Police And Juvenile Crime

Introduction

Juvenile crime has been one of the most immense problems with which the contemporary human society is grappling. Indeed, recent times have seen an increase in the rates of crime involving minors. Of course, there are variations as to the magnitude of crimes and the penalties that they would attract (Bartollas & Miller, 2011). Nevertheless, the function of police in juvenile crime does not change as it mainly involves crime prevention. In this case, juvenile officers form police athletic leagues, as well as youth diversion programs. In addition, juvenile detectives often visit elementary, middle and his schools in an effort to deter juvenile crime, as well as speak out against its risk factors such as gang formation and drug use, and cautioning them about the consequences of substance abuse and delinquency (Bartollas & Miller, 2011). The function has changed quite a bit from the previous position that it occupied. In the past, the attention of police officers with regard to juvenile crime was primarily fixated on apprehension of juvenile criminals, deterrence and punishment. However, the professionalization of the police in the 1920s resulted in the formation of juvenile bureaus that would train officers on the causes of juvenile delinquency, as well as come up with programs that would prevent kids from getting into trouble (Bartollas & Miller, 2011). This spawned the establishment of youth diversion programs and organized juvenile units that not only fostered the relationship between kids and the police but also involved the use of counseling to teach kids about consequences of delinquency.

Attitudes of juveniles towards the police have become more positive, thanks to the increased levels of friendly interaction. However, there are variations in the attitudes based on factors such as race, gender, and even places where individuals live, as well as any prior incidences of victimization. Nevertheless, the attitudes of juveniles towards police may be managed via increased interaction especially in the diversion programs, as well as counseling and other tactics that would prevent the participation of kids in crime, rather than apprehension and punishment.

References

Bartollas, C. & Miller, S. (2011).Juvenile Justice in American (6th ed.) Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ