TRENDS IN THE SOCIOLOGY OF POLICE WORK

• NCJ Number: 58826
• Journal: International Journal of the Sociology of Law Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Dated: (MAY 1979) Pages: 143-167
• Author(s): M CAIN
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 25 pages
• Corporate Author: Academic Press Ltd
• Sale Source: Academic Press, Inc
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom
• Note: PAPER PRESENTED TO THE 8TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF CRIMINOLOGY, LISBON (PORTUGAL), SEPTEMBER 1978 PRICE QUOTED IS FOR A SINGLE ISSUE.

Annotation

AN APPRAISAL OF STUDIES MADE ON POLICE WORK DURING THE PAST 15 YEARS LOOKS AT DEFINITIONS OF POLICING AND AT THE WORK FROM SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PERSPECTIVES.

Abstract

FIVE AREAS OF INTEREST ARE EXPLORED CONCERNING EFFORTS AT DEFINING POLICE WORK: (1) POLICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS, (2) POLICE ORGANIZATION, (3) POLICE AND DEVIANCY, (4) POLICE AND COMMUNITY, AND (5) THE POLITICS OF POLICING. THE TERM 'POLICING' HAS NOT BEEN ADEQUATELY DEFINED AND MAY INCLUDE PRIVATE POLICE FORCES, CITIZEN PROTECTION GROUPS, OR OTHER PRIVATE POLICING GROUPS. EACH OF THESE AREAS STUDIED BY SOCIOLOGISTS DURING THE PAST 15 YEARS IS SURVEYED FOR CURRENT WORK BEING DONE, FOR ITS APPROACH TO POLICE WORK, AND FOR THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF THE APPROACH. POLICE DEVIANCY AND ARE CONCERNED WITH THE PROBLEM OF POLICE DEVIANCY AND WITH A CORRECTIONAL APPROACH TO LAW ENFORCEMENT. MOST OF THIS WORK VIEWED POLICING IN A NONSOCIAL WAY AND MADE NO EVALUATION OF RELATIONSHIPS OR STRUCTURES. ORGANIZATION THEORISTS ALSO DEFINED POLICE DEVIANCY AS A MAJOR PROBLEM, LOCATED SOCIAL PRESSURES WITHIN POLICE ORGANIZATIONS, OFFERED TECHNOCRATIC SOLUTIONS, BUT DID NOT DEFINE POLICE WORK. USING ANOTHER APPROACH, SOCIOLOGICAL STUDIES LOOKED AT POLICE ENCOUNTERS WITH NONPOLICE, PARTICULARLY CHILDREN, IN AN ATTEMPT TO SHOW HOW A CITIZEN BECOMES A DEVIANT. THIS VIEW STUDIED THE ROLE OF THE POLICE IN CONSTRUCTING THE FACT OF DEVIANCE; I.E., HOW THE POLICE DEFINE THE GROUPS WHICH THEY THEN SEE AS THE OBJECTS OF THEIR POLICING EFFORTS. THE COMMUNITY APPROACH TO POLICE WORK USES A COMPARATIVE METHOD, POSITING DIFFERENCES IN POLICE PRACTICE AND EXPLAINING THEM. POLITICS OF POLICING, THE MOST RECENT APPROACH, IS SUBDIVIDED INTO FOUR DIFFERENT CATEGORIES: (1) COMMUNITY CONTROL; (2) POLICE UNIONISM; (3) THE POLICE AND THE STATE, WHICH STUDIES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE POLICE AND GOVERNMMENT AT THE LOCAL AND NATIONAL LEVELS; AND (4) HISTORICAL AND COMPARATIVE WORKS. REFERENCES AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE INCLUDED. (RFC)