Date of Award

11-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Discipline

Juvenile Justice

Abstract

This study explored the perceptions of Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) officers regarding juveniles, the causes of juvenile delinquency, and their self-legitimacy. It examined whether these perceptions were influenced by demographic factors such as police officers’ age, gender, rank, years of service, age at entry into the police force, educational level, and divisional classification. Additionally, it investigated the relationship between officers' perceptions of juveniles, causes of juvenile delinquency and their sense of self-legitimacy.

Previous research had extensively studied juvenile delinquency, causes of juvenile delinquency and police legitimacy, but there remained a significant gap in understanding how Jamaica police officers’ demographics influenced their perceptions of juveniles, causes of juvenile delinquency and self-legitimacy. Existing literature suggested that officers' attitudes toward juveniles and their views on the causes of delinquency could impact their interactions with young people and their broader role in law enforcement. However, there was a lack of empirical data specific to the Jamaican context, as to how or whether police demographics may influence these perceptions.

JCF officers were surveyed regarding their demographics, and their perceptions of juveniles, the causes of juvenile delinquency, and their self-legitimacy. The data were collected electronically through the JCF’s webmail service and WhatsApp groups over a period of eight weeks. Descriptive statistics summarized the demographic characteristics of the sample. Chi-square analysis was used to examine the relationships between the independent variables, police officers’ age, gender, rank, years of service, age at entry into the police force, educational level, and divisional classification and the dependent variables police officers’ opinions of juveniles, causes of juvenile delinquency and their self-legitimacy. The significance level was set at p < 0.05. The study encountered potential response bias, as participants might have provided socially desirable answers. To mitigate this, the survey was designed to ensure anonymity and encourage honest responses. The findings informed policies, training programs, and interventions aimed at improving police-juvenile interactions in Jamaica. By understanding these dynamics, the study contributed to enhancing the legitimacy of the police and fostering positive relationships between law enforcement and the community.

Keywords: Jamaica Constabulary Force, police opinions, juvenile, juvenile delinquency, police perceptions, self-legitimacy

Committee Chair/Advisor

Myrna Cintron

Committee Member

Camille Gibson

Committee Member

Nabil Ouassini

Committee Member

Andrea McDonald

Publisher

Prairie View A&M University

Rights

© 2021 Prairie View A & M University

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Date of Digitization

1/13/2025

Contributing Institution

John B Coleman Library

City of Publication

Prairie View

MIME Type

Application/PDF

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