An investigation of the attitudinal changes in the police towards the mentally disturbed person

Includes bibliographical references (pages 51-55)This study was conducted to determine: (1) whether an attitudinal change towards the mentally disturbed person takes piece in the police recruits as a result of training, and (2) whether there is a difference between the attitudes of the newly trained police recruits and experienced officers toward the mentally disturbed person. The attitudes towards the mentally disturbed person were measured by using a modified version of a Likert type questionnaire. This questionnaire was administered to one hundred police recruits prior to their receiving instruction regarding the mentally disturbed person and then again after they completed this phase of training; and once to a group of experienced officers. Each of the six responses to the forty statements in the questionnaire was assigned a numerical value. The scores from the questionnaire were analyzed to determine differences in attitudes between groups. The comparison of attitudinal changes between the pre-trained police recruits and the post-trained police recruits as a group showed statistically significant differences on the total questionnaire. In addition, significant differences were noted on the Authoritarianism and Social Restrictiveness dimensions. On the basis of these findings, the first hypothesis, training has no effect on the attitudes of police recruits towards the mentally disturbed person, may tentatively be rejected. When the post-trained police recruit group and the experienced officer group were compared, statistically significant differences in attitudes were observed in Benevolence of the OMI dimensions, and five statements in the questionnaire. However, when the groups were compared on the basis of the total questionnaire, a statistically significant difference was not found. On the basis of these findings, the second hypothesis, trained police recruits and experienced officers do not differ in their attitude towards the mentally disturbed person, may tentatively be accepted