Police Training and Young Persons in Conflict With the Law: Report of a National Survey

• NCJ Number: 186903
• Author(s): Julian V. Roberts
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 39 pages
• Sale Source: Canada Department of Justice
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: Canada
• Note: accessed 02/06/2001

Annotation

This report presents the results of a national survey of police officers, which solicited information on respondents' experiences with criminal incidents that involved children under 12 years old, with a focus on police training in this area.

Abstract

Most respondents worked in a police service that did not have a section exclusively dedicated to youth or children and youth. Urban police forces were more likely to have a specialized section assigned to deal with this special population. Less than one-quarter of the total sample reported that their organizations had a specific policy for dealing with children in conflict with the law. Officers from urban police services were more likely to report having a policy for dealing with children under 12 years old. Few police services tracked calls for service with respect to children under 12 years old. Fewer than half of the urban forces and less than one-third of the rural forces stated that they reported to the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics criminal incidents that involve children under 12 years old. Behavioral problems, such as runaway children, were identified as the most frequent cause of calls for service that involve children under 12 years old. The first response of police was to inform social services. If the incident was not serious, the first response involved returning the child to his/her family. Only one-third of the respondents had a specific program or protocol that targeted underage children who are aboriginal or belong to some other minority group. Occasional conferences were the most frequent type of police officer training offered. Most officers were of the opinion that their training for dealing with children under 12 years old was inadequate; only 15 percent of the respondents indicated they were planning to implement a new strategy of response to children under 12 years old. Legal issues relating to the powers and responsibilities of police officers were identified by the respondents as the most important training priority. The next most important training issue reported by the respondents was child-developments Recommendations based on survey findings pertain to current policies and research on children under 12 years old in conflict with the law. 20 references and appended survey instrument