Chapter 5 Police and the Juvenile Offender

Juvenile Justice: Theory, Systems, and Organization Houston/Barton Prentice Hall © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. Police Juvenile Contacts Police serve as the gatekeepers for the juvenile justice system

Juvenile Justice: Theory, Systems, and Organization Houston/Barton Prentice Hall © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. 5 Options for Dealing with Juveniles 1) Simply warn and release 2) Release after filing an interview card 3) Make a station adjustment 4) Issue a misdemeanor citation 5) Transport back to juvenile court and make a formal arrest with detention

Juvenile Justice: Theory, Systems, and Organization Houston/Barton Prentice Hall © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) Measures crimes reported to the police and crimes cleared by arrest In % of all crimes cleared by arrest were offenders under 18.

Juvenile Justice: Theory, Systems, and Organization Houston/Barton Prentice Hall © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. UCR Defines 5 Categories for Juvenile Arrest Disposition 1) Handled within the department and released 2) Transferred to another police agency 3) Referred to a welfare agency 4) Referred to a juvenile court 5) Referred to a criminal court

Juvenile Justice: Theory, Systems, and Organization Houston/Barton Prentice Hall © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc UCR Highlights for Juvenile Offenses 72% of youth taken into custody were referred to juvenile court. 7% were referred to adult court. 17% of all arrests were for youths under 18. Majority of police juvenile contacts were for less serious offenses. Juveniles were disproportionately represented in the statistics, i.e., juveniles represent 19% of total population.

Juvenile Justice: Theory, Systems, and Organization Houston/Barton Prentice Hall © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. Police Officer Role In % of all local and 74% of all state police agencies reported having some policy directive pertaining to the handling of juveniles. Police officers must serve as both crime fighters and pseudo social workers. 2 competing roles lead to role conflict.

Juvenile Justice: Theory, Systems, and Organization Houston/Barton Prentice Hall © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. 2 Police Officer Roles When Handling Juvenile Offenders 1) Law Enforcement 2) Order Maintenance

Juvenile Justice: Theory, Systems, and Organization Houston/Barton Prentice Hall © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. Police Discretion When dealing with juvenile offenders, law enforcement officers have a variety of different options at their disposal. Options include: Informal sanctions Releasing to parent or guardian Formal sanctions

Juvenile Justice: Theory, Systems, and Organization Houston/Barton Prentice Hall © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. 3 Key Elements to Using Discretion 1) A criminal justice official 2) Acting in an official capacity 3) Who makes a decision on the basis of individual judgment

Juvenile Justice: Theory, Systems, and Organization Houston/Barton Prentice Hall © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. 8 Factors Influencing Police Discretion 1) Seriousness of the Offense 2) Citizen Complaint 3) Departmental Policy 4) Demeanor of Subject 5) Race 6) Gender 7) Age 8) Socioeconomic Status

Juvenile Justice: Theory, Systems, and Organization Houston/Barton Prentice Hall © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. Attitudes and the Police Attitudes toward the police will impact the encounter between the offender and the police and the victim and the police. Adults and juveniles differ in their attitudes toward police. Juveniles have less favorable attitudes toward the police.