENCE CONCLUDED THAT CONFLICT DID EXIST, AND THAT THE CONFLICT COULD BE CLASSIFIED INTO FOUR CATEGORIES: (1) DISSENSUS, (2) ESTEEM AND STATUS DISCREPANCY, (3) DIFFERENTIAL OPERATIONAL INTERESTS, AND (4) PERCEPTUAL DISTORTIONS. IN ADDITION TO THE DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES EXAMINED IN THIS STUDY, THE FOLLOWING MEASURES WERE DEVELOPED FOR THIS RESEARCH EFFORT: (1) OPERATIONAL CONFLICT SCALE, (2) POLITICAL-LEGAL CONSERVATISM SCALE, (3) STATUS AND ESTEEM ITEMS, (4) POLICE PREROGATIVE SCALE, AND (5) PROBATION AUTONOMY SCALE. BOTH A STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRE, (INCLUDED) AND A SERIES OF INTERVIEWS WERE USED IN THE STUDY. THE INTERVIEWS WERE DESIGNED TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT STYLES OF INTERACTION AMONG SUBGROUPS OF POLICE AND PROBATION OFFICERS. IN THE AREA OF CONTACT AND CONFLICT, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE TYPICAL PROBATION OFFICER HAS FAR MORE CONTACT WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THAN DOES THE TYPICAL POLICE OFFICER WITH THE PROBATION DEPARTMENT. AMONG THE POLICE, HIGHER CONTACT WITH PROBATION IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER CONFLICT. LOOKING AT POLITICAL-LEGAL VALUE SYSTEMS, IT WAS FOUND THAT PROBATION OFFICERS TENDED TO BE MORE LIBERAL THAN POLICE OFFICERS. IN ADDITION, IT WAS DEMONSTRATED THAT THE MORE CONSERVATIVE POLICE OFFICERS EXPERIENCED MORE INTERROLE CONFLICT. IT WAS FURTHER FOUND THAT CONFLICT AROSE OVER POLICE-PROBATION DIFFERENCES IN AUTONOMY AND PREROGATIVE CONCERNS. PERCEPTUAL DISTORTION WAS PRESENT FOR BOTH POLICE AND PROBATION OFFICERS. EXTENSIVE TABLES, DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS, AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (MLC)