Attitudes of Police Recruits Towards Offenders: the Impact of the Police Training on Attitudinal Change

Olga Cunha,Ana Rita Cruz,Andreia De Castro Rodrigues,Rui Abrunhosa Gonçalves,Filipa Carvalho

doi:10.1007/s11896-021-09484-5

Abstract

The traditional prevailing perspectives on attitudes assume that attitudes, once formed, are relatively stable over time. However, research has revealed that attitudes may be influenced by different factors that may change them. The present pre-post-test study aims to understand if the police recruits’ attitudes towards offenders change after police training and analyse the impact of sociodemographic and personality variables on recruits’ attitudes towards offenders. The Attitude Scale towards Offenders (ATO) and the NEO-FFI Personality Inventory were used in a sample of 74 recruits of a Portuguese Police Force at the beginning and the end of the police training program. Results revealed that, at the end of the training, recruits hold more negative attitudes towards offenders. Those who had previous professional experience in the army hold more positive attitudes, but only at the beginning of the training. Only attitudes towards offenders at the beginning of the police training program predict recruits’ attitudes towards offenders at the end of the training. These results emphasize the importance of initial and continuous training of recruits and police officers.

Highlights

Attitudes are evaluations of an object, concept or behaviour, based on personal beliefs with an appreciative meaning
The current study extended previous research on police officers’ attitudes towards offenders using a pre-posttest design and a sample of police recruits
This study aimed to improve the knowledge about attitudes of police recruits towards offenders, the impact of the police training program, which includes military, educational and in-service training, on such attitudes and the influence of the police officers’ features over these attitudes

Summary

Introduction

Attitudes are evaluations of an object, concept or behaviour, based on personal beliefs with an appreciative meaning (e.g. good-bad; pleasant-unpleasant, harmful-harmless; Ajzen and Fishbein 2000). They can be formed through personal experience, information received from various means or through others’ beliefs or statements (Garner 2005). Myers 2013) and that expressed attitudes may change over time (e.g. Garner 2005). Myers 2013), such as context, the subject’s information about the attitude object and the salience of one’s thoughts, feelings or memories at the time of their past actions towards the attitude object (e.g. Garner 2005) Many factors could influence the variation (e.g. Myers 2013), such as context, the subject’s information about the attitude object and the salience of one’s thoughts, feelings or memories at the time of their past actions towards the attitude object (e.g. Garner 2005)

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