Discuss the factors that are believed to be significant in police use of discretion regarding juvenile offenders
What will be an ideal response?
According to the Uniform Crime Reports, police officers arrest about 666,000 juveniles under the age of 18 each year. When a juvenile is found to have engaged in delinquent or incorrigible behavior, police agencies are charged with the decision to release or to detain the child and refer him or her to juvenile court. Because of the state's interest in the child and its welfare, the police generally have more discretion in the investigatory and arrest stages of the juvenile process than they do when dealing with adult offenders. In this the police decision is guided by some of the following:
• The type and seriousness of the child's offense
• The ability of parents to be of assistance in disciplining the child
• The child's past contacts with the police
• The degree of cooperation obtained from the child and parents, along with their detainer, attitude, and personal characteristics
Whether the child denies allegations in the petition and insists on a court hearing
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Lobbying can be direct or indirect
Indicate whether the statement is true or false.
The earliest theories of crime causation were:
a. Ecological b. Demonological c. Economic d. Classical
Why is the socioeconomic factor in determining juvenile disposition difficult to study?
A) It is usually studied together with race. B) Socioeconomic statistics are not gathered. C) Juveniles who get in trouble with the law are usually of the same socioeconomic group. D) It is not related to crime.
Why is DNA fingerprinting so useful in criminal investigations?
a. because no two people, other than identical twins, have the same DNA b. because detectives can find useable DNA at every crime scene c. because DNA can always be obtained without a warrant d. because DNA evidence is always conclusive