ScholarWorks@숙명여자대학교

초록

The study examined how legal consciousness and attitudes towards police can differ based on perceptions of procedural justice when contacted by police during middle adolescent period. We further examined whether attitudes toward police mediate the relationship between the perception of procedural justice and legal consciousness. Total of 83 late adolescents aged between 19 to 24 who experienced police contacts for crime victimizations, criminal behaviors, or as a witness during their middle adolescent period (aged between 13 to 18) participated for the study. The study results suggested that participants who contacted with police during their middle adolescent period with higher procedural justice perception were more likely to have higher legal consciousness and more likely to have positive attitudes towards police. Further analysis suggested that attitudes toward police fully mediated the relationship between the perception of procedural justice and legal consciousness. The results confirms that contacts with police during middle adolescence influences procedural justice perceptions, which in turn, influences attitudes toward police. It implies that police can take on a role of a legal educational institution to adolescents and thererfore, the investigation process on adolescents should be procedurally just.

키워드