RT Article
T1 Demographic Differences in Youth Perceptions of Staff: A National Evaluation of Adjudicated Youth
JF International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology
VO 65
IS 10/11
SP 1143
OP 1163
A1 Pederson, Casey A.
A2 Fite, Paula J.
A2 Poquiz, Jonathan L.
LA English
YR 2021
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1764270312
AB Despite the large societal and personal cost associated with the detainment of juvenile offenders in residential facilities, little is known about the factors that contribute to youth behavior while incarcerated. One factor that may be of importance to maintaining security within facilities and improving rehabilitation efforts is youth’s perceptions of correctional staff, namely, youth’s perceptions of positive staff characteristics (e.g., friendliness; helpfulness) and staff behavior toward youth (e.g., fair punishments). Accordingly, the current study used the National Survey of Youth in Custody across two cohorts to better understand youth perceptions about staff by examining rates of these perceptions within juvenile detention centers nationwide. Furthermore, given the overrepresentation of marginalized groups in the justice system, systematic differences in youth’s perceptions about staff were evaluated based on demographic characteristics, including age, race, sex, and sexual orientation, to better understand how these characteristics influence youth perceptions. Results suggested several significant differences based on demographic characteristics, with the most prominent and consistent differences associated with race and age, with Black youth and older youth having the least positive views of staff. Interestingly, non-heterosexual youth were more likely to view staff characteristics as positive than heterosexual youth. Implications of findings are discussed.
K1 Age
K1 Sexual Orientation
K1 Sex
K1 Race
K1 perceptions of staff
K1 Detention
K1 Juvenile Justice
K1 Correctional Officers
DO 10.1177/0306624X20928027