NCJ Number
76322
Journal
OHIO POLICE Volume: 27 Issue: 6 Dated: (March 1981) Pages: 81,83,85,87
Date Published
1981
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Juvenile delinquency is discussed from the viewpoint of the police department, and recommendations are made regarding approaches for solving the problem.
Abstract
It is currently estimated that juveniles account for 50 percent of the Nation's serious crime. Therefore, more satisfactory ways of handling the problem of juvenile delinquency must be identified. A well accepted definition of juvenile delinquency is youthful criminality or antisocial conduct. Included in the first category are those forms of activity that would be crimes if engaged in by adults. In the second category are truancy, incorrigibility, curfew violations, and similar behavior. In their management of juvenile offenders, the police must deal not only with the delinquents themselves but with parents, victims, judges, educators, and their communities. Fundamentally, the role of the police is no different in solving crimes committed by youths than it is in solving crimes of adults. The difference in approach occurs only after the establishment of the age of the suspect. The police are, depending upon statute and the local juvenile court, prohibited from photographing the youth, fingerprinting him, and establishing an official criminal record. The principle of legislative age irks police, for they are aware that emotional maturity, intellectual capacity, and sense of reason come to different persons at different ages. In addition, debate prevails as to the degree to which the police department should adhere to or depart from fundamental law enforcement procedure when dealing with young offenders. A wide range of actions is permitted when dealing with less serious crimes committed by juveniles. It is suggested that juvenile offenders are more than a police problem; they are a community problem, and the schools, welfare agencies, health agencies, and others must work in cooperation with the police. For example, use of school gymnasiums and playgrounds after school hours can contribute to reducing delinquency. For their part, police should obtain all information in juvenile delinquency cases within the realm of possible influential factors. This information is invaluable for a suitable case study by a followup agency of interest.