TREATMENT OF DELINQUENT YOUTH: The Influence of the Juvenile Probation Offer's Perceptions of Self and Work

This article examines the relative influences of the juvenile probation officer's perceptions of self and work on his or her opinions of delinquency and decisions made about juveniles. Self‐administered questionnaires were completed by 255 juvenile probation officers. Results indicate that the officer who is treatment‐service oriented is less likely to label juvenile acts delinquent than the officer who responds to lawyer role models. Officers who make rehabilitative recommendations are less likely to label acts delinquent than those who do not. The independent variables accounted for a rural of 21.3% of the variance in the dependent variable, the officer's perception of treatment.