Digital Commons Network^™

Media Influence On College Students' Perceptions Of The Police, Matilda Foster

Theses and Dissertations

The first of Sir Robert Peel’s nine principles of law enforcement (1829) tells us that the police exist to prevent crime. However, the next six principles address the police’s need to develop a relationship with the public and maintain the publics’ approval, favor, respect, and voluntary cooperation. Although these principles were written in 1829, they still apply to police organizations today. This paper addresses the struggles policing organizations in the United States of America had over the years in maintaining these principles of law enforcement, the strategies the police have used to increase public approval, and factors associated with how …

Association Between Perception Of Police Prejudice Against Minorities And Juvenile Delinquency, Kwang Hyun Ra

Theses and Dissertations

Criminologists have long studied police prejudice with the assumption that it is a fundamental problem resulting in discrimination against certain racial and ethnic groups. However, little research has examined how individuals’ perceptions of police prejudice (PPP) influences compliance or delinquency behavior among the public. To fill this gap, in this paper, I reviewed relations between police and racial/ethnic groups, theorized an association between PPP and juvenile delinquency, and empirically examined the association.

The long history of racial/ethnic prejudice and discrimination predisposes racial/ethnic minorities to consider themselves targets of discrimination and to feel powerless. Moreover, some minorities justify the current system …

A Replication Study: 20 Years Later Correctional Officers: How Do They Perceive Sexual Offenders?, Kimberlie Massnick

Theses and Dissertations

Correctional officers represent a large, influential group working within the criminal justice system; as such they have long attracted the interest of social scientists. These professionals, their attitudes towards inmates and the impact of these attitudes, have received scrutiny, especially since Zimbardo’s (1973) study of a mock prison, commonly referred to as the Stanford Prison Experiment. When compared to other professionals within the criminal justice system, correctional officers are often the least empathic, the most punitive, and the least supportive of rehabilitation. These potential attitudes this is unfortunate since correctional officers are ideally placed to improve the social atmosphere of …

Perception Of Police In Public Housing Communities, Taylor Brickley

Theses and Dissertations

Research on the relationship between police and citizens consistently finds that attitudes toward police (ATP) are least positive among black citizens in areas of concentrated disadvantage. While much of the research in this area focuses specifically on ATP among young black males in low-income communities because they have the most contact with police, there has been relatively little research that has included older and/or female residents. Additionally, research has yet to examine ATP in racial and economic enclaves that may have different social and environmental characteristics than the surrounding community. This study utilizes in-depth interviews with 60 residents of two …