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Relationships with parents, teachers, and peers can expose youth to different types of authority and legal orientations. In particular, parents are expected to play a key role in shaping youth’s perceptions of authority, as they are considered the primary agents of socialization throughout childhood and adolescence. However, few have directly assessed the intergenerational transmission of trust in authorities from parent to child and the mechanisms by which transmission is more or less effective. The current study assesses to what extent parental trust in criminal justice authorities (i.e., police and judges) is associated with trust in criminal justice authorities among a diverse sample of young adults in the Netherlands. Drawing from research on socialization and youth development, we also evaluate to what extent the quality of relationship with the parent conditions the degree of intergenerational transmission of trust in criminal justice authorities. Overall, we found that parental trust in criminal justice authorities measured when the youth were aged 19–20 was positively related to youth trust 1 year later. The quality of the relationship between parents and children was not directly related to youths’ trust in authorities, and for the most part did not moderate the effect of parent trust on youth trust.

Existing research has shown that the quality of the relationship between teacher and child is associated with more positive perceptions of school authorities. There has been relatively less attention to the processes that connect attitudes towards different sources of authority, such as between teachers and police. The current study uses a counterfactual approach to estimate the direct and indirect effects of teacher-child relationships on children's later perceptions of police legitimacy. Using data from a longitudinal study of youth in Zurich, Switzerland, this study applies non-bipartite propensity score matching to identify matched pairs (n = 232 pairs, 55% male) of children with better versus worse relationships with their teacher at age 11 following a teacher change. Matched pairs were then compared on potential mediators (moral norms about deviant behavior and low self-control) at age 13 and perceptions of police legitimacy at age 15. The results demonstrate the importance of the quality of the relationships between students and teachers in shaping young people's interpersonal characteristics as well as perceptions of the world around them. Namely, if young people feel that they are being treated fairly by their teachers, they are more likely to distinguish behaviors that are right or wrong (moral norms) and control their actions (self-control). Moreover, as a result they are also more likely to perceive authorities such as police as legitimate agents that facilitate societal order.

Introduction: This paper accomplishes two goals. First, we assesses the measurement invariance of legal cynicism among adolescents in São Paulo, Brazil, Montevideo, Uruguay, and Zurich, Switzerland. Second, we evaluate a series of social and individual antecedents that are expected to influence legal cynicism across contexts. Methods: This paper first evaluates the measurement invariance of legal cynicism using Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis with three randomized clustered samples of adolescents in Zurich (n = 1447), São Paulo (n = 2680) and Montevideo (n = 2204). Second, we assessed the correlates for legal cynicism in each city using structural equation modelling techniques. Results: The results demonstrated metric invariance, but not scalar invariance among adolescents in São Paulo, Zurich, and Montevideo. We were able to establish partial measurement invariance for legal cynicism in São Paulo and Zurich, and therefore proceeded with the comparison of latent means and antecedents. The results show that on average legal cynicism is higher in Zurich, but that the size and strength of antecedents were similar across cities. Low self-control was by far the strongest correlate of legal cynicism. Conclusions: Overall, our results suggest that current operationalizations of legal cynicism may not be rooted in social structural context and experiences with legal authorities, but rather reflect how individuals interpret legal boundaries and dispositions towards rule-breaking. Researchers must reconsider how legal cynicism fits into models of legal socialization, and whether devel- opmental models of self-control may help us understand the origins and nature of legal cynicism, as it is currently measured.

In different theoretical traditions, negative social con- ditions, attachments, and interactions shape the way individuals view the law and its agents. Although most researchers acknowledge the conceptual distinction between different legal attitudes such as legal cynicism and police legitimacy, it remains unclear to what extent these attitudes stem from the same social sources. In the current study, therefore, we evaluate the social and individual factors that influence trajectories of legal cynicism and police legitimacy using a diverse community sample of youths in Zurich, Switzerland. Latent growth curve models were employed to examine patterns of change in legal cynicism and police legitimacy between 13 and 20 years of age. The findings show that legal cynicism and police legitimacy both decline into early adulthood and exhibit high rank-stability over time. Furthermore, we find that legal cynicism is closely related to individual characteris- tics that reflect one’s inability to recognize or abide by their internal rules. By contrast, police legitimacy is shaped by socialization influences, particularly teacher bonds and police contacts. These results indicate a need to assess the measurement and interpretation of legal cynicism critically in relation to broader legitimacy beliefs and to investigate the shared and distinct sources of these different constructs.

Legal socialization is the study of how individuals develop their perceptions of legal authorities and laws. Studies demonstrate that adolescents with negative perceptions of legal authorities tend to violate the law, yet the literature has not adequately addressed how adolescents develop their perceptions, why their perceptions affect behavior, and, despite being a critical component of legal socialization, how individuals develop their perceptions of law. This dissertation applied a developmental approach to filling these gaps in the literature. The first study demonstrated that the development of perceptions of the justice system through adolescence varies based on both race and experience. Specifically, Black youth report the most negative perceptions, followed by Latino, and then White youth, and racial differences increase as youth age. Further, attitudes become worse over time for youth who remain in the system. The second study showed that youth differentiate between legal authorities, such as law enforcement and the justice system, and socio-cultural authorities, such as schools and religious institutions. Further, across races/ethnicities youths’ perceptions of law enforcement have declined markedly in recent years. The third study demonstrated that the effect of perceptions on delinquency varies based on developmental level. Finally, the fourth study revealed that the obligation to obey the law declines through adolescence and how youth perceive law is strongly associated with how their parents view law.

The article considers the conditions of the effective formation of legal consciousness of students through psychological training. The study included ascertaining and formative stages. 60 students aged 20 to 22 took part in it. At the ascertaining stage, R.R. Muslumov’s method of study of legal consciousness of personality was used to determine the levels of formation of the legal consciousness components of students. It was established that the formation of all components of legal consciousness among students (legal knowledge, legal attitudes, attitudes towards law, and attitudes toward legal institutions, legal activity and legal motivated cognition) was at an average and high level. At the formative stage, psychological training was used, which was aimed at developing legal consciousness and legal competence of students. The authors note that the most effective means of forming legal consciousness is psychological training based on the cognitive-behavioral approach, which suggests that a person can learn new social skills, emotions and new ways of thinking through the learning mechanism. Within the framework of the training, the work is focused on behavioral reactions and internal attitudes. As a result, qualitative positive results were obtained on the scales ”legal activity” and “motivated cognition”. Conditions for the effective formation of legal consciousness (which include interactivity, reality, relevance, success, emotionality and modernity) were generalized and identified in the group work. While recognizing the importance of educational work, the authors point out that the development of legal consciousness of students also depends on other external (family, conditions in a particular university, friends, etc.) and internal (character, personality characteristics, etc.) factors. It is not enough simply to form legal knowledge - it is important to nurture the legal consciousness, legal beliefs, lay the foundation of behavior on the basis of law observanc

Legal socialization is the study of how individuals develop their perceptions of legal authorities and laws. Studies demonstrate that adolescents with negative perceptions of legal authorities tend to violate the law, yet the literature has not adequately addressed how adolescents develop their perceptions, why their perceptions affect behavior, and, despite being a critical component of legal socialization, how individuals develop their perceptions of law. This dissertation applied a developmental approach to filling these gaps in the literature. The first study demonstrated that the development of perceptions of the justice system through adolescence varies based on both race and experience. Specifically, Black youth report the most negative perceptions, followed by Latino, and then White youth, and racial differences increase as youth age. Further, attitudes become worse over time for youth who remain in the system. The second study showed that youth differentiate between legal authorities, such as law enforcement and the justice system, and socio-cultural authorities, such as schools and religious institutions. Further, across races/ethnicities youths’ perceptions of law enforcement have declined markedly in recent years. The third study demonstrated that the effect of perceptions on delinquency varies based on developmental level. Finally, the fourth study revealed that the obligation to obey the law declines through adolescence and how youth perceive law is strongly associated with how their parents view law.

Parental monitoring behaviors are negatively associated with adolescent substance use. Yet, the processes explaining these associations are still unclear. The current study examined adolescents’ knowledge of minimum legal drinking age laws and their perceived acceptability of underage drinking as potential mediators of the links between parental monitoring behaviors and youth alcohol use. The sample included 1154 Belgian adolescents (Mage = 16.34, SD = 1.33; 71% girls), who were recruited in Wallonia (54.9%) and in Flanders (45.1%). Path analyses revealed that higher parental rule setting, but not solicitation, was related to lower alcohol use. Acceptability of underage drinking mediated this link, but not knowledge of the laws. Results suggest that beyond laws regulating the minimum legal drinking age, alcohol use prevention programs should consider the importance of parental rule setting and youth's perceived acceptability of underage drinking.

В статье рассматриваются понятие и свойства функций правовой системы в сопоставлении с функциями права. Большое внимание уделяется интегративной функции правовой системы как наиболее важной, поскольку она обеспечивает целостность и правовой системы, и общества как такового. Кроме того, анализируются регулятивная и охранительная функции, присущие и праву, и правовой системе, а также функция правовой социализации, ценностно-ориентирующая и информационная функции правовой системы. Делается вывод о том, что отдельная функция права может включаться в содержание разных функций правовой системы. Отмечается, что функции правовой системы и функции права зависят от особенностей правовой семьи.