Changes in the professional commitment of police recruits: An exploratory case study

This research examines the effect of the initial socialization process on the level of professionalism among a cohort of thirty-six police recruits. These police recruits were surveyed at two points in their careers about their degree of professional commitment to the occupation. The first test period immediately followed their appointment to the force, and the second test period was six months later. Our principal finding was a significant decline in the level of professional commitment among the recruits between the two test periods; related findings to the professionalization process were similarly noted. The research demonstrates the effect of the initial socialization process among police and suggests ways police administrators can minimize the effect of initial socialization on level of professionalism, depending on their theoretical orientation.     

GOVERNMENT PRODUCTIVITY, EFFECTIVENESS, AND PUBLIC POLICY

Marc Holzer and Stuart S. Nagel (editors) . 1984. Productivity and Public Policy .
George W. Downs and Patrick D. Larkey . 1986. The Search for Government Efficiency: From Hubris to Helplessness
Elaine Morley . 1986. A Practitioner's Guide to Public Sector Productivity Improvement .
Richard H. Silkman and Dennis R. Young with the assistance of Robert Lipp . 1985. Subsidizing Inefficiency: A Study of State Aid and Local Government Productivity .     

Drug use and pretrial misconduct in New York city

Is recent drug use significantly associated with pretrial misconduct? Does consideration of recent drug use enhance risk classification among a sample of persons who have time free pending the disposition of their cases? Using data on arrestees in Manhattan, this paper examines these issues and some related questions. To measure recent drug use, urine samples were collected from persons shortly after their arrest and tested for four drugs: heroin, cocaine, PCP, and methadone. Two measures of pretrial misconduct are considered: whether a defendant fails to appear for a scheduled court date (FTA) and whether a defendant is rearrested prior to case disposition. Censored probit models are used to estimate the statistical association between drug test results and pretrial misconduct. Results show that drug test results are significantly associated with pretrial misconduct over and above the information typically available to judges at the time release decisions are made. Some implications of these findings for pretrial decision making are discussed.     

Social Utility in Ultimatum Bargaining

In this article we will provide an overview of factors that influence the weight that self-interest and equity related motives receive in ultimatum bargaining. These factors are grouped into three main categories: factors relating to the context of the game, factors relating to the parties involved, and factors related to characteristics of the game. Results of the studies are discussed in relation to the concept of social utility. The authors point out possible omissions in the literature—especially the lack of interest for the behavior of recipients—and recommend directions for future research.     

Modeling psychiatric patients' treatment decision making

Decision-making processes of psychiatric inpatients were assessed at admission and prior to discharge, and compared to hospital staff members using a paired comparison paradigm in which subjects chose between hypothetical antipsychotic medications. Multidimensional analyses of binary choice matrices revealed that all subjects based decisions on the risks and benefits of medication, and weighted risks and benefits in roughly equal proportions. Hospital staff demonstrated greater internal consistency in their decisions than the inpatient sample at both time points. For newly admitted inpatients, severity of psychiatric symptoms and nonverbal intelligence were related to internal consistency of decision making, and behavioral indices of medication compliance predicted relative weighting of risks and benefits. For predischarge and comparison samples, verbal intelligence and treatment preferences predicted both outcome measures. Reliance on verbal reports of decision making may be misleading when assessing competence in acutely impaired psychiatric patients.