Police and juveniles Flashcards
(37 cards)
The factors associated with making the decision to take official action:
-Wish of complainant
-Nature of violation
-Race, attitude, gender of offender
-Knowledge about prior police contacts
with the juvenile in question
-Perceived ability and willingness of the
parents to cooperate in solving the issue
-Setting or location (private or public)
Other factors related to arrest:
- Respect
- (Un)Cooperative parents
- Delinquent peers – Morash (1984)
- Attitudes toward the police/police
perceptions - Age of the police officer
- Adolescents who are out late at night
- Laws, statutes, ordinances
Police-community relations
- Incidents like Trayvon Martin’s (e.g., Michael Brown, George Floyd) have set a very negative tone between the African American community and police agencies and also between youth and police agencies
- Youth hold less favorable opinions of the police than adults do
* This is important if someone hopes
to build a genuine rapport and/or
connection with
juveniles from diverse backgrounds - The Black Lives Matter movement gained national movement in 2020 following the death of George Floyd
- Its mission is to “eradicate white
supremacy and build local power to
intervene in violence inflicted on Black
communities by the state and vigilantes”
- Its mission is to “eradicate white
Citizen attitudes and perceptions of the police vary by
-Race and gender
-African American youth consistently report poorer outlooks than Caucasian youth regarding liking the police, trusting the police, or being satisfied with the police
-One study found girls had low support for the police and noted a fear of victimization
Why might views on police vary by race and gender?
-Racial socialization
-This points the need for police training in diversity and cultural differences with juveniles
In inner-city neighborhoods, police beat officers often arrive at a kind of ___
-“Working peace”
-They may allow juveniles to get away with minor things to “keep the peace”
Race makes a differences at all stages
of the juvenile justice process but may
be most important at
-The initial point of contact with the police
Unofficial procedures
-Alternatives available for handling juveniles, outside of an
arrest:
* Release
* Release & submit “juvenile card”
* Reprimand and release
* Take into custody & conduct a
stationhouse adjustment (this is
considered an official action)
Stationhouse adjustment or street corner adjustment:
-Usually aren’t controversial if all parties are reasonably satisfied
-Some objections have been raised based on the notion of “treatment without trial”:
-Juvenile has not been adjudicated for the offense
-No legal basis for punishment
-Even if the youth did commit the offense, the police generally don’t have authority to impose punishment unless the juvenile voluntarily agrees
Unofficial procedures - child abuse and neglect
- Regarding abuse/neglect, local law enforcement are
responsible for:
-Developing the procedures for the
handling abuse and
neglect situations
-Ensuring that law enforcement officials
are properly trained in identifying cases
of abuse or neglect
-Objectively investigate abuse or
neglect cases
-Interview victims and perpetrators of
abuse or neglect
Still there are a number of officers who
prefer not to take formal action in cases
that don’t involve serious abuse or
neglect. Perhaps due to the possibility of:
- False allegations
- Being used by one party involved in a
hostile divorce or separation to cause
trouble for the other party
Unofficial Procedures
-Overall, most police-juvenile
contacts are handled informally
-That said, there are inherent
problems in informal adjustments
Official procedures
-These are spelled out in juvenile court acts!
-As a result, specialized training is needed and focuses on:
* Special requirements of
juvenile law
* Adolescence development
* Parent-child relationships
* Social services agencies
Training & competence
-There have been repeated calls for professionalization of the police through increased education and training
-Smaller departments often struggle to have
juvenile specific officers
-Often a lack of training and resources for handling
juveniles
-Training is an
ongoing process because the demands they
face are constantly changing
-New legal issues arise like sexting and cyberbullying
-Juvenile sexting is increasing in
frequency
Police and Juvenile Court
-Police are the primary referral source to juvenile court
- Judges rely heavily on police for background information
-Referrals can depend, in part, on the police officer’s
attitude toward the court
School resource officers (SROs)
-SROs (or police-school liaison officers) are located in
schools and serve as sources of information and
counselors for students
-Came in response to school shootings, but research finds SROs have little impact on reducing school-based crime
-They do provide valuable services:
* Responding to crises quicky
* Training school staff
* Visible evidence of police
presence for those
contemplating violence
-Authority v counselor?
School based programs
-School-based officers provide valuable programing such as:
* D.A.R.E. – which has shown to
improved relationships between
police-youth
* Keepin it REAL – effective in
reducing alcohol, marijuana, and
tobacco use in middle schoolers
* G.R.E.A.T – effective
gang/violence prevention
program
Community-oriented policing
-Community policing relies on identification of problems by police and community members. These types of strategies have
also focused on youth:
* Youth Focused Community
Policing (YFCP)
* Addressing juvenile
problems
* Police Athletic League (PAL)
* Serious Habitual Offender
Comprehensive Action
Procedures officially begin with
-The filing of a petition
- Most courts discuss unofficial or diversionary activities prior to filing
one
-A petition may be filed by any eligible person, however a large portion are filed by law enforcement or social services
Juvenile courts (JC) typically hear cases related to: ***
- Delinquency, neglect/abuse,
dependency cases - These courts are based on a
rehabilitative framework
Clauses found in juvenile court acts include: ***
- Balanced/restorative justice
- Punishment/deterrence
- Child welfare
Rights of Juveniles
-Regardless of the state, juveniles are granted basic rights at the adjudicatory stage:
-1.Right to notice of charges and
time to prepare for the case
-2.Right to counsel
-3.Right to confront and cross-
examine witnesses
-4.Right to remain silent in court
-Courts have relied on totality of
circumstances approach to
determine validity of miranda waivers (includes: age, competency, educational level of the juvenile, methods used in and length of interrogation)
Juveniles have a right to counsel - might be appointed, can also appoint a: ***
-Guardian ad litem if the juvenile has no parent/guardian appearing on their behalf or there is a conflict (ex: abuse cases)
True/false: 4th and 5th amendments also apply to juveniles
-True
