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Social Science General

Fair Cop

Learning the Art of Policing

by (author) Janet B.L. Chan, Christopher Devery & Sall Doran

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Apr 2003
Category
General, Penology, Law Enforcement
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780802084910
    Publish Date
    Apr 2003
    List Price
    $58.00
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780802036636
    Publish Date
    Apr 2003
    List Price
    $100.00
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781442674783
    Publish Date
    Mar 2003
    List Price
    $114.00

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Description

Police forces everywhere have been undergoing major social and organizational changes. In this, one of the few longitudinal studies of police socialization, Janet Chan, Christopher Devery, and Sally Doran present the complexity of police socialization under these changing conditions. Following 150 new police recruits through two years of training and apprenticeship, the authors question the traditional model of socialization that assumes a degree of stability and homogeneity in the organizational culture. They suggest that recruits' developmental paths can be much more varied and police culture is increasingly vulnerable to change.

Drawing on interviews, observations, and questionnaires, the authors depict the complex processes by which recruits adapt, redefine, cope with, and make sense of the positive and negative aspects of their training and apprenticeship. Bringing together rigorous quantitative analyses with rich ethnographic description, Fair Cop provides new empirical data and theoretical understanding about the reproduction and change of police culture.

About the authors

Janet B.L. Chan is Professor in the School of Social Science and Policy at the University of New South Wales.

Janet B.L. Chan's profile page

Christopher Devery teaches at New South Wales Politice College.

Christopher Devery's profile page

Sally Doran is a research assistant at the School of Social Science and Policy at the University of New South Wales.

Sall Doran's profile page