Wm. Reed Benedict

Perceptions of the police

This research updates and expands upon Decker’s article “Citizen attitudes toward the police: a review of past findings and suggestions for future policy” by summarizing the findings from more than 100 articles on perceptions of and attitudes toward the police. Initially, the value of research on attitudes toward the police is discussed. Then the research pertaining to the impact of individual level variables (e.g. race) and contextual level variables (e.g. neighborhood) on perceptions of the police is reviewed. Studies of juveniles’ attitudes toward the police, perceptions of police policies and practices, methodological issues and conceptual issues are also discussed. This review of the literature indicates that only four variables (age, contact with police, neighborhood, and race) have consistently been proven to affect attitudes toward the police. However, there are interactive effects between these and other variables which are not yet understood; a finding which indicates that theoretical generalizations about attitudes toward police should be made with caution.

Bullets, Blades, and Being Afraid in Hispanic High Schools: An Exploratory Study of the Presence of Weapons and Fear of Weapon-Associated Victimization Among High School Students in a Border Town

This article presents data obtained from a survey of high school students in Brownsville, Texas. Almost half of the students reported having seen other students carry knives at school, roughly 1 in 10 reported having seen other students carry guns at school, and more than 1 in 5 reported being fearful of weapon-associated victimization at school. Logistic regression analyses indicate that age, gender, seeing other students carry weapons, and involvement with student clubs/organizations significantly affect fear of weapon-associated victimization. Using language spoken at home as a measure of acculturation, it was also determined that immigrant juveniles are more fearful of weaponassociated victimization than nonimmigrant juveniles. The theoretical and policy implications of the findings are discussed.

Perceptions of the Police and Fear of Crime in a Rural Setting: Utility of a Geographically Focused Survey for Police Services, Planning, and Assessment

This study focuses on a survey designed to determine what crime-related issues citizens are most concerned with, and how they perceive the police. The survey utilized a geographically focused sampling technique. To discern any differences in concerns among the different areas of the city, the sample was stratified in accordance with the police departments beats. A breakdown of the survey data by police beat indicates that residents in the Northern beats are more concerned about their personal safety, their childrens safety, drugs in their neighborhoods, and the safety of their property than residents of other areas. The analysis also indicates that women have significant concerns about their personal safety at night, both indoors and outdoors. The majority of respondents indicated that they thought the police were responsive to the needs of the community but would like to see friendly interaction between officers and citizens.

Classroom Cops, What Do the Students Think? A Case Study of Student Perceptions of School Police and Security Officers Conducted in an Hispanic Community

Although the number of police officers serving in schools has escalated in recent years, few studies of student perceptions of school police have been conducted. This study presents an analysis of data on student perceptions of school police officers and school security officers which were obtained from surveys administered to a sample of predominantly Hispanic students who reside in a predominantly Hispanic community. Descriptive analyses of the data show that the majority of students view the officers favourably, but comparisons of the present findings with previously published research on adult perceptions of the police indicate that the percentage of students who view the officers favourably is lower than the percentage of adults who view the police favourably. Regression analyses of the data indicate that gender has a varying impact on different measures of attitudes toward the officers, that year in school has no impact on perceptions of the officers and that personal knowledge of crime and delinquency in the schools has a negative impact on perceptions of the officers. The regression analyses also suggest that race/ethnicity has no impact on student perceptions of the officers; a finding which is consistent with prior research on perceptions of the police conducted in areas with sizeable racial/ethnic minority populations.

Public perceptions of the police in Mexico: a case study

Purpose – The purpose of this research was to assess public perceptions of the police in Mexico.Design/methodology/approach – Surveys were administered to more than 300 law school students in Tampico, Tamaulipas.Findings – Analyses of the data show that the majority of respondents view the municipal, state, and federal police forces negatively. The analyses also indicate that the federal police are viewed less negatively than the state police and the state police are viewed less negatively than the municipal police. Finally, the analyses show that there is a difference in diffuse and specific support for the police agencies, but there was not a consistent pattern of diffuse support being greater than specific support.Research limitations/implications – Because the sample was composed of law school students, the results cannot be generalized to the Mexican populace. And the unusual findings pertaining to diffuse and specific support for the police indicate a need for additional research on this phenomenon....

“Clean up and go straight”: Effects of drug treatment on recidivism among felony probationers

The central question we address in this article is whether participation in court-ordered drug treatment programs reduces future criminal involvement among convicted property offenders who have a history of drug abuse. Using a national sample of male property offenders sentenced to felony probation, we analyze drug treatment experience on probationers’ recidivism rates by employing proportional hazards techniques. Results indicate that how successful white men are in completing courtordered drug treatment programs has no significant effect on their recidivism rates. However, AfricanAmerican and Hispanic men who satisfy the expectations of their drug treatment programs are significantly less likely to be rearrested. Overall, our findings support the contention that drug treatment reduces further criminal behavior among men on probation for felony property offenses. Thus, we recommend that court service personnel strive to provide drug treatment programs for property offenders with a history of drug abuse and that supervisors closely monitor probationers’ activities while in treatment to assure lower rates of recidivism.

Support for the Death Penalty in Developing Democracies: A Binational Comparative Case Study

To assess support for the death penalty in Mexico and South Korea, surveys were administered to students at institutions of higher education. The majority of respondents in Mexico (52.3%) and South Korea (60.8%) supported the death penalty. Given that the Mexican and South Korean governments have histories of using criminal justice agencies to suppress democratic reform, the high level of support for the death penalty indicates that a history of authoritarian governance may not inculcate widespread opposition to the punishment. Concomitantly, regression analyses of the data indicate that beliefs about the treatment afforded to criminal suspects do not significantly affect support for capital punishment. Contrary to research conducted in the United States, which has consistently shown support for capital punishment is lower among females than among males, regression analyses of the data show that gender has no impact on support for the death penalty; findings that call for a reexamination of the thesis that the gender gap in support for the death penalty in the United States is the result of a patriarchal social structure.

Small Town Surveys Bridging the Gap between Police and the Community

Tailoring a community policing program to meet the needs of the community necessitates that the police first determine what the needs of the community are. A survey of the residents of a small, rural town in eastern Illinois was conducted to help the local police department learn what the residents are concerned about and develop community oriented programs that the residents will both appreciate and support. The survey revealed that residents favor proactive policing, but are unaware of the proactive tactics used by the police department. Respondents also indicated that they would like to interact with officers in a friendly fashion and that they support the community services provided by the police. Finally, residents with children indicated concerns about their children being exposed to drugs and gangs. The police department is currently using this information in refining its existing programs and developing new ones.

Student Victimization in Hispanic High Schools: A Research Note and Methodological Comment

This research note provides a descriptive analysis of survey data on self‐reported victimization at school obtained from a sample of 230 high school students who reside in a predominantly Hispanic urban area located on the US–Mexico border. Consistent with prior research on school crime, the data show that males are more likely to be victimized than females and that theft is the most frequent form of victimization experienced by the students. The data also indicate that the rate of victimization among the sample of predominantly Hispanic students is substantially higher than the national average and that Hispanic students are more likely to be victimized than their non‐Hispanic peers; a finding which contradicts recent studies showing that the rate of victimization among Hispanics and non‐Hispanics is similar. The implications for future research are discussed.

Concerns about crime in a crime-ridden country: fear of crime, perceived risk, and avoidance behavior among law school students in Mexico1

This paper provides analyses of data on concerns about crime obtained from surveys administered to 303 law school students in Mexico. Descriptive analyses of the data show considerable concerns about crime among the sample, with a sizeable majority of respondents (more than 80%) having reported concerns about burglary, home invasion and their safety when out during the day. More than half the respondents (61.4%) reported concerns about their safety when out at night and roughly a third (29.6%) reported avoiding parts of the city due to safety concerns. Contrary to prior research conducted in Mexico and elsewhere in the world (e.g., Asia, Europe, the UK), regression analyses of the data indicate males were more concerned than were females about their safety, both during the day and at night. Additionally, victimization experiences proved to be inversely related to fear of burglary.