1. Chapter 12: Police Work with Juveniles

2. Learning Objectives After reading this chapter, students should:
1. Be able to identify key historical events that have shaped juvenile policing in America today
2. Understand key roles and responsibilities of the police in responding to juvenile offenders
3. Understand key legal aspects of police work and how they apply to juveniles
4. Be able to describe police use of discretion and factors that influence discretion
Be familiar with the major policing strategies to prevent delinquency

3. History of Juvenile Policing
Specialized police services for juveniles is a recent phenomenon
Historical development of police organizations
Pledge system
Neighbors protect each other
Watch system:
Created to police larger communities
Bobbies:
1st organized police force in London, in 1829
Sheriff:
In the American colonies
Historical development of working with juveniles
Delinquency control squads
Law Enforcement Assistance Administration
Juvenile police officer
LO1.

4. Police and Juvenile Offenders
Primary responsibility is protection of public
Community policing emphasizes partnerships with the community to address crime problems
Juvenile officers operate as specialists or are members of a special unit
Police Officer:
To intervene when actions of a citizen produce public danger or disorder
Juvenile Officers:
Have had some general patrol experience
A desire to work with juveniles
Have a thorough knowledge of the law
Undergo special training
LO2.

5. Police and Juvenile Offenders
Sometimes conflicts can arise when police are dealing with juveniles
Primary duty of law enforcement vs. desire to rehabilitate youth
Best interests of child vs. discretion
Attitudes toward police:
Race: African American teens rated the police less favorably than all other racial groups
Police contact: juveniles with prior police contact hold less favorable attitudes toward police
Victims: juvenile crime victims are much less likely than adult victims to contact the police
Use of juveniles as informants
True role of juvenile officer exists somewhere between law enforcer and delinquency prevention worker
LO2.

6. Police and Violent Juvenile Crime
Violent crime includes homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and kidnapping
Juveniles account for 13% of all violent crime arrests
Police experiment with various methods of violent juvenile crime control:
Directed patrols of hot spots
Proactive arrests of serious offenders
Problem oriented policing: addressing the problems underlying incidents of juvenile delinquency rather than the incidents alone
Improving community connections is essential to combating violent juvenile crime
LO2.

7. Question
1. Handling juvenile offenders can produce major ___________ for police; they may experience a tension between their desire to perform what they consider their primary duty, law enforcement, and the need to aid in the rehabilitation of youthful offenders.
a. moral dilemmas
b. role conflicts
c. migraines
d. legal uncertainties

8. Figure 12.1 Police Response to Juvenile Crime

9. Police and the Rule of Law
Arrest of juveniles:
Requires probable cause
The main difference between arrests of adults and juveniles is the broader latitude police have to control youthful behavior
In loco parentis
“In place of the parent”
Serves as basis for taking juveniles into custody
Search and seizure:
Most courts have held that the 4th amendment ban applies to juveniles and that illegally seized evidence is inadmissible in a juvenile trial
Arizona v. Gant (2009):
A person may be searched after a legal arrest, but only in the immediate area of the suspect’s control
See Concept Summary 12.1 for information on warrantless searches
LO3.

10. Question
2. Juveniles account for what percent of all violent crime arrests?
a. 6%
b. 13%
c. 16%
d. 21%

11. Question
3. The FBI estimates that almost two-thirds of all juvenile arrests are:
a. referred to juvenile court
b. referred to another agency
c. referred to criminal court
d. handled informally and released

12. Police and the Rule of Law
Custodial interrogation
Miranda v. Arizona (1966):
They have the right to remain silent
Any statement they make can be used against them
They have the right to counsel
If they cannot afford counsel, it will be furnished at the public expense
Miranda rights apply to children taken into custody
In re Gault (1967)
Stated that constitutional privileges against self-incrimination are applicable in juvenile cases too
Most courts hold that parents or attorneys need not be present for children to effectively waive their rights
The general rule is that juveniles can waive their right to protection from self-incrimination, but the validity of this waiver is determined case by case
LO3.

13. Question
4. Which of the following is the legal standard that allows the police to make an arrest for felonies they did not witness?
a. reasonable suspicion
b. beyond a reasonable doubt
c. absolute certainty
d. probable cause

14. Question
5. The protection against unreasonable searches and seizures is contained within the ________________ Amendment.
a. First
b. Fourth
c. Fifth
d. Sixth

15. Question
6. What U.S. Supreme Court case made the Miranda warning applicable to juveniles taken into custody? a. People v. Lara b. in re Gault c. Miranda v. Arizona d. Breed v. Jones

16. Lawsuit Filed for Illegal Search – Current Example
In October 2011, five young men filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Atlanta and 14 police officers for illegal searches and false imprisonment. Wilson, a 17 year-old young man who was accused of being a drug dealer, was beaten and strip searched twice on the side of the road by the officers. However, no drugs or contraband were found during the search.
Do you believe Wilson’s rights were violated?
What could the police do to better handle the situation?
Assuming you do agree that Wilson’s rights were violated, what should happen to the police offers who did this?
LO3.

17. Discretionary Justice
Juveniles enjoy nearly identical procedural protections as adults
Police have broader discretion in dealing with juveniles
Factors affecting police discretion with juveniles:
Formal action:
Fair and just manner
The seriousness of the crime
The situation in which it occurred
Legal record of the juvenile
Formal action will likely occur if:
The crime is serious and has been reported by a victim who is a respected member of the community, and if the offender is well know to them
LO4.

18. Question
7. The right to remain silent, right to an attorney, and the idea that statements made voluntarily will be used against the person make up the:
a. Discretionary waiver
b. Miranda warning
c. totality of the circumstances
d. Juvenile Rights Waiver

19. Discretionary Justice
Other factors that determine police discretion:
Environmental Factors
Norms of the community
Community alternatives to police intervention
Police policy
Directives
Voter satisfaction
Pressure from supervisors
Justice in Policing
Procedural justice:
An evaluation of the fairness of the manner in which an offender’s or another group’s problem or dispute was handled by police
LO4.

20. Discretionary Justice, cont.
Other factors that determine police discretion:
Situational factors
The attitude of the juvenile
The contriteness of the offender
The type and seriousness of the offense
The race, sex, and age of the offender
The offender’s prior contacts with the police
The perceived willingness of the parents to assist in solving the problem (in the case of a child)
The setting or location in which the incident occurs
Whether the offender denies the actions or insists on a court hearing (in the case of a child)
The likelihood that a child can be served by an agency in the community
LO4.

21. Bias and Police Discretion
Do police allow bias to affect arrest decisions with juveniles?
Racial Bias:
Racial bias shown to be present in system, especially for African American youth
“Driving While Black”
Gender Bias:
Chivalry hypothesis suggests gender bias in favor of young girls is present in the system
Others believe that police are less likely to arrest female offenders because their actions violate officers’ stereotypes of the female
LO4.

22. Question
8. According to the text, which of the following is a source of police discretion?
a. environmental factors
b. department policy
c. situational factors
d. all of the above

23. TABLE 12.1 African American Representation in Arrest Statistics

24. Bias and Police Discretion
Do police allow bias to affect arrest decisions with juveniles?
Racial Bias
Departments that are highly bureaucratized and at the same time unprofessional are most likely to be insulated from the communities they serve
Stereotypes of lower class neighborhoods often result in biased police discretion and actions when crimes occur in these areas
Literature shows that police are more likely to “hassle” or arrest African American males in poor neighborhoods
LO4.

25. Question
9. Which racial group is less likely to believe the police are honest?
a. White
b. Hispanic
c. African-American
d. Asian

26. Cops Kill Youth – Current Example
Stephon Watts, a 15 year-old black teen with autism, was killed by two European American Calumet City (a Chicago suburb) police officers on February 3, Stephon’s father called the police after his son refused to go to school in the morning. Five officers responded to the call and three of them went to the basement to talk to Stephon. But instead of talking to him, two officers shot Stephon after he allegedly slashed the arm of one officer with a steak knife.
Do you believe the police responded properly?
How could the police have responded differently in this case?
LO4.

27. Police Work and Delinquency Prevention
Police engage in various forms of prevention:
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: encourage officers to get out of their cars and do foot or bicycle patrols
Problem oriented policing
Involves systematic analysis and response to problems underlying criminal behavior; SARA
LO5.

28. Police Activities League – Current Example
PAL, the Police Activities League (Police Athletic League) is an organization in many law enforcement departments that helps coach young people, both boys and girls, in sports, help with homework and other school-related activities, and to build character and leadership. The purpose of the organization is to help strengthen police-community relations and keep children off illegal drugs and away other illegal activities.
Do you have a PAL in your community?
If you do, have you ever participated in the program, or do you know anyone who has?
If you don’t have one yet, should there be one in your community? Why?
LO5.

29. Future of Juvenile Policing
There are many associated with addressing juvenile offenders:
Witness intimidation
Racial profiling
Poor relations with communities
Future strategies include:
Use of “soft” technologies such as IT systems
Using various forms of surveillance technology such as closed-circuit television (CCTV)
Community-based policing services, police in schools, problem-oriented policing
LO5.

30. Summary
Identify key historical events that shaped current juvenile policing
Understand key roles of police in responding to juvenile crime
Know the organization and management of police services 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
LO1-LO5.