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Article
Coppin' an Attitude: Attitudinal Differences among Juveniles toward Police
Journal of Criminal Justice (2001)
  • Terrance J. Taylor, University of Missouri-St. Louis
  • K. B. Turner, University of Nebraska at Omaha
  • Finn-Aage Esbensen, University of Missouri–St. Louis
Abstract
Using data collected from 5,477 eighth grade students in eleven U.S. cities, this article explores the attitudes of juveniles toward police through five specific questions: (1) Do juveniles hold positive attitudes toward police, similar to those reported for adults?; (2) Are there differences in attitudes toward police across different racial and ethnic groups?; (3) Do attitudes toward police vary by gender?; (4) Does the city in which a juvenile resides affect his or her attitudes toward police?; and (5) Does the city where the juvenile resides interact with the race or ethnicity of the juvenile to produce a difference in attitudes toward police? Descriptive analyses suggest that unlike the favorable attitudes reported by adults, juveniles are relatively indifferent in their perceptions of police. Significant differences by race/ethnicity, gender, and city of residence were also found. The article concludes with a discussion of factors that may explain these differences and policy implications of the findings.
Publication Date
2001
DOI
10.1016/S0047-2352(01)00089-7
Citation Information
Terrance J. Taylor, K. B. Turner and Finn-Aage Esbensen. "Coppin' an Attitude: Attitudinal Differences among Juveniles toward Police" Journal of Criminal Justice Vol. 29 Iss. 4 (2001) p. 295 - 305
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/terrance-taylor/31/