This publication by the National Mentoring Resource Center, a program of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), reviews research literature relating to law enforcement mentoring of youth.
Prepared for Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) as part of the National Mentoring Resource Center, this brief scoping review provides an overview of current research findings relating to law enforcement mentoring of youth. While not a systematic review of all available research, the findings present the current landscape of the types of programs that have been studied, the goals of such programs, and the evidence of their effectiveness for achieving intended outcomes. The review begins with a brief history and theoretical justification for engaging law enforcement (e.g., police) as mentors. Next, an overview of the review scope and literature search strategy is provided, along with a summary of findings of identified studies and consideration of their limitations. The final sections provide conclusions as well as recommendations for practice and research.