Research on adolescents’ legal socialization focuses primarily on the police, while often overlooking other actors in the criminal justice system. This study therefore examines whether adolescents perceive such professionals as a single homogeneous group representing the law, or if they distinguish between them. A total of 301 adolescents aged 13 to 19 completed a questionnaire assessing their attitudes toward various criminal justice professionals, as well as their experiences of contact with the police, and various legal and extra-legal sources of socialization. An exploratory factor analysis revealed five distinct attitudinal dimensions, specifically toward the police, the judicial institution, lawyers, prison staff and youth justice educators. Regression analyses showed that contact with the police as an offender was associated with more negative attitudes toward the police. In addition, peers’ attitudes and adolescents’ sense of belonging to society emerged as central factors shaping their views of justice. These findings highlight the complexity of young people’s relationship with the law and emphasize the need to approach legal socialization from a broader perspective that includes all criminal justice professionals. The results also call for educational and preventive initiatives that take into account this diversity of criminal justice actors, as well as the influence of extra-legal sources in shaping adolescents’ attitudes toward the justice system.
This seventy-sixth episode features Lisa Massez, Mael Virat, and Nathalie Przygodzki-Lionet.
More details: https://doi.org/10.7202/1129109ar
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