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Changing youth attitudes toward the police through community policing programming
Author(s) -
Leroux Elisabeth J.,
McShane Kelly
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.21894
Subject(s) - remedial education , intervention (counseling) , perception , criminal justice , psychology , context (archaeology) , economic justice , procedural justice , community policing , criminology , applied psychology , medical education , social psychology , political science , medicine , psychiatry , law , paleontology , mathematics education , neuroscience , biology
Abstract This article presents an evaluation of a community policing program designed to increase youths’ positive attitudes toward the police. A total of 45 youth attended the program and were surveyed at 3 time points: before program commencement, after program completion, and after a 4‐month follow‐up time period. Four program outcomes were examined: global attitudes toward the police, perception of the police, distributive justice of the police, and perception of police discrimination. Overall, participation in the program was effective in reducing perceptions of police discrimination and increasing attitudes toward the police among all youth. Findings also support the program as a remedial intervention for youth with past negative encounters with the police. The evaluation is discussed in the context of promoting the successful implementation of future community policing programs targeted toward at‐risk youth.