Please read Ch. 12 this week (which will get you ahead of your readings for your assignment due next week) on the role of policing and whether this has any impact on juvenile delinquency rates. Some might argue that the police should serve the role as crime fighters (in current time there is much discussion about “law and order”) but it is not their role to actively work to prevent juvenile delinquency, as that responsibility should reside with families, schools, community organizations, and even the court system.1. In your opinion, what role, if any, should police organizations take in delinquency prevention?2. Should police departments have some responsibility in actively providing delinquency control strategies in their communities? 2. Could police organizations take on this type of responsibility? If so, how?
Chapter Goals
Identify key historical events shaping juvenile policing
Understand key roles of police in responding to juvenile
crime
Know organization and management of police service for
juveniles
Be aware of major court cases influencing police work
with juveniles
Understand key legal aspects of police work
Describe police use of discretion with juveniles
Be familiar with major policing strategies to prevent
delinquency
Know pros/cons of different delinquency prevention
policing strategies
Case Profile: Rico’s Story
Rico grew up in Harlem
One of 12 children raised by his mom
Father heavily involved in criminal behavior
Attended large urban school plagued with violence
School employed police to create safer environment
Involved in fight at school during freshman year
Police discretion kept Rico out of juvenile system
Rico successfully completed school and is now a
professor at a community college
History of Juvenile Policing
Specialized police services for juveniles is recent
phenomenon
Historical development of police organizations
Pledge system
Watch system
Bobbies
Sheriff
Historical development of working with juveniles
Delinquency control squads
Law Enforcement Assistance Administration
Juvenile police officer
Police and Juvenile Offenders
Primary responsibility is protection of public
Community policing emphasizes partnerships with
community to address crime
Juvenile officers operate as a specialist or a
member of a special unit
Role conflicts exist for police dealing with juveniles
Primary duty of law enforcement vs. desire to rehabilitate
youth
Best interests of child v discretion
Use of juveniles as informants
True role of juvenile officer exists somewhere between
law enforcer and social worker
Police and Violent Juvenile Crime
Violent crime includes homicide, rape,
robbery, aggravated assault, and kidnapping
Police experimenting with various methods of
controlling violent juvenile crime
Directed patrols of hot spots
Proactive arrests of serious offenders
Problem oriented policing
Improving community connections is
essential to combating violent juvenile crime
Police and the Rule of Law
Arrest of juveniles:
Requires probable cause
Differs from adults in broad authority for police to take
juveniles into custody
In loco parentis serves as basis for taking juveniles into
custody
Search and seizure:
Juveniles have some rights as adults
See Concept Summary 12.1 for warrantless searches
Custodial interrogation
Miranda rights apply to children taken into custody
Waiver of rights by juveniles very controversial issue
Waiver can occur without parents or attorneys present
Discretionary Justice
Juveniles enjoy nearly identical procedural
protections as adults
Police have broader discretion in dealing with juveniles
Factors affecting police discretion with juveniles
Norms of the community
Policies of the department
Customs of the department
Level of procedural justice
Situational factors
traits of offenders
level of hostility
attitude of juvenile
contriteness
type/seriousness of offense, etc.
Bias and Police Discretion
Do police allow bias to affect arrest decisions
with juveniles?
Racial bias shown to be present in system, especially
for African American youth
Chivalry hypothesis suggests gender bias in favor of
young girls is present in the system
Policies of some departments result in bias
Stereotype of lower class neighborhoods often result in
biased police discretion and actions
Police Work and Delinquency Prevention
Police have taken the lead in these efforts
Various forms of prevention exist:
Aggressive law enforcement
Saturation patrols, targeting gang members, arresting gang
members for any violations
Police in schools
School resource officers, GREAT, DARE, Community
Outreach through Police in Schools
Community policing
Several initiatives focused on reducing gun violence by
serious juvenile offenders
Problem-oriented policing
Involves systematic analysis and response to problems
underlying criminal behavior
Future of Juvenile Policing
Many challenges exists in addressing juvenile
offenders:
Witness intimidation
Racial bias
Poor relations with communities
Future strategies include:
Use of “soft” technologies such as IT systems
Use of “hard” technologies such as tasers, stun
guns, and other alternative weapons
Conclusion
Identify key historical events shaping juvenile policing
Understand key roles of police in responding to juvenile
crime
Know organization and management of police service for
juveniles
Be aware of major court cases influencing police work
with juveniles
Understand key legal aspects of police work
Describe police use of discretion with juveniles
Be familiar with major policing strategies to prevent
delinquency
Know pros/cons of different delinquency prevention
policing strategies
Key Terms
Pledge System
Watch System
Community Policing
Juvenile Officers
Role Conflicts
Informant
Problem-Oriented
Policing
Arrest
Probable Cause
Search and Seizure
Custodial
Interrogation
Miranda Warning
Discretion
Procedural Justice
The End
Chapter 12
Police Work with Juveniles