Effect of cooperativeness of the parent on juvenile probation officer decision-making using a randomized controlled design

Tamara Kang, University of Texas at El Paso

Abstract

Juvenile probation officers acknowledge the importance of gaining the parents’ cooperation during supervision to ensure the best chance for rehabilitation. However, there is reason to believe that officers may attend to parental cooperativeness to inform decisions on how much to involve the parent in supervision. The importance of the parent is well accepted, but the effect of parental cooperation on officers’ decisions concerning the juvenile’s fate on supervision has yet to be examined. Aim 1 of this study examined the extent to which an officer’s response to a first instance and second instance of noncompliance was affected by the cooperativeness of the parent. Aim 2 examined whether officer orientation moderated the relationship between parental cooperation and the officers’ response to noncompliance. Parental cooperation and officer orientation did not impact the officers’ responses to a first instance or second instance of noncompliance. The non-significant findings raise two future directions for research. The possibility of the parent being more important during probation the more deeply embedded the juvenile is in the justice system is discussed. Furthermore, the results raise awareness of important differences in ideologies between the adult and juvenile justice system that are important to take into account for future research.

Subject Area

Psychology

Recommended Citation

Kang, Tamara, "Effect of cooperativeness of the parent on juvenile probation officer decision-making using a randomized controlled design" (2015). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI1593132.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI1593132

Share

COinS